JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Indonesia's consumption of corn for livestock feed from January-May was 2.51 million tonnes, down 18% from the same period last year, Indonesia Feed Mill Association Chairman Desianto Budi Utomo told Reuters on July 2.

Indonesia's corn consumption for animal feed in January-May 2019 was 3.07 million tonnes.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has affected demand for protein, including poultry, and in turn lowered the demand for corn for animal feed mixture, Utomo told Reuters.

The country also has lost thousands of pigs due to African swine fever (ASF), which has devastated pig herds throughout Asia and parts of Europe.

The downward trend in feed consumption in Indonesia reflects a global trend. In 2019, world feed production fell year-on-year for the first time in nine years, declining by 1%, according to the annual Alltech Global Feed Survey.

The Asia-Pacific region saw feed production decrease by 5.5% in 2019, primarily due to ASF and large declines in pig feed production.