Peter BestPeter Best is a consulting editor for Pig International and can be reached at [email protected].From the Author - Page 3HomeWorld Feed Panorama: A year of resilience for the feed industryWorld feed production was remarkably resilient in 2012 despite facing extremely challenging conditions. Many early expectations had been that the total global tonnage of industrially produced compound feeds would show a significant reduction in 2012 under the pressure of high raw-material costs and weak farm market prices.HomeSpecial report: Top feed companies 2011-2012The volatility of grain prices made the past year atumultuous one as feed producers worldwide worked to secure raw materials.HomeGlobal pig production: Trends shaping the pork industryFundamental changes areshaping global pig production as pork production in 2011 dropped to 109 millionmetric tons of pig meat produced.HomeVietnam’s pig farmers face productivity challengesVietnam is projected to have an on-farm pig inventory of almost 35 million in 2020, producing around 3.5 million metric tons of pig meat per year, according to Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, MARD. Data from MARD presented at the 2011 Vietstock exhibition in Vietnam, indicates that national pork production of less than 1.5 million metric tons liveweight in 2000 had grown dramatically to 2.3 million tons in 2005 and approached 3 million tons for the first time in 2010.Nutrition & FeedWorld Feed Panorama: Once again, industry increases its volumeOur latest World Feed Panorama survey points to a 1.3 percent annual growth in the production of compound feeds by commercial mills worldwide in 2011. Nonetheless, it suggests a remarkably consistent rate of expansion for the feed industry in recent times, following reported increases of about 1 percent in 2009 and almost 1.5 percent in 2010.Egg ProductionStatus of global poultry meat, egg production sectorsIt seems from first estimates that 2011 will prove to have been the year when the world’s production of poultry meat exceeded 100 million metric tons for the first time in history. This landmark is certainly possible, according to an early forecast from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.HomePoultry performance improves over past decadesBird performance in the commercial poultry industry has shown a staggering improvement over recent decades. Modern broilers weigh about 2.5 kg at 39 days, with a live-weight feed conversion ratio of 1.6 kg of feed per kilogram of body weight gain.Egg ProductionWorldwide poultry meat production, consumption forecastsVisions of the year 2020 from various sources suggest that the world production of poultry meat will approach 122.5 million metric tons and that 72 million metric tons of eggs will be produced globally by then. The potential market size by that time is indicated by a projected growth of the global human population from 6 billion in 1999 and approximately 7 billion in 2011, to a total of 7.5 billion people in 2020.HomePoultry becomes world's most traded meatPoultry meat is now traded between countries more than any other meat. A reminder that the international trade in broiler meat has grown faster than for other meats was presented to the 2011 World Poultry Conference by Nan-Dirk Mulder of Rabobank International. By 2020, he declared, trading in poultry meat could reach the equivalent of 17% of global production.Egg ProductionMajority of eggs worldwide produced by 15 countriesJust 15 countries have provided 70% of the world’s eggs in 2011. The top 10 countries supplied nearly 65% between them and the five largest on the world scene were responsible for around 55% of all production. There is a big difference in volumes between the two giants of the sector – China and the USA – and the other members of the top 10.Egg ProductionEgg trade in processed products expected to increaseEggs are difficult foods to trade internationally unless in a processed form. Even now, therefore, less than 3% of eggs produced worldwide are traded between countries. At present this means approximately 2 million metric tons of eggs traded out of the production of 64 million tons.HomePoultry meat demand rises as consumer incomes increaseRecovery from the global financial crisis of 2007 and 2008 has been slower than expected in a number of countries, linked especially to high levels of government debt. This has had a direct effect on personal incomes and, therefore, on the demand for all animal proteins. Poultry products have resisted the downward pressure better than other food items, but the central point remains that the demand for chicken has followed the growth patterns of global, regional and national economies as measured by their gross domestic product valuation.Previous PagePage 3 of 11Next Page