Indonesia is taking its animal-health industry into new markets in Africa, with the country’s first major shipment of domestically produced animal vaccines to four African nations valued at $21.3 million. The inaugural export by Vaksindo was launched on September 24 and targets Zambia, Congo, Uganda and Malawi with 10 types of poultry vaccines designed to help control diseases that can affect livestock productivity.
The shipment includes vaccines against Newcastle disease (ND), infectious bronchitis (IB) and infectious bursal disease (IBD), among other poultry diseases.
For Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture, the shipment represents more than a new sales destination. It is also evidence that the country’s animal-health manufacturing base is developing enough capacity to serve domestic requirements while competing in international markets. “This is an extraordinary achievement and we support efforts to expand exports. We must be capable of not only producing goods for domestic needs but also exporting them,” said Agung Suganda, Director General of Livestock and Animal Health at Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture.
From domestic demand to export capacity
The expansion comes as Indonesia’s animal-health industry seeks to convert growing domestic manufacturing capabilities into a wider export business. Suganda said local production is now meeting domestic demand for avian influenza (AI) and Newcastle disease vaccines, creating additional manufacturing capacity that companies can direct towards overseas markets. Vaksindo’s product portfolio is heavily focused on poultry vaccines, including products targeting AI, ND and IB. The company’s entry into Africa therefore builds on an established manufacturing base rather than representing a shift into an unfamiliar product category.
The government sees the development as part of a broader strategy to strengthen Indonesia’s animal-health industry while creating new international markets for locally manufactured veterinary products.
Africa becomes the next growth market
The African shipment expands Vaksindo’s geographical reach beyond the markets it has already developed across Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. The company had previously exported animal vaccines and medicines to more than 25 countries. It currently exports to 29 countries and expects its export value to reach US$26 million in 2026.
The Africa shipment forms part of that expansion strategy and could provide a platform for further market development across the continent. But gaining access to new veterinary markets is not simply a matter of identifying demand. Animal-health products must meet country-specific regulatory and technical requirements, making registration and market authorisation a critical part of the export process.
According to Suganda, companies seeking to enter new markets must submit documentation, undergo product evaluations and meet production-facility audit requirements established by individual destination countries. That regulatory process can make market expansion slower than conventional commodity exports, but it also creates a barrier that can favour manufacturers with established quality systems, regulatory capabilities and production infrastructure.
Building a global animal-health business
Vaksindo’s expansion comes against a broader rise in Indonesia’s veterinary medicine exports. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, veterinary medicine exports have been growing by around 22 per cent annually, while Indonesian vaccine products have reached 95 countries. The numbers point to an animal-health industry that is moving beyond its traditional role of supplying the domestic livestock sector.
Poultry is particularly important to that strategy. Diseases such as Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis and infectious bursal disease can affect flock health and productivity, creating recurring demand for preventive animal-health products in poultry-producing regions.
The next test is scale
The $ 21.3 million Africa shipment provides an immediate boost to Indonesia’s animal-health export ambitions, but the longer-term opportunity will depend on converting first-market access into recurring business. Vaksindo’s $ 26 million export target for 2026 provides a near-term benchmark for that expansion. The company’s existing presence in 29 countries gives it a foundation from which to pursue further markets.
The growth of veterinary medicine exports is being viewed as an indicator of the country’s expanding capabilities in animal-health manufacturing and product development. Africa is therefore the latest chapter in a broader export story: Indonesia is increasingly seeking to turn the production capacity built to meet domestic livestock-health needs into an international animal-health business. The immediate shipment may be headed to four African countries, but the larger ambition is global—building an Indonesian veterinary-products industry capable of competing across markets where livestock productivity, disease prevention and food security are becoming increasingly interconnected.
