Thailand Pet Food Export Growth: +25%

Thailand’s pet-food exports rose +25% (as of August 2024), establishing the country as a strategic Southeast Asian supply platform for global pet brands. The surge reflects manufacturing scale, trade access, and APAC’s broader pet-category boom.
thailand pet food export: key facts

Thailand has quietly become one of the world’s most important pet-food export bases. Per Ken Research (2025), Thai pet-food exports grew +25% year-on-year as of August 2024, a standout figure that reframes Southeast Asia from a consumption periphery to a production core. For brands managing China supply-chain exposure (66% of firms per Global PETS, 2025) and tariff risk, Thailand offers a China+1 anchor with trade advantages and rising quality credentials.

How fast are Thailand pet-food exports growing?

The +25% export growth (Aug 2024 vs prior year) is the headline.

+25% YoY export growth as of August 2024 (Ken Research, 2025).
The pace outstrips global pet-food growth (~4.2% CAGR per IMARC, 2025), marking Thailand as a share-gainer.
Growth is broad-based across canned, dry, and treat segments supplying both APAC and Western private-label buyers.
It positions Thailand alongside traditional export hubs (Thailand is already a top global canned tuna/pet-food converter) as a pet-specific powerhouse.

Why is Thailand a pet-food export platform?

Structural advantages explain the surge.

Established food-manufacturing base. Decades of seafood and canned-food processing translated into pet-food canning and cooking expertise.
Trade access. Thailand’s network of FTAs eases export to China, ASEAN, the US, and EU versus less-connected neighbors.
China+1 appeal. Brands diversifying away from China (6%→35% US tariffs) use Thailand to de-risk supply (see China supply-chain analysis).
Cost-quality balance. Thai plants offer lower cost than Japan/West yet higher process control than many alternatives.
Raw-material proximity. Regional aquaculture and agriculture supply protein and starch inputs efficiently.

Which Thai pet-food players are leading?

The export rise is powered by both local champions and MNC operations.

Local manufacturers have scaled contract and own-brand export, serving global private label.
MNCs (including Mars, Nestlé, and regional groups) operate or source Thai capacity to serve APAC and beyond.
Integrated groups combine feed, canning, and dry-extrusion under one roof, a vertical efficiency Western buyers value.
The sector benefits from Thailand’s reputation for food safety and Halal-certified export lines serving Muslim-majority markets.

How does Thailand export growth connect to APAC demand?

Thailand supplies the fastest-growing regional consumers.

APAC pet care hit $42.16B in 2024 at 6.01% CAGR (Market Data Forecast); Thailand feeds that growth directly.
China, the largest APAC market (¥312.6B urban spend, 2025), imports Thai wet and treat formats.
India (3–4% penetration, Petfood Forum Asia) is a long-term export frontier as commercial food adoption rises.
SEA neighbors (Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia) import Thai finished goods, deepening regional integration.

What are the risks to Thailand’s export momentum?

Caveats for the thesis:

Input cost volatility. Feed-grade fishmeal and grain prices swing with global commodities.
Currency risk. Baht movement affects export competitiveness versus Vietnamese and Chinese rivals.
Concentration. Over-reliance on a few buyers or regions exposes volumes to demand shocks.
Sustainability pressure. EU PPWR (2025/40) and NIQ’s +18.6% green-packaging lift push Thai converters toward recyclable, PCR-rich packs — a capability upgrade required for Western shelves.
Regional competition. Vietnam and Indonesia are investing in comparable capacity, threatening margin.

How should brands use Thailand in their supply strategy?

Practical guidance:

Qualify Thai converters as a China+1 for canned, treat, and dry formats.
Negotiate PPWR-ready packs now, since EU-bound goods need recyclable, traceable packaging.
Blend sourcing — keep China for scale, add Thailand for resilience and tariff arbitrage.
Leverage FTAs to lower landed cost into target markets.
Monitor rivals — Vietnam/India capacity could reset regional pricing.

What does Thailand’s rise signal for the global pet industry?

