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Published on July 24, 2007

Nopporn Vayuchote, executive vice president of the Betagro Group, said the currency's appreciation had benefited the sector which imports premium-grade items, particularly from the US and Europe.

Most local producers focus on selling their products domestically, so the baht's rise has not had a significant impact on their business.

"Local importers and manufacturers of dog and cat foods have passed on the benefits of lower costs due to the strong baht to their buyers through more intensive promotion campaigns such as price discounts and premiums. Those intensive marketing activities have helped stimulate domestic demand and higher growth of the market overall," said Nopporn.

Betagro, one of the largest local producers of pet food, imports almost 50 per cent of raw materials, including vitamins and proteins, mainly from Europe.

"Despite economic difficulty, we have seen a sustainable growth of pet foods in the market place. There are increasing numbers of young and small families in Thai society who prefer to have dogs or cats in their houses as another member of the family," said Nopporn. He added that pets had become a new hobby for the younger generation, who always sought better-quality foods and merchandise.

"Today pet-lovers have more knowledge about raising and taking care of their pets. There are an increasing number of people who can afford more expensive and better-quality breeds, whether dogs or cats," said Nopporn.

Betagro is one of the main sponsors of Pet Expo Thailand 2007, which will be held from August 2-5 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok.

Organised by NCC Exhibition Organiser, a unit of NCC Management and Development, the event is expected to attract 100,000 visitors and generate about Bt100 million. Kamolnai Chaichanian, a board member of NCC Management and Development, said more and more people were keeping pets, with the merchandise market for dogs and cats reaching an estimated value of Bt5 billion annually.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation