Production

Pet food industry has outstanding achievements in Hungary. In the past ten years, enormous production capacity was established in the country based on the high quality of Hungarian agricultural raw materials. The yearly production volume of wet and dry pet food is about 250 thousand tons of which approximately two-thirds are exported. Pet food manufacturing became the driving force of Hungary's agricultural exports: the Hungarian pet food industry quadrupled its exports in the past 5 years.

In 2003, exports increased by 40%. This is the second biggest rate in the past 5 years. Between 1999 and 2003, imports only increased by 11%, which is the lowest rate in the period.

Over the past 5 years, there was a four-fold increase in pet food exports : from HUF 13 billion in 1999 to HUF 54 billion in 2003. In the meantime, imports grew by 80% only.

The European Union and the now acceding countries are the biggest market for Hungarian exports. Non-EU markets, including Romania and Russia, are also important as they receive 28% of the exports.

It is quite extraordinary in the CEE that both global market leading companies, Masterfoods and Nestlé Purina set up regional manufacturing centres in Hungary and these account for about 90% of Hungarian pet food exports. Hungarian manufacturers such as Bábolna Takarmányipari Kft., Pet Hungária, Pamax, Feed-Full, Biovet and Aquafood also sell their products on foreign markets.