China's feed and farming giant Haid Group (Guangdong Haid Group) broke ground on a new feed plant with an annual output of 200,000 tonnes in Phu Tho province in northern Vietnam on April 29, 2026. Operated by its subsidiary Yongfu Hailong Agricultural and Livestock Technology, it centers on extruded feed for tilapia and also manufactures feed for chicken, duck and pig. Since entering Vietnam in 2011, Haid Group has already run more than 10 feed plants, with 2024 sales volume of 863,000 tonnes and a market share of 19.2%. With the move into the north, reaching a domestic share of more than 20% has become realistic.
News details
The new plant is located in an industrial park in Phu Tho province and covers the poultry, pig and tilapia farming clusters centered on the northern Red River Delta. The 200,000-tonne annual output centers on extruded aquaculture feed for tilapia, carp and the like, while also producing compound feed for chicken, duck and pig. Haid deploys in Vietnam too a "value-chain-type" business model integrating feed production, animal medicine, breeding and farming, and the new plant is positioned to extend this structure to the north as well.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee officials, Haid Group executives and local partner companies. Phu Tho province is strengthening foreign-investment attraction, and this large Chinese-affiliated investment aligns with the province's strategy.
Background: why the north, and why now
Vietnam's feed market was long centered on the southern Mekong Delta (pangasius and shrimp), but in recent years tilapia farming and chicken, duck and pig livestock in the northern Red River Delta have expanded rapidly. Because the 10-plus plants Haid built since 2011 were skewed to the south and center, the move into the north is a natural strategic complement. In the wake of the explosive growth of Vietnamese tilapia exports (Middle East 2,300%, Saudi 670%), demand for tilapia-specific extruded feed is surging.
Also, Phu Tho province is relatively close to the Chinese border, giving it an advantage for import access of raw materials (fish meal, soybean meal, corn) from China and North America. The destinations for finished feed are also concentrated in large-scale farms and livestock operations in the north, minimizing logistics costs.
Haid Group's Vietnam business in numbers
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Year of entry into Vietnam | 2011 |
| Number of plants operated | More than 10 |
| 2024 sales volume | 863,000 tonnes |
| Market share | 19.2% |
| New plant location | Phu Tho province |
| New plant annual output | 200,000 tonnes |
| New plant operating subsidiary | Yongfu Hailong Agricultural and Livestock Technology |
| New plant main product | Extruded feed for tilapia |
| The company's business areas | Feed, animal medicine, breeding, farming |
Industry and local reaction
The Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee rated it "a strategic investment that strengthens the competitiveness of the region's livestock and aquaculture industries at the scale of a 200,000-tonne-a-year feed plant." Haid Group executives said, "Vietnam is one of the most important markets for Chinese feed companies. We will continue to consider new plants in the north and center."
The Vietnam Feed Association rates it that "Haid's entry brings intensified competition and price pressure, while it also prompts technology transfer and quality improvement." Meanwhile, Vietnamese feed makers (Greenfeed, Vinafeed, etc.) are rushing to differentiate—to defend their share—with tilapia-specific feed, disease-resistance-enhancing formulations and custom blends. VASEP (the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers) says "expanding feed-supply capacity is a precondition for raising the ceiling of tilapia exports," expressing expectations for an expansion of export capacity after the Haid plant starts operating.
Practical information for Japanese agriculture stakeholders and importers
For Japan's seafood importers and frozen-processing makers, the expansion of northern tilapia production capacity is good news. If the Haid plant starts operating, the feed cost and supply stability of the northern farming cluster improve, and as a result the unit-price competitiveness and volume-supply capacity of Vietnamese tilapia rise. It is also a tailwind for the procurement strategies of Japan's frozen-food OEM and restaurant chains.
For Japanese feed makers (Nisshin Marubeni Feed, Itochu Feed, etc.), the competitive environment on entering Vietnam grows tougher. However, there is still room for differentiation in special uses (high-water-temperature tolerance, disease-resistance enhancement, formulation optimization), or for a segmentation strategy of supplying "Japanese-standard feed" to Japanese-affiliated farms and livestock operations. Japanese startups (insect protein, microbial protein, smart feeding) have a path to pilot adoption in partnership with Haid or local majors.
Ripple effects on the industry
Haid's move into the north symbolizes the advance of concentration and vertical integration in Vietnam's feed market. Chinese majors, Thailand's CPF, the U.S.'s Cargill, and Vietnam's Greenfeed and others split the market, and oligopolization advances. On the other hand, because demand for tilapia, chicken, duck and pig will keep expanding, in absolute terms there is a chance for all players. What matters is whether one can establish expertise in a specific species or a specific region.
As feed makers advance vertical integration (seed stock → feed → farming → processing → export), the bargaining power of independent farmers may decline. In response, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is considering "making contract terms transparent and building a joint-sales platform to protect independent producers." If a Japanese company participates in Vietnam's aquaculture industry, monitoring such institutional trends is also essential.
Practical information summary
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Company | Haid Group (Guangdong Haid Group) |
| Subsidiary | Yongfu Hailong Agricultural and Livestock Technology |
| Location | Industrial park in northern Phu Tho province |
| Groundbreaking date | April 29, 2026 |
| Annual output scale | 200,000 tonnes |
| Main product | Extruded feed for tilapia, compound feed for chicken, duck and pig |
| Market share (2024) | 19.2% (sales of 863,000 tonnes) |
| Degree of business integration | Integrates feed, medicine, breeding and farming |
Summary
Haid Group's groundbreaking on a northern Vietnam feed plant symbolizes the penetration of Vietnam's livestock and aquaculture value chain by Chinese capital. The demand-side tailwind of the tilapia-export boom and the expansion of the northern livestock cluster cleanly overlaps with Haid's vertical-integration strategy. Japanese stakeholders are at a juncture to calmly consider the pros and cons of "riding on top of Chinese-affiliated feed infrastructure" at each layer of raw-material sourcing, frozen processing and OEM supply. The areas where Japanese companies can compete through technical differentiation and certified procurement routes remain broad.
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