The 2022 Alltech Agri-Food Outlook was released at the recent IPPE.  Total world feed production increased 2.3 percent for 2021 over the previous year to 1,235.5 million metric tons.

Of the seven regions, Asia-Pacific dominated with 37.1 percent of the total, increasing by 5.7 percent from the previous year.  The EU was second in rank with 21.6 percent of feed production down 1.2 percent from 2020.  North America comprising Canada and the U.S. was third in rank at 20.5 percent of the total, up 1.9 percent from 2020.  Latin America, including Mexico, attained 14.4 percent of feed produced, higher by 0.5 percent from the previous year.

Quantifying specific nations, the top-ten collectively produced 799.2 million metric tons of feeds, up 4.4 percent from 2020, outstripping the global average of 2.3 percent growth.  The top-ten  nations represented 64.7 percent of production.  The top-five feed producing nations were China  at 21.2%, up 8.9 percent; the USA at 18.7 percent up 2.1 percent; Brazil at 6.4 percent up 2.1 percent; India at 3.6 percent up 12.2 percent and Mexico at 3.1 percent up 2.5 percent.

In evaluating feed consumption by animal sector, broilers represented 28.4 percent of total feed produced, up 2.3 percent; hogs 25.1 percent higher by 6.6 percent; egg production 12.9 percent, down 1.4 percent; dairy 10.8 percent, up 1.9 percent and beef 9.3 percent, down 1.9 percent.

Within the egg-production sector, the total of 158.79 million metric tons was 1.4 percent lower than in 2020.  The leading regions were Asia-Pacific at 47.7 percent of feed production, down 2.1 percent followed by Europe at 19.2 percent, down 3 percent; Latin America at 14.9 percent, up 1 percent and North America, comprising the U.S. and Canada, 9.5 percent, unchanged from 2020.

In reviewing broilers, Asia-Pacific led at 42.3 percent of consumption, up 3.4 percent, Latin America at 18.8 percent, up 5 percent, and North America, comprising the U.S. and Canada, at 16.5 percent of production, up 1.0 percent.

In interpreting data, Alltech commented on the high demand for feed in Asia-Pacific and specifically China following restoration of herds following severe losses due to African swine fever from 2019 through 2021.  COVID was a serious restraint to consumption of animal-derived foods in many areas of the world, but following extensive application of vaccines in industrialized nations, an improvement in demand and hence feed production will be evident in 2022.