Page 22 - PET worldwide issue 1/2021

Markets

Photo: Isma Braz, Pixabay

Latin American countries like
Brazil, Peru and Argentina have
been particularly affected by the
coronavirus pandemic.

Adapting to

the pandemic

The pet supplies industry in Latin America has experienced
huge growth in recent years. Expert Diana Mercado analyses
how the pet market has been impacted during the coronavirus
pandemic.

To understand how the pet In Brazil there are 74.3 mio dogs 1993. They account for around
food industry in Latin America and cats, in Mexico 28.2 mio, 30 per cent of the Latin American
was affected by Covid-19, it is in Argentina 13 mio, in Colom- population and prefer to have a
first necessary to understand bia 5.7 mio, in Peru 4.77 and in cat or a dog over a child . Dogs
2
its exponential growth in the Chile 4.5 mio . This increase in and cats are actually a part of
2
months before the pandemic pets in Latin America is largely their family and they invest large
came to stay. Businesses re- due to humanisation trends, es- amounts of money in their health
lated to the pet food industry pecially in younger generations and nutrition. But there are some
have grown disproportionately such as the millennials, a gen- more interesting data that dem-
in recent years and Latin Amer- eration born between 1981 and onstrate the strength of the pet
Diana Mercado is CEO of ica has become the region with food industry in Latin America:
Zoo Inc. a marketing firm the largest number of pets in the • At the end of 2019, Latin
specialising in the agricul- world. 80 per cent of people have 1 Source: Insurance Information Institute, America was experiencing
tural and pet food market. Statista 2020
at least one dog or cat at home. 2 Source: Forbes.com.mx great growth in the produc-

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