Taiwan Aquaculture Feed Industry Trends Report (2021–2025)

1. Industry snapshot and key messages

• Taiwan’s aquafeed production has been stable at around 430–450 thousand tons per year, accounting for roughly 7% of total compound feed output between 2021 and 2024.
• The number of reporting feed plants fell from 113 to 107 over the same period, while aquafeed volume held steady, indicating ongoing consolidation and capacity concentration.
• A small group of leaders (DaChan, Oceanfeed/Shei Yu, Grobest, CP Taiwan, Uni‑President, Fwusow, etc.) are widening the gap with smaller mills via precision nutrition, functional feeds, digital aquaculture services and sustainability/ASC alignment.

2. Market size and growth
2.1 Domestic production and share within total feed
Based on Taiwan Feed Industry Association (TFIA) statistics:

• The market is mature and volume‑stable, not in a rapid expansion phase.
• Aquafeed remains a mid‑size niche versus pig and poultry feed, but unit prices, technology intensity and export linkages make it strategically important.

2.2 Link to global aquafeed growth

• Globally, aquaculture feed is forecast to grow from about USD 68–70 billion in the mid‑2020s to over USD 90 billion by 2029, at ~6–7% CAGR, driven by Asia and Latin America.
• Taiwan’s domestic volume may be flat, but Taiwanese players with regional operations (e.g., Grobest, CP, Cargill Taiwan) can plug into this global growth through overseas feed and farm‑service platforms.

3. Structure, consolidation and concentration
3.1 Plant structure and consolidation

• Most Taiwanese mills are multi‑species compound feed plants; only a subset specialize in aquafeed.
• From 2023 to 2024, the number of reporting plants dropped from 113 to 107 while aquafeed tonnage slightly increased, suggesting:
  • low‑efficiency or small mills exiting or shifting to tolling;
  • higher utilization at large and mid‑size mills;
  • product mix moving from low‑value generic fishmeal diets toward higher‑value functional and shrimp feeds.

3.2 Market concentration

• In 2023 DaChan produced ~79,500 tons of aquafeed versus total national output of ~428,000 tons, implying a national share of about 18–19% and clear No.1 position.
• Oceanfeed (Shei Yu) is reported at ~56,000 tons per year, implying ~12–13% share on a 430–450 thousand ton base, and is recognized as Taiwan’s leading marine‑fish feed brand.
• A 2025 Fair Trade Commission case named five fish feed companies for price collusion (Grobest, DaChan, Fwusow, Taisun, Yu Da), signalling that these firms collectively hold enough share in fish feed to influence market pricing.

Taken together, it is reasonable to assume the top 4–6 companies control well above 50% of Taiwan’s aquafeed market, with a long tail of regional and species‑focused mills sharing the remainder.

4. Key players and competitive positioning
4.1 Major players (indicative)

Note: Only DaChan’s total aquafeed output and tilapia share are numerically documented; other players’ shares are based on reported tonnage bands, case documents and industry commentary, not official TFIA league tables.

5. Species mix and demand drivers

• Taiwan’s aquaculture output is dominated by tilapia (~65k tons), milkfish (~51k tons) and marine species such as Asian sea bass (over 18k tons), plus shrimp and shellfish.
• Tilapia: Strongly concentrated around Chiayi (supplying ~90% of fry), making tilapia feed a core volume driver for DaChan and others.
• Milkfish: Tainan is the main producing area; feed demand is served by a combination of national brands and regional mills.
• Marine finfish (e.g., sea bass, groupers): Growing volumes and a shift toward premium domestic consumption support higher‑value marine‑fish feed, benefitting Oceanfeed and similar players.
• Shrimp: Remains a strategic growth segment, particularly for Grobest and CP, with strong pull from export markets requiring certified, traceable feed and farming systems.

On the demand side, modern retail, food‑service chains and e‑commerce increasingly demand standardized, traceable and sustainably farmed seafood, which indirectly pushes farmers toward branded, consistent and often certified feeds.

6. Technology and product trends
6.1 Precision nutrition and smart farming

• Government policies promoting “smart aquaculture” and aquaculture‑solar (“fish‑PV”) have mobilized around NTD 8.7 billion over four years to support upgrading of ponds, equipment, digital systems and cold chain.
• Feed companies are responding by combining:
  o    precision nutrition (species‑ and stage‑specific formulations, FCR optimisation);
  o    sensor‑ and camera‑based feeding control;
  o    cloud platforms for data logging and advisory services.
• The direction of travel is from “just selling feed” to selling “feed + data + farm management solutions”, enhancing farmer stickiness and willingness to pay.

6.2 Functional and health‑oriented feeds

• Rising restrictions on antibiotics and tighter export standards are driving demand for functional feeds that support gut health, immunity and disease resistance.
• Key tools include probiotics, plant extracts, enzymes and immune‑modulating additives, often bundled with farm‑side lab and advisory services.
• Companies like Grobest use functional shrimp feeds and proprietary additives as a differentiated value proposition and as an entry point into comprehensive farm models (e.g., GROFARM).

6.3 Raw material shifts and sustainability

• Taiwan’s aquafeed currently depends heavily on imported fishmeal, soybean meal, corn and wheat, with average “food miles” of 8,000–14,000 km for major ingredients, translating into high carbon footprint and supply‑risk exposure.
• Globally and in Taiwan, there is clear movement towards:
  • greater use of plant‑based proteins and by‑products;
  • emerging options such as insect, algae and microbial proteins;
  • improved feed conversion ratios and waste reduction to cut environmental impact.

7. Policy, standards and ESG pressure
7.1 Domestic policy

• Taiwan’s smart farming and aquaculture programmes support investment in automation, digital monitoring and resilience upgrades in ponds and raceways.
• This indirectly raises the technical bar for feed suppliers: more automated systems require tight physical quality specs (e.g., pellet durability, sinking rate) and consistent nutritional profiles.

7.2 ASC Feed Standard and certification

• Globally, the ASC Feed Standard has become a central sustainability benchmark: from late 2024 onward, ASC‑certified farms are required to source only from ASC‑certified feed mills in many markets, with a hard deadline of October 31, 2025 highlighted by several industry advisories.
• By 2024, more than 20 feed mills in 9 countries had already obtained ASC feed certification, with more in the pipeline.
• For Taiwan, this means aquafeed producers aiming at export‑linked value chains must:
  
  • build full upstream traceability for all major ingredients;
  • ensure marine and plant ingredients meet responsible sourcing criteria;
  • measure and report energy use and GHG emissions at the mill level.

8. Outlook: 3–5 year themes and implications
8.1 Consolidation and regional expansion

• Further mergers, alliances and toll‑manufacturing among domestic mills are likely as environmental compliance, digitalization and certification costs rise.
• Taiwan‑based leaders will continue to use regional platforms—especially in Southeast Asia—for growth, exporting not only feed but farm management models and technology packages.

8.2 From volume to value

• With domestic tonnage relatively flat, growth will increasingly come from:
  
  • moving farmers from generic to high‑value functional feeds;
  • embedding feed in integrated service solutions (data, diagnostics, technical service);
  • capturing ESG and certification premiums in export‑oriented supply chains.

8.3 Opportunities for investors and partners
For investors or strategic partners, attractive angles include:

• Backing platform players that combine feed, farm solutions and certification, rather than pure‑commodity feed mills.
• Supporting novel‑ingredient and circular‑economy initiatives that reduce import dependency and carbon intensity (e.g., by‑product upcycling, microbial or insect protein).
• Leveraging Taiwan’s R&D and system‑integration strengths to export aquaculture tech and models into the wider Asia‑Pacific region.

References

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