Nuscience, an independent entity within the Dutch feed manufacturing Agrifirm group, has signed a deal with a leading distributor in those countries, Jubliant Life Sciences, to market its breeder, broiler and layer orientated additives to farmers and integrators.
Han van der Broek, business development manager, Asia, for Nuscience's Health4U business unit, reckons the timing for such a push is right. Though India’s poultry producers have been hard hit financially for some time, he noted that, in the past two months, there has been a rebound in poultry prices there. “[The market is seeing] average growth in chicken and egg [prices] of 25-30%,” said van der Broek.
In terms of the scale of the poultry producer targeted, he said the full gamut of operator types were on the hit list for its additive range, which includes a medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) blend for breeder, layer and broiler production, an egg shell quality enhancer for use in breeders and layers and toxin binders for take up by breeder integrators.
Antibiotic alternatives
Its MCFA blend, said van der Broek, supports a shift away from a reliance on antibiotics in livestock production in that: “It is active both on gastrointestinal tract flora and, at the host level, it improves gut health. It prevents adhesion of bacteria to the intestinal wall in a way that they cannot colonize and are washed out.”
When asked whether there is genuine interest or pressure in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka to move away from antibiotics in animal husbandry, van der Broek told us:
“There is no pressure from authorities yet, but customers are getting more aware and technically sound, and there are also well educated consumers that understand [the] harmful outcomes of using antibiotics. It is a trend that we at Nuscience, or anyone who follows this topic, are observing worldwide; each country and industry segment [is following suit] at their own pace.”
He said the focus of the deal with Jubilant will be, first and foremost, on the poultry industry, but medium chain fatty acids and toxin binders, he said, also have a place in dairy and aquaculture feeds.
“India’s dairy and aqua markets are growing well, with 6 to 7% CAGR average,” said van der Broek.
The swine population is small in India but the segment still holds promise, he noted.
Nuscience will team up with Jubliant in dissemination activities: “We will educate product users through sales team and product managers field visits and we are also planning joint local seminars to bring the products to the attention of the industry.”