Think Grain Think Feed August 2021

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Volume 7 | Issue 10
August-2021

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Monthly Magazine for Feed Technology
R&D
08
08
08 22
22
22
20
INDUSTRY NEWS
INDUSTRY OPINION
04
ARTICLE
18
IMPORT OF GM SOYAMEAL
(DOC) – IS IT A RELIEF?
EXPERT TIPS
08 Expert Tips for Making Feed
Pelleting Process More
Efficient & Profitable
16 INDIA TAKES HISTORICAL
DECISION TO IMPORT
GM SOYAMEAL
MAKING INDIAN DAIRYING
MORE ECONOMICAL
INNOVATION MAY CUT
FISH FEED COSTS BY 25%
30
22
26
DIETARY ACTIVATED CLAYS:
AN APPROACH TO REDUCE
THE IMPACT OF AFLATOXIN
KEY FACTORS FOR PROPER
GRAIN STORAGE IN TROPICAL
REGIONS
ORGANIZED POULTRY
FARMING IS ON RISE IN INDIA

Think Grain Think Feed - Volume 7 | Issue 10 | August 2021
04
INDUSTRY OPINION
High prices of feed raw materials have been the biggest concern for integrator, feed
miller and farmer especially in India. With multiple meetings with government
authorities, industry has finally seen a ray of hope as the government allowed import
of GM Soy Meal for animal feed. Think Grain Think Feed connected with
industry experts including Shri Tarun Sridhar, Former Union Secretary –
DAHD, GOI; Prof. G Devegowda, one of the most reputed freelance
consultant and Mr Shiva Mudgil, Director-RaboResearch Food &
Agribusiness, to know their view point on this decision and how it can
impact the sector. Below are the excerpts.
Decision based on science
In my view it is a pragmatic decision long awaited by our poultry sector.
Our opposition to GM crops or ingredients in crop/food items has been
based more on beliefs and ideology and less on science and economics.
Impact on Indian Soy Farmers
Soya is the most critical feed and key input in poultry. The end price and
profitability depend to a large extent upon the behaviour of the soya market, so in
the end it is a good decision. Proof of the pudding is in eating; so, let us not
presume any adverse impact on soya farmers. There is not going to be any, but if at
IMPORT OF GM SOYAMEAL
(DOC) – IS IT A RELIEF?
Tarun Sridhar
Image
Source:
India
Today

05
any stage such
apprehensions come true the
situation could always be
reviewed. There is no long-
term contractual obligation.
There is no threat, as of now,
to our poultry industry from
import of GM or other
poultry. It has been nearly a
decade since we lost out to
the USA in the WTO on this
issue, but have you seen any
American poultry flooding
the market. In fact, our
perspective should be to
encourage competition to
enable our poultry to export
which at present is
negligible, close to zero. I
think providing good policy
support such as allowing free
access to cheap inputs, as in
the instant case, is a step in
the right direction. Our
poultry should aim to
dominate global trade rather
than retreat in the face of
competition.
Impact the Indian Poultry
industry
Poultry industry is heavily
dependent on maize and
soybean which are the two
major ingredients in poultry
feed. Unfortunately, Soybean
meal prices have increased
by more than 100 % for the
past one year. Poultry
industry is adversely affected
by the increase in soybean
meal price, resulting in high
cost of production of feed
and chicken meat and eggs.
Globally, the majority of the
countries are growing GMO
soybean. The cost of GMO
soybean meal in the US and
Brazil is INR 35 to 40,
whereas Indian poultry
farmers pay about INR 90 to
100 per kg. This results in a
high cost of production of
meat and eggs.
Feed accounts for ~70% of
cost of production. Shortage
of supply of soybean meal
and resulting increase in cost
of feed could be a major
factor that may hinder the
growth potential of Indian h
of Indian Poultry. The
Indian Poultry Industry today
needs around 28 million tons
of poultry feed to produce
approx. 4.9 million tons of
chicken meat and 105 billion
eggs per year. We need
around 14 million tons of
maize and 6 million tons of
soybean meal per year to
produce 28 million tons of
poultry feed.
Relying on soybean meal is
risky
Import of soybean meal is
not a permanent feature.
This year the Government of
India is planning
to import 15 lakh
tons of soybean
meal because of
shortage for use
in poultry and
livestock industry.
Import depends
upon production
and demand for
soy meal in the
country.
Importing
soybean meal on
a regular basis will definitely
have a negative impact on
soybean farmers.
Relying on soybean meal
alone can be risky. Poultry
industry should try to use
alternative protein sources to
soybean meal in poultry
rations. But relying on
soybean meal alone and
expecting that they will
always be available and at
reasonable price levels is
risky.
Change in structure of
industry – The need of the
hour
US consumers strongly
prefer chicken breasts to
legs, so breasts can cost four
times as much as legs. In
India, however, all chicken
meat costs the same. The
industry says it can compete
with whole US chickens, but
not chicken legs, which are
too cheap.
India should change its
industry structure, exporting
Prof. G. Devegowda

