China Compound Feed Market- Trend Analysis & Forecasts

Market/ Product Overview

China’s compound feed market forms the backbone of the country’s livestock and aquaculture industries, supplying feed for more than ** million pigs, ** billion poultry birds, and over ** million tonnes of aquaculture production annually. Total compound feed production reached ** million tonnes in 2025, rising from ** million tonnes in 2022, indicating steady recovery after African Swine Fever-related disruptions that reduced output to ** million tonnes in 2019. Swine feed accounts for **% of total production, followed by poultry feed at **%, aquaculture feed at **%, and ruminant feed at around **%, highlighting the market’s dependence on monogastric livestock sectors.

The Chinese compound feed industry is characterized by increasing industrialization, with large-scale farms accounting for **% of total hog production in 2024 compared with just **% in 2018, driving demand for standardized compound feed. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs reported that commercial feed penetration in pig farming exceeded **% in 2024, up from **% in 2020, reflecting a shift away from on-farm feed mixing. This structural transformation has supported growth for integrated feed companies and premix manufacturers, especially in eastern and central provinces such as Guangdong, Shandong, Henan, and Sichuan, which collectively account for over **% of total feed output.

Feed cost composition further underscores the market’s scale, with corn representing **% of formulation costs and soybean meal accounting for **%, making China highly sensitive to grain price fluctuations. In 2023, average corn prices ranged between US$ 330–350 per tonne domestically, about **% higher than global averages, pushing feed manufacturers to increase use of alternative ingredients such as wheat, sorghum, and rice bran. Additionally, feed conversion efficiency improvements in poultry and swine sectors, improving by **% over the past five years, have encouraged adoption of specialized compound feed formulations, particularly for broilers and high-yield dairy cattle.

Significance of China in Global Compound Feed Supply Chain

China plays a dominant role in the global compound feed supply chain, producing **% of total global feed output at ** billion tonnes in 2025. This scale exceeds the combined production of the United States and Brazil, which together produce ** million tonnes, underscoring China’s strategic importance in global livestock production. China is also the world’s largest consumer of soybean meal, importing over ** million tonnes of soybeans in 2024, most of which is crushed for feed use, linking the compound feed market directly to global oilseed trade flows.

China’s feed demand significantly influences global grain trade, particularly corn and soybean markets, with feed demand accounting for **% of total domestic grain consumption in 2024. The country’s corn imports fluctuated between ** million tonnes annually between 2021 and 2024, depending on domestic feed demand and price competitiveness, impacting global price trends. Additionally, China is the largest aquafeed producer globally, manufacturing ** million tonnes annually, representing over **% of global aquaculture feed supply, supporting the country’s position as the world’s largest aquaculture producer.

China’s compound feed manufacturing ecosystem includes over 7,000 feed mills, although consolidation is accelerating, with the top 20 producers controlling more than **% of output. Multinational ingredient suppliers and additive companies increasingly rely on China as a key growth market, with feed additive demand growing at **% annually. The country’s emphasis on reducing soybean meal inclusion rates from 17% in 2020 to around 13% by 2025 is also influencing global protein ingredient markets, boosting demand for alternative proteins such as rapeseed meal, sunflower meal, and fermented protein.

China Compound Feed Supply & Demand Trend

China’s compound feed demand is closely tied to livestock production trends, with total feed demand at ** million tonnes in 2025 and expected to reach ** million tonnes by 2032. Swine feed demand recovered strongly after African Swine Fever, increasing from 96 million tonnes in 2020 to ** million tonnes in 2024, supported by rebuilding of pig inventories to over 435 million head. Poultry feed demand remains stable at ** million tonnes, growing at **% annually due to rising chicken consumption, which reached ** million tonnes in 2025.

Aquaculture feed demand is expanding steadily, with production reaching ** million tonnes in 2024, up from 31 million tonnes in 2019, driven by intensification of fish and shrimp farming. China’s aquaculture output exceeded ** million tonnes in 2024, representing more than **% of global production, requiring nutritionally balanced compound feed. Ruminant feed demand remains comparatively small but growing, with dairy herd expansion pushing ruminant feed output to ** million tonnes, up from ** million tonnes in 2018.

