Recent reports from specialized consultants have indicated that it is expected a 12% growth in the Southeast Asian cold chain in the period 2022-2027. Over these five years, this growth is expected to be driven by an increased demand in regional and international meat consumption.

The countries that constitute Southeast Asia are Brunei, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Growth in the meat market has been influenced in recent years by the steady increase in the global human population’s demand for protein-rich food. This situation has been most noticeable in Asia due to its population growth in recent years.

The meat market is closely linked to the cold chain that controls the storage and transportation of this type of animal product. For this reason, there are commercial presentations of refrigerated or frozen meat, conditions that allow the product to be more durable and easily transported.

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Increasing demand for meat in Southeast Asia

One of the reasons related to the increase in meat consumption in Southeast Asia is the economic growth of the region, which increases the purchasing power of each person and gives them access to high-quality products.

In addition to this, Southeast Asian countries have chosen to promote a solid campaign to improve their nutrition and access to products of optimal conditions in the food sector. These initiatives have gone hand in hand with the increasing urbanization of these countries, rising incomes, and imports of animal products and feed for production animals.

The five key countries with the strongest economic growth are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Among these Southeast Asian countries, Malaysia has a large production apparatus in the poultry sector, which has the best production values. This country is self-sufficient concerning its demand and supply of poultry meat, with an annual consumption of 50 kg/per capita.

On the other hand, Thailand is emerging as one of the largest exporters of poultry production in the world, as well as an important consumer since it has a consumption of 8 kg/per capita annually according to 2020 figures.

Reports from world authorities at the end of 2021 reported the forecast growth in beef production by 2022. In the current year, beef production would increase to 58 million metric tons, representing a 1% increase over 2021. On the other hand, beef would increase its imports, representing a 2.7% increase compared to the previous year.

Among these figures, Southeast Asia plays an important role as it has significantly increased its consumption and demand for beef, chicken, and pork.