06
Shiva Mudgil
INDUSTRY OPINION
chicken breasts at a high
price to the US and
importing cheap
legs. That will
lower the
consumer price in
India while
boosting exports
and keeping the
industry viable. It
will be a win-win
situation.
Chicken
consumption
Chicken
consumption in India
nosedived in 2020 due to
Covid-19. Supply-chain
disruptions, including
logistics and labour
challenges had an impact on
poultry consumption also.
B2B was impacted the most
with closure of restaurants
and hotels during lockdown
with slow recovery in the
2nd half of 2020.
India experienced similar
challenges in 2021 owing to
2nd Covid wave however
most of the challenges were
managed in a better way
compared to last year.
Consumer demand has
experienced good growth
during the crisis with direct-
to-consumer business
models leading this growth.
Many of the meat start-ups
have seen good demand for
poultry products through
their platform riding on
consumers' growing
concerns towards quality,
safety and hygiene of the
products.
Demand is expected to
improve in 2021 over 2020
and is expected to reach
2019 levels. Consumer
demand remains the key
growth driver with B2B
demand on a roller coaster
ride since last year.
Institutional demand is
expected to recover in 2nd
half of 2021.
Feed availability and
prices
The key issue for the poultry
industry this year is high
feed prices due to reduced
availability of feed. Increase
in feed prices this year,
significantly higher than last
year particularly for
soyameal, is expected to
impact the industry margins
this year. The only respite for
the industry is that average
broiler price has been higher
compared to last year
however higher feed prices
are expected to reduce the
margins for the Indian
poultry industry in 2021
compared to last year.
Improvement in feed
supplies on account of
prospects of good kharif
harvest in next quarter
alongwith imports of
soyameal may help reduce
the impact by bringing down
the feed prices.
Suggestions for the
government authorities
The top priority by all
stakeholders is to convince
the government for
permission to cultivate GMO
maize and soybean. The
advantages are many, for
example India used to be a
net importer of cotton about
20 years back. After the
introduction of GMO cotton
(BT Cotton), India's
production increased and
today India is the world's
largest exporter of cotton.
Further the Nobel Prize
winners say 'there has never
been a single confirmed case
of a negative health outcome
for humans or animals from
their consumption. Their
environmental impacts have
been shown repeatedly to be
less damaging to the
environment, and a boon to
global biodiversity.'
“Indian regulators must seize
the opportunity and
promote GM crops. India
needs them to feed a
growing population and
livestock and poultry,”
suggested Prof Devegowda.

EXPERT TIPS
After successful conclusion of the first series, Think Grain Think Feed
organized second session of Process Optimization webinar on 23rd July with
Mr M. Kanagaraj – a renowned Feed Milling expert who has trained more than
1000 feed mill professionals including integrators, commercial feed
manufacturers and others in the South Asian sub-continent.
Renowned experts including Dr Manju Reddy (MR), Asst. Vice President
with Japfa India; Mr GR Mulekar(GRM), freelance consultant and Mr Nils
Lastein(NL), Application Manager, Andritz Feed & Biofuel A/S joined the
webinar as speakers. The 90-minute session was attended by 279 attendees
from 24 countries. Below excerpts from the discussion.
In the conditioning process, starch gelatinization is one of the major
factors. How does it influence the animal performance as well as the feed
quality and pellet machine productivity?
MR: Starch gelatinization is the skeleton producing good quality of feed,
a feed mill usually achieves 25-30% starch gelatinization. Improvising on this is
a task for feed miller.Starch gelatinization basically improves the palatability
and the bird performance. Starch gelatinization in pellet processing can be
broadly classified into Caramelization - addressing the sugar part,
Gelatinization - addressing the starch part and Maillard Reaction – de-
structuring the activity of protein.
Starch gelatinization increases the energy level of the ingredients. Few
experiments show that if maize is treated at 80-85°C at proper conditioning
level, then there is an energy increase that helps the birds in contributing
nutrients. In conditioning or gelatinizing, there is also plasticizing of individual
08
M Kanagaraj
Feed Milling Consultant
Expert Tips for
Making Feed
Pelleting Process
More Efficient
Profitable
&
668
Registrations
279
Attendees
64
Av. attending time in minutes

