Southeast Asia Feed Demand in Q4 2026: MANTA’s Buyer Outlook for Animal Protein Ingredients

Bottom line

Southeast Asia enters Q4 2026 with substantial underlying demand from livestock and aquaculture feed, but there is no single official forecast proving that animal-protein demand across the entire region will increase during the quarter.

This is a forward-looking MANTA assessment, not reported Q4 consumption data.

In this article, animal protein means animal-derived protein ingredients used in permitted feed applications, not meat for human consumption.

The underlying feed market remains large

Vietnam and Thailand illustrate the scale of feed demand in Southeast Asia.

USDA FAS forecast Vietnam’s total feed demand at 29.3 million metric tonnes in calendar year 2026, compared with 28.5 million tonnes forecast for 2025 and an estimated 27.5 million tonnes in 2024. USDA linked the broader demand expansion to the livestock and aquaculture sectors.

In Thailand, the Thai Feed Mill Association projects approximately 23 million metric tonnes of compound feed output in 2026. USDA also reports gradual growth in poultry and swine production and notes that poultry represents the largest share of Thai feed demand.

Aquaculture remains structurally important

Aquaculture is particularly relevant for high-quality protein procurement.

The OECD–FAO Agricultural Outlook 2026–2035 projects global aquaculture production at 121 million tonnes by 2035, with Asia maintaining an 88% share of global production.

The same Outlook expects fishmeal use in aquaculture to grow, while faster aquaculture expansion relative to fishmeal production is also driving wider use of other protein meals.

For feed manufacturers, this reinforces a longer-term requirement to manage protein quality, cost and availability across multiple ingredient classes.

MANTA Q4 demand-direction assessment

What this means for animal-protein buyers

1. Procurement should be product-specific

“Animal protein demand” should not be treated as one market.

Fishmeal, poultry meal, hydrolyzed feather meal, blood-derived ingredients and meat-and-bone meal have different:

• nutritional characteristics;
• applications;
• specifications;
• price structures;
• regulatory conditions.

Demand for one product does not imply equal demand for another.

2. End-year demand does not remove the need for value analysis

If buying interest increases, procurement teams may be tempted to secure material based on availability alone.

The better approach is to compare:

• protein;
• digestibility where relevant;
• amino-acid profile;
• moisture;
• ash;
• fat;
• batch consistency;
• delivered economics;
• documentation.

What buyers should watch

During September–December 2026, MANTA recommends monitoring:

1. marine-ingredient availability;
2. soybean meal and competing protein economics;
3. aquafeed production signals;
4. livestock production trends;
5. Q4 shipment schedules;
6. import eligibility by origin and plant;
7. Q1 2027 inventory requirements.

FAQ

Is Southeast Asian feed demand definitely increasing in Q4 2026?

No. There is no single regional dataset currently proving a uniform Q4 increase. Annual data show large and, in some markets, growing feed demand, while MANTA’s Q4 assessment is forward-looking.

Which animal protein will see the strongest demand?

There is no reliable regional basis for naming one product as the strongest-demand ingredient. Demand depends on price relationships, formulation, species, regulation and available supply.

Is aquafeed likely to remain important for protein demand?

Yes structurally. OECD–FAO projects continued long-term growth in aquaculture, with Asia remaining the dominant production region.

Talk to MANTA

For Q4 or Q1 2027 sourcing, send MANTA your ingredient, specification, application, destination, quantity and shipment window.

We can review available origins and commercial options against those requirements.

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