The National Food Institute (NFI) is stepping up efforts to increase pet food exports to serve growing demand in foreign countries, especially Japan, Europe and the US.
The pet food market shows strong growth potential both domestically and internationally, driven by the rising perception of pets as family members, which is fuelling demand for high-quality, functional and premium products.
The NFI is seeking opportunities to add value to pet food and help producers expand into new markets to support the pricing of Thai agricultural products, benefit local farmers and strengthen the export sector, said Supawan Teerarat, president of the institute.
Thailand is one of the world’s leading pet food exporters, benefiting from abundant raw materials from agriculture, a skilled workforce in the processing industry, competitive labour costs and strong government support for export growth, she said.
However, the proportion of pet food exports is considered low compared with exported human food.
“We are preparing a new strategy to further develop and market pet food,” said Mrs Supawan.
The strategy, scheduled to be submitted to the NFI board for approval within November, will direct action plans to promote pet food for fiscal 2026, which runs from Oct 1 this year to Sept 30 in 2026.
“We expect the strategic plan will play an important role in strengthening the Thai economy,” she said.
The strategy will also include measures for further development of human food.
The NFI plans to downgrade its 2026 target for human food exports from 1.75 trillion baht in response to shifting global conditions, which would have been a 6.8% gain from the 2025 goal, said Mrs Supawan.
In 2024, Thailand’s human food export value reached 1.63 trillion baht, slightly below the target of 1.65 trillion, but up 8.8% year-on-year.
“Thailand’s export sector faces challenges from the baht’s fluctuation, which impacts export value,” she said.
Economic slowdowns among key trading partners, driven by global uncertainties such as new US tariff policies and ongoing geopolitical tensions, have further weighed on export performance, said Mrs Supawan.