Food and Agriculture

How Indian pet care market can convert domestic growth into global wins

07 Oct 2025

India’s pet-care sector is moving from a fast-growing domestic market into a real export opportunity. Rising urbanisation, higher disposable incomes and premiumisation of pet nutrition and accessories have created manufacturing scale and an increasingly export-capable supply base. To capture global demand, firms must now go beyond product availability and cost-competitiveness: they need regulatory-grade compliance, accredited testing and traceability, packaging and shelf-life engineering, and logistics strategies that protect margins.

Indian pet products market

India’s pet products market (food, healthcare, and accessories) has expanded from US$ 327M in CY2019 to US$ 626M in CY2023. By CY2027, it is projected to almost double to US$ 1,206M, growing at a 17-18% CAGR. (as shown in Exhibit 1)

Pet food makes up 86% of the market, underscoring its central role. Growth is being fuelled by lifestyle shifts:

Health-conscious consumption: Rising preference for premium and organic food, mirroring human food trends
Service adoption: Growth of grooming salons, spas, and boarding facilities in urban centres
Financial awareness: Pet insurance gaining traction as owners recognise the costs of healthcare

Exhibit 1: Indian pet products market size

Key trends shaping the market

Expansion of organized retail and E-commerce channels

The availability of pet food through supermarkets, specialty stores, and online platforms is reshaping buying patterns. In 2023, retail sales of pet food reached US$ 430M, accounting for 68% of total market value, up from US$ 162M (66%) in 2018 (as shown in Exhibit 2). Offline retail remains the largest channel at 54%, dominated by non-grocery specialists such as home product retailers and pet superstores (50% of total market). E-commerce is growing rapidly, increasing from 4% share in 2018 to 14% in 2023. Online platforms offer convenience, pricing transparency, and subscription-based models, particularly appealing in urban areas.

Exhibit 2: Pet food distribution channels in India

Diversification across pet categories

The Indian pet food market is expanding beyond dogs to include cats, birds, fish, and other small animals. For instance, Many players have launched cat food in 2025, highlights the trend toward cat-specific diets. Urban housing trends and increased cat adoption are driving growth in niche pet categories

Technological and innovation trends

Innovation in pet food manufacturing and formulation is reshaping the industry:

Cold extrusion and vacuum coating for nutrient retention
Dual-flavor kibbles and microencapsulation of probiotics and vitamins
AI-based nutrition formulation, enabling functional and breed-specific diets

India’s export performance and import dependency

Global pet food exports totaled US$ 27B in 2024, led by Germany (12%), Thailand (10%), and the United States (9%).

India’s pet food exports have demonstrated strong growth momentum, rising from US$ 38M in 2020 to US$ 73M in 2024, a 17% CAGR accounting for 0.3% of global exports. This progress reflects India’s gradual emergence as a participant in the global pet food trade.

Within India’s export portfolio, Germany leads with US$ 19M, followed by the United States and the United Kingdom, underscoring the growing international reach of Indian manufacturers. However, imports continue to substantially exceed exports, reaching US$ 137M in 2024, driven primarily by Thailand, Italy, and South Africa (as shown in Exhibit 3).

This persistent trade imbalance highlights enduring structural gaps in India’s domestic manufacturing ecosystem, particularly in premium, specialized, and wet food categories where product quality, regulatory compliance, and packaging sophistication remain below global standards.

Exhibit 3: India’s export performance and import dependency

The concentration of exports in neighboring markets also reflects three clear constraints holding India back from deeper global penetration. The first is regulatory compliance: advanced markets such as the US and EU require strict labelling, traceability, and veterinary certifications, and Indian shipments are often delayed or rejected due to inconsistent documentation. There were 9 Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) notifications (2021-2023) concerning petfood exported from India to EU.

The second is limited accreditation: while firms may meet domestic FSSAI standards, many lack Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), or internationally recognized lab reports, making it difficult to clear customs in high-value markets. In Japan, Indian exporters have failed to secure contracts because they cannot provide ISO/IEC 17025-accredited lab reports on aflatoxin levels in dry kibble, which Brazilian and Thai plants routinely submit.

The third is packaging and logistics: Indian pet food makers largely export dry kibble in multiwall bags but lack capability for retort pouches/canned wet food, which dominate the premium EU and US segments (18–24 month shelf life). As a result, global majors like Mars Petcare and Nestlé Purina source wet food from Thailand, not India.

Addressing these challenges is essential if India is to shift from being a net importer to a globally competitive exporter. Strengthening local manufacturing, investing in international compliance and accredited testing, upgrading packaging and logistics, and developing targeted go-to-market strategies for high-potential destinations will be key to unlocking the next phase of growth.

What successful exporters do: Global lessons

Successful pet food exporters follow a clear playbook that goes well beyond low-cost production. They start with compliance-first product design, ensuring packaging, labelling, and certifications meet importer requirements before shipments leave the factory, which prevents costly delays and rejections. Entry is then staged carefully. Firms build scale in low-friction regional markets before moving into high-barrier destinations like the US, EU, or Japan once their compliance systems are mature.

To streamline trade, exporters prepare an accredited “test pack” of ISO/IEC 17025 lab reports on aflatoxins, pathogens, and heavy metals, which accompanies every shipment and reassures customs authorities. Parallel to compliance, they invest in R&D and packaging technologies: Thailand, for instance, became a global leader in wet pet food by adopting retort pouch technology early, giving it a head start in premium markets.

Finally, successful exporters build integrated channel strategies, combining traditional distributor partnerships with modern e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Zooplus, and Chewy to establish consumer-facing brands abroad. (as shown in Exhibit 4) India’s regional successes show the model works, but scaling into high-value markets will require deliberate capability-building in compliance, testing, packaging, and channel development and not cost advantages alone.

Exhibit 4: Lessons from the top global exporters

Conclusion

India’s pet-care market is expanding rapidly, but rising imports underline the urgency of building stronger domestic capabilities. The path forward lies in reducing dependency on foreign suppliers while simultaneously capturing global demand through exports.By focusing on regulatory compliance, accredited testing, packaging innovation, and smarter supply chains, Indian firms can shift from being net importers to global exporters. The next few years will be decisive, those who act now will position themselves at the forefront of a competitive and fast-growing international market.

How Praxis can help?

At Praxis, we can help firms transition from import dependence to export leadership. Our support includes readiness assessments, certification and packaging roadmaps, supply chain optimisation (as shown in Exhibit 5), and market entry strategies tailored to priority geographies. By acting now, companies can capture a share of the global pet-care opportunity, reduce import reliance, and establish India as an export hub for pet food and related products.

Exhibit 5: Capabilities we build and implement