China's Feed Output Rises Year on Year

The output of China's feed industry in 2008 reached 131 million tonnes, an increase of 6.2 per cent year-on-year. Among them, compound feed achieved 99.5 million tonnes, up 6.8 per cent year-on-year; concentrated feed made 26 million tonnes, an increase of 4.4 per cent year-on-year; additive premix feed contributed 5.4 million tonnes, an increase of 3.7 per cent year-on-year. In 2008, China exported 6 million tonnes of feed and the total value was $3 billion; imported 2.5 million tonnes and worth $2 billion.

At present, pig and poultry feeds account for 80 per cent of China total feed production, while the global feed industrial structure is pigs, poultry and cattle feed account for one-thirds each. As expected that in terms of the improvement of living standards, pork consumption will decrease and poultry and beef will increase, and aquatic products will increase as well.

It is expected that in the next 5-10 years, after the rapid formation of industrialization of China's breeding industry, the number of feed companies will quickly reduce. Through mergers and acquisitions, those companies who have advantages in technology, scale and brand will occupy more market share. In recent years, the market concentration of China feed industry has been rising, and further mergers and acquisitions are on the way. In 2008, there were 13 feed companies whose annual production capacity reached over one million tons in China and accounted for one-third of China total feed output.

In order to reduce the stress from the upstream and downstream industries, some feed companies started to extend their industry chain into the downstream breeding industry, such as Sichuan New Hope Agribusiness Co., Ltd, Tongwei group, Tech-bank and Zhengbang Group. To extend into the downstream breeding industry can help feed enterprises more closely to market demand, thereby enhancing the quality of feed processing, raising sales, and also through the integration of industrial chain are able to intensify feed companies’ ability to deal with industrial cyclical fluctuations and promote the level of comprehensive profitability.