Thailand now world's 4th biggest exporter of pet food after 15% growth last year
Thailand is now the No 1 exporter of pet foods in Asean and the fourth-largest in the world after seeing 15% growth last year, said the Commerce Ministry on Friday.
The world’s top pet food exporter is the European Union, followed by the United States and China.
Deputy Commerce Minister Sinit Lertkrai said Thai exports of pet food in 2022 grew 15% year on year to US$2.84 billion or 97.1 billion baht. The biggest expansion came in exports to the US, which grew 30% by volume, Australia (22%) and Europe (17%).
The majority of Thailand’ pet food exports are cat and dog foods, at 86%, with other pet food making up the remainder.
Thai pet food exports grew an average of 13% per year in the 10 years from 2012-2021, or US$1.52 billion (51.9 billion baht) annually, he added.
Sinit said the continued growth is a result of free trade agreements that Thailand has signed with several countries that scrap tariffs on goods imported from Thailand.
He urged manufacturers to study consumer trends and demand in overseas markets and maintain high quality of raw materials to make Thai brands a top choice for foreign customers.
Current trends among the increasing number of health-conscious consumers are organic, low-calorie pet foods and foods for sick animals, he added.
China, Australia, New Zealand, and fellow Asean members are among 15 countries that have signed FTAs with Thailand to eliminate import tariffs on Thai pet food.
Japan, South Korea, and India are still collecting tax ranging from 12.8% to 40% on pet food from Thailand. However, under the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), South Korea will gradually reduce the tariff to zero by 2036.