Thailand’s +25% export growth is a microcosm of three macro shifts:

Supply diversification away from single-country dependence.
APAC as both factory and market — the region no longer just consumes Western exports.
Mid-tier manufacturing ascent — countries like Thailand capture share through trade access and quality, not just cost.

For investors, Thai pet-food capacity (and its SEA peers) is a strategic asset in a tariff-sensitive, humanization-driven decade.

Which export segments lead Thailand’s pet-food growth?

The +25% is broad but segmented by format.

Canned/wet food. Thailand’s canning heritage makes it a top global supplier of wet pet formats, especially to Japan, China, and the US.
Treats and toppers. Cooked and freeze-dried treats leverage seafood and poultry inputs competitively.
Dry extrusion. Integrated mills serve both private label and own brands across SEA.
Halal-certified lines. Serve Muslim-majority markets in ASEAN and the Middle East, a differentiator versus some rivals.
Functional and premium. Rising share of added-value recipes as buyers seek more than commodity kibble.

How does Thailand compare to other SEA pet-food exporters?

Thailand leads but faces tightening competition.

Versus Vietnam. Vietnam offers lower labor cost and fast capacity build, threatening dry-food margin.
Versus Indonesia. Indonesia’s domestic scale is large but export logistics lag Thailand’s FTA network.
Versus China. China has vaster scale but higher tariff exposure (6%→35% US) and PPWR traceability friction, advantaging Thailand as China+1.
Regional role. Thailand is becoming the “factory + hub” of SEA pet supply, with neighbors feeding raw and finished goods through its export channels.

Thailand’s moat is not cheapest cost but the combination of quality, trade access, and reliability — exactly what risk-averse global buyers want.

What is the long-term outlook for Thailand pet food to 2030?

The +25% is a beginning, not a peak, if fundamentals hold.

Capacity expansion. Local and MNC players are adding canning and extrusion lines to meet export orders.
Value upgrade. Shift from commodity kibble to premium, functional, and Halal lines lifts per-ton revenue.
China+1 durable. Tariff and PPWR pressures keep Thailand preferred for risk-averse global buyers through the decade.
Regional hub role. Thailand consolidates SEA raw and finished goods into export channels, deepening moat.
Sustainability requirement. EU PPWR forces recyclable, PCR-rich packs; compliant Thai converters win Western shelf share.

If Thailand sustains quality and trade access, it will anchor Southeast Asia’s rise as a global pet-food supply platform well beyond 2030.

FAQ

Q: How fast are Thailand pet-food exports growing?
A: Thai pet-food exports rose +25% year-on-year as of August 2024, per Ken Research (2025).

Q: Why is Thailand a pet-food export platform?
A: Established food manufacturing, broad FTA access, China+1 appeal, cost-quality balance, and raw-material proximity.

Q: Which players lead Thai pet-food exports?
A: Local manufacturers and MNC operations (Mars, Nestlé, regional groups) with integrated canning and dry capacity.

Q: How does Thailand feed APAC demand?
A: It supplies China, India’s emerging market, and SEA neighbors within the $42.16B APAC pet care region (2024).

Q: What risks face Thailand’s export growth?
A: Input-cost and currency volatility, buyer concentration, EU PPWR packaging upgrades, and Vietnamese/Indian competition.

Sources

Ken Research, 2025 — Thailand pet-food exports rose +25% (as of August 2024); positions SE Asia as a supply platform; Korea 3.49M registrations cited for regional context.
Market Data Forecast, 2025 — APAC pet care $42.16B (2024), 6.01% CAGR; frames Thai export demand.
Global PETS, 2025 — 66% of pet firms have China exposure; US tariffs 6%→35%, driving China+1 to Thailand.
IMARC, 2025 — Global pet food ~$136.6B, ~4.2% CAGR; Thai export growth outpaces the category.
Global PETS / MTPak, 2025 — EU PPWR and +18.6% sustainable-packaging lift raise Thai converter packaging requirements.