On the supply side, China’s feed milling capacity exceeds ** million tonnes, resulting in capacity utilization of **%, indicating moderate oversupply in certain regions. Regional imbalances persist, with coastal provinces operating above **% utilization due to aquaculture demand, while northern regions remain below **%. Feed manufacturers increasingly integrate upstream into grain procurement and downstream into livestock farming, with integrated companies accounting for **% of total feed production. This vertical integration helps stabilize margins, which averaged 4–6% in 2024, compared with 2–3% for independent feed mills.

China Compound Feed Market Segmentation

China’s compound feed market is segmented by livestock type, with swine feed accounting for ** million tonnes in 2024, representing **% of total output. Demand for pig feed recovered significantly after 2020, supported by rebuilding of large-scale farms, which increased sow inventories to ** million head. Starter and grower pig feed segments are expanding fastest, growing at around **% annually due to improved genetics and higher productivity.

Poultry feed represents ** million tonnes, with broiler feed accounting for **% of poultry feed demand and layer feed comprising **%. Broiler production growth of around **% annually supports stable feed demand, while layer feed demand benefits from steady egg consumption of 21 kg per capita annually. Duck and other specialty poultry feed segments account for ** million tonnes, reflecting regional consumption patterns.

Aquaculture feed production reached ** million tonnes, with carp feed dominating at around **%, followed by shrimp feed at **% and tilapia feed at **%. Shrimp feed is growing fastest at 3.5% annually, driven by export demand. Premium aquafeed with higher protein content is gaining share, accounting for **% of aquafeed production.

Ruminant feed accounts for ** million tonnes, including dairy and beef feed. Dairy feed demand is rising with milk production reaching ** million tonnes in 2025. Specialized dairy compound feed is growing at **% annually due to increasing productivity requirements. Feed premix and concentrate segments also show growth, with premix demand increasing by around 4.2% annually as integrated farms adopt customized formulations.

China Compound Feed Trade (Export & Import) Trend

China’s compound feed trade is relatively limited compared with its domestic production, but the country is highly dependent on imported feed ingredients. China imported approximately 96 million tonnes of soybeans in 2024, with Brazil supplying nearly 70% and the United States around 24%, underscoring the feed industry’s reliance on global oilseed markets. Additionally, China imported approximately 22 million tonnes of corn in 2023, although imports declined slightly to around 18 million tonnes in 2024 due to increased domestic supply.

China exports modest volumes of compound feed, primarily aquafeed and specialty livestock feed, totaling ** million tonnes annually. Major export destinations include Vietnam, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, which collectively account for **% of exports. Chinese aquafeed manufacturers are expanding overseas, particularly in Southeast Asia, with export growth averaging **% annually.

Tariff policies also influence feed ingredient trade, with soybean imports subject to varying tariffs depending on origin, typically ranging between 3–25%. Trade tensions have periodically shifted sourcing between the United States and Brazil. China has also increased imports of alternative feed grains such as sorghum and barley, with combined imports exceeding 13 million tonnes in 2024. These imports help stabilize domestic feed supply and reduce reliance on corn.

Influence of China in Global Compound Feed Price

China’s compound feed demand significantly influences global feed ingredient prices, particularly soybeans and corn. With soybean imports exceeding ** million tonnes, China accounts for **% of global soybean trade, meaning changes in Chinese feed demand directly affect global oilseed prices. For example, increased Chinese demand in 2021 pushed global soybean prices above US$ 600 per tonne, before easing to around US$ 480 per tonne in 2024.

Domestic feed prices in China also influence regional markets, with average swine feed prices ranging between US$ 420–460 per tonne in 2024. Poultry feed prices averaged around US$ 380 per tonne, reflecting slightly lower protein requirements. These prices are typically 8–12% higher than Southeast Asian markets, creating incentives for feed exports and cross-border ingredient trade.

China’s policy-driven soybean meal reduction program has also affected global protein markets, reducing soybean meal inclusion by approximately 3 percentage points since 2020. This shift has increased demand for rapeseed meal imports, which exceeded 3.2 million tonnes in 2024, influencing global price dynamics. Consequently, China’s feed demand acts as a major price-setting force in global agricultural markets.

Future Outlook

China’s compound feed market is projected to reach ** million tonnes by 2032, growing at a CAGR of around **%. Swine and poultry sectors will remain dominant, while aquaculture feed will record the fastest growth at over 2.5% annually. Industry consolidation will continue, with the top 10 companies expected to control more than **% of output by 2032. Rising adoption of precision nutrition, alternative proteins, and functional feed additives will reshape product offerings, while stable livestock demand and gradual industrialization will support moderate but steady long-term growth.