09
particles i.e., feed particles
will get together which help
in binding. And there is a
creation of liquid bridges
between the particles which
are formed during
processing which results in
gelatinization, causing the
lubricating effect to the
product. So, it will help the
feed to get pelletized easily
and will reduce electricity
consumption, improve your
throughput and more than
anything it will help in
formation of good quality
pellets.
Better the gelatinization
process is, the lower the
fine percentage will be.
Other advantages are
destruction of anti -
nutritional factors and
increasing solubility of NSPs
(Non-Starch
Polysaccharides). There is
disadvantage if pellets are
treated with high
conditioning temperature
and moisture, some
problems might be created
for wheat and barley diets.
As it will cause increased
solubility of some of the
non-starch polysaccharides
causing some gut health
issues. Apart from that,
some of the phytates, an
antinutritional factor, also
gets destroyed whenever it is
improperly gelatinized and
processed.
As in the feed milling
process, starch will be
damaged due to the
grinding process as well as
in the pellet die, whereas
conditioning only will have
the actual gelatinization.
How to identify the
percentage of starch
gelatinization happening
only because of the
conditioning?
GRM: Different methods
like enzyme analysis and
maltose assay can be used
to test gelatinization
percentage. Also, there is a
colorimetry method called
double beam spectroscopy
which can also be used for
gelatinization. Nowadays,
feed microscopy is the latest
one. Using Polarized Light
Microscopy one can clearly
see the different stages of
gelatinization.
Managing targeted
moisture with new crops
which usually have higher
moisture or stored grains
which usually have lower
moisture, is a challenge for
feed miller. What would be
your suggestions?
NL: The main problem for
temperature or moisture
regulation in conditioning
is moisture addition at the
set temperature. Steam is
added which brings the
moisture. But it is not added
with the moisture set point
rather added to the
temperature set point. Feed
producers have problems
obtaining the right moisture
content when the initial
moisture content of the grain
is too high and adding
moisture by temperature
brings an evident problem
right there itself.
The low moisture is more
or less easily handled. It
can be adjusted by water
spray at a very early stage in
the process line in the main
mixture, not in the raw
material.Using very fine
nozzles is the key. When
water steam is applied later
in the conditioner, water is
actually applied in the most
optimum way as it will be
absorbed by every little
particle.
But when water is added by
spraying nozzles, we have
droplets which will take a
long time to migrate into the
particles and even then,
proper absorption is not
achieved resulting in multiple
problems. When water
droplet is added into the
feed it does not evaporate as
easily as the water added by
steam, it will remain as a
moist spot in the feed
resulting in rotting and the
bacteria growth due to
increased water activity. That
is why water is often applied
together with a surfactant
that will reduce bacterial
growth.
In the wet situation while
using a fresh harvest,
moisture control is more
difficult. Due to the cost
involved, grain drying is
avoided. One of the quite
easy methods is actually to
have a die with a shorter
compression ratio, a shorter
compression channel and a
lower L/D ratio.
Formulations keep on
changing as per the
market conditions which
influence both target
moisture and temperature.
What are your suggestions
to optimize?
GRM: The formulation
changes frequently almost
every month because of
the raw material price and
N Manju Reddy
Asst Vice President,
Feed Nutrition
Japfa India

