Alltech president and chief executive Dr Mark Lyons shared some of the survey highlights.
“After a devastating year in 2019, China has rebounded well, with a 5% increase in feed production, and has re-emerged as the world’s top feed producer. Even in the face of the challenges of disease and lockdown, China’s rebound has been faster than expected,” Lyons says.
“We are seeing more consolidation in the industry, with the top 10 countries now producing 63% of feed. By region, Latin America showed the highest growth, at 4%, with Asia Pacific second, at 2%.
The fastest-growing sector of the protein species was aquaculture, at 3%. And while pig and broiler feeds showed 1% growth, the beef sector suffered a small loss of 1%.
One perhaps surprising result of the covid-19 pandemic is the growth of pet food, as people throughout the world adopted new companions. And it’s also clear that trust, health, sustainability and inclusion are the driving factors transforming the future of food and feed production,” he says.
With data from more than 142 countries, the Alltech global feed survey is the strongest evaluation of compound feed production and prices in the industry. It is regarded as the most comprehensive data set of its kind, and referenced by government groups and media throughout the world.
Alltech also held their second annual women in food and Ag survey, which gathered real-world insights from the professional landscape for women in agriculture. In addition to assessing equity within the Ag sector, the survey reviewed the impact of covid-19 on women within agriculture.
The survey gathered insights from men as well as women. Responses from more than 3200 participants, representing more than 80 countries and all sectors of agriculture, shed light on the current workplace environment, barriers to success and the outlook for the future.
In the survey, 26% of female respondents indicated that they are the primary caretakers for children or aging parents while working from home. Additionally, 21% of women working within the agri-food industry indicated that they are concerned that working from home will negatively impact their careers. Conversely, 13% of male respondents shared the same concern for their career.
Some of the barriers explored were lack of mentors, networking opportunities, professional training and lack of flexibility or work-life balance. Although 62% of all respondents agreed that the industry is becoming more inclusive, there is reason to be optimistic.
“The data from these surveys is powerful, but the stories they represent are even more interesting,” he says.
“From this data, there are tales to be told. China’s incredible rebound, how the agri-food supply chain was especially challenged this past year, but held strong.
We saw shifts in global supply chains, and an increased trend towards trust-based transactions. We witnessed a swift acceleration in the development of e-commerce in 2020, with both consumers and companies developing a preference for this state of play and as we put greater priority on our collective health this past year, it strengthened a trend that was already underway.”
Lyons concluded his talk by explaining the increased emphasis on the importance of inclusion.
“It is becoming an essential ingredient of successful teams and companies. Innovation is fuelled by cultures of collaboration, where there’s an openness to every idea, where every person can be seen, heard and valued for their contributions.
There’s never been more pressure on businesses, nor has there ever been more of an opportunity,” he says.
To access speaker insights from the 2021 Agri-Food Outlook and explore full data results from the Alltech Global Feed Survey and the Women in Food & Agriculture Survey, visit one.alltech.com/2021-agri-food-outlook.
