Betagro Group has announced plans to build a 1-billion-baht pet food factory to cash in on rising domestic demand.
Chayanon Kittayachaweng, senior vice-president for animal health and technology, cited an estimate by Euromonitor International that pegged demand for quality pet food in Thailand at 14,800 tonnes a month and rising.
Construction of the factory on a 46-rai plot in Lop Buri province will begin late this year and is expected to be ready to operate early next year.
In the first phase, it will have monthly production capacity of 4,000 tonnes of pet food to serve markets such as pet farms, pet shops, veterinarian clinics and modern trade outlets.
Part of the production is set for export to Asia and Europe.
Pet food is among the businesses of Betagro Group, which achieved 82 billion baht in revenue last year from sales of chicken meat, pork, eggs and other foods as well as animal feed and drugs.
Although pet food is a small segment of the group, it has shown high market potential in recent years as more Thais own pets, Mr Chayanon said.
This was supported by Euromonitor, a London-based research firm, which put the value of the pet food and care market in Thailand at 9 billion baht a year from 2013-18.
The company has observed the growing trend, notably from the company’s output, which is still not sufficient to meet local demand.
Betagro sells 3,000 tonnes of pet food a month, covering food for dogs, cats and ornamental fish, accounting for a 12% share of the Thai market.
The new plant will add 4,000 tonnes to its pet food production, distributed under the Dog’n Joy, Cat’n Joy, Perfecta and Bingo brands, Mr Chayanon said.