Rising meat consumption is driving South Africa feed production

The expansion of the livestock sector in South Africa has played an integral part in the development of the animal feed industry, according to a recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report. Animal production has more than doubled over the past 30 years in South Africa driven by higher meat demand. The major industries in the livestock sector include poultry, cattle, dairy, layers, pigs, wool, and sheep. The livestock sector also includes well-developed value-added cold chain activities such as the slaughtering, processing, and preserving of products. Animal production is the largest agricultural sector in South Africa and contributes about 42% to total agricultural output in value terms. Field crops and the horticultural sector each contribute 29% contribution. The poultry industry is South Africa’s largest individual agricultural industry, boasting a gross value of almost R63billion ($3.5 billion) and contributing 14% to the ...