10
availability, and the weather
conditions. Generally, in the
winter season, bird growth
rate is very high and the
market price for the ready
bird is also good which
usually is not the case in
summer season. The feed
miller should have at least 2-
3 types of dies with various
designs especially focusing
on the compression ratio or
L/D ratio. If the L/D ratio is
maintained for different
formulations then one will
get a good pelleting rate in
any situation. Selecting the
right kind of die for any
particular formulation is the
key.
What are the factors to
optimize throughput,
energy consumption, and
pellet quality?
MR: Pellet mill output is
basically a fine balance
between three factors i.e.,
raw material, process control
and the machine. Raw
material characters include
four parameters i.e., physical
parameters that are
formulation density, moisture
level, particle size and the
shape. The finer the particle
is, the better the palatability
will be. But many times,
looking at the gut health,
one tends to increase the
particle size and end up with
more coarser particles
resulting in a compromised
pellet quality. Apart from
that the uniformity of the
particle size its distribution is
also very important, if it is
grinded using a 3-4 mm
combination sieve and does
not have a normal bell curve
particle distribution, it will
cause problems. A lot of
factors influence the
chemical properties, basic
ones are gelatinization,
starch content, crude protein
content, fat content, fiber
content and ash content. The
ash content is also very
important, in the normal
broiler feed processing ash
content is about 5-6% but
when it is breeder feed
processing you will never get
output like in broiler feeds.
The major difference causing
this problem is ash content.
Under process control,
steam quality is most
important. Multiple
controls in steam especially
the pressure at the inlet of
the injection point is very
important and the
throughput regulation. Many
times, in rush the pellet
quality is compromised. If it
is not properly gelatinized, it
will have a lot of fine returns
screwing up the pelleting
process. Also, for liquid
addition, in India,
traditionally feed miller goes
for addition of 4-5% of fat
without any calculation while
in present scenario when the
price of oil is so high, one
cannot add 2-2.5% oil.
Excess fine returns, excess fat
or throughput not regulated
properly need to be
controlled.
The machine typically
involves die, roller, and
cooling and drying, and
feed rate. Die hole,
configuration and die
diameter are important
factors. Roller adjustment is a
skill especially when it is
related to moisture
percentage. In drying and
cooling, if it is not properly
cooled and moisture is not
taken out, it will affect the
pellet quality. The whole
cycle, starting from
formulation to bagging,
needs to be controlled to
have optimum pellet mill
output. It needs proper
synchronization between the
control panel team and the
operators.
What according to you is
the technology solution
assuring less variation in
the roll setting?
LS: Roll adjustment is a fine
art but generally the
operators do not want to
have interruptions. They
prefer to push the rollers out
into zero position or even in
a minus position which
squeezes tight against the
inside die surface. What a
feed miller need is really
close but not touching
position of the rollers which
is an ideal situation.
Considering process
variations or formulations
with low, medium or high
fat, an instant change of the
die configuration on a daily
or hourly basis is the simple
solution. A feed miller has
two or three dies lying next
to the press and using a
Quick Die Changing (QDC)
system the die can be
replaced within 10-15
minutes.
Automatic roller
adjustment is a technically
advanced solution. This
system can introduce a gap
entry in between die and
roller variable from zero to 5-
6 mm. It is basically bringing
G.R. Mulekar
Feed Milling Expert,
Ex Godrej Agrovet
EXPERT TIPS

12
up the press to normal
capacity then a gap is
introduced in between the
roller and the die while
looking carefully at press
amperage. If there is
instability in the press
amperage while the roller is
retracted from the die that is
a signal that all rollers are
not continuously gripping
into the die rather are
slipping, normally, it is the
left-hand side leading roller.
When a gap in between the
roller and die is introduced,
the kneading time is also
increased which will
consume more power but
that power goes into the
feed which cools off the die
and makes pellets with
higher durability and quality.
This means a die is installed
to suit easy formulations and
when it is more complicated
formulations which require
higher L/D and longer
compression then the rollers
can be retarcted by giving
more power.
What are the critical
factors of cooling to
achieve the standard
moisture as well as the
temperature?
MR: The vertical cooler or
counter flow cooler is
mostly used. Cooling is the
most critical factor to
determine the end-product
quality at bagging, basically
the moisture control or water
activity (AW). The functioning
of a cooler depends upon
different critical factors.
First is input and output,
the input in the cooler is
hot and high moist pellets,
and the expected output is
low temperature pellet (~4-
5°C lower temperature) with
reduced moisture of around
11.5-12% (as per Indian
conditions) at the time of
bagging. Both objectives can
be achieved by using the
counter flow of the air to
cool the pellets and the
amount of temperature loss
in the cooler is basically
defined by the quality of air
used to absorb the cooler.
Another factor is the
temperature of the cooling
air whether it is cool or
warm and humidity
percentage of the cooling air.
The water capacity of high
humid air is very less,
normally in such conditions,
the cooler turns inefficient to
reduce the moisture. There
are options like increasing
the speed of air or installing
fans with VFD (Variable
Frequency Drives) which
remove the moisture more
accurately. Unfortunately, in
a high humid climate, the
moisture is not reduced and
the end products have high
moisture and temperature.
This leads to fungus growth
in the feed.
With cool air, there is a
different issue of
condensed water. When the
cool air gets in and absorbs
moisture it results in low
atmospheric temperature
and hence water
condensation is observed.
This is observed especially in
North India and Eastern part
of the country, in winter
(when temperature goes as
low as 10-15°C), water
condensation takes place in
the cooler and spoils the
entire product.
The air flow rate or the
volume of air should also
be calculated and it should
be normal. In India with four
different seasons, cooling is
very dynamic.
While setting up the
rolls, which is a
conventional setting
done by an operator, can
we measure if the gap is
the optimum gap by
measuring the
temperature increase at
the dies?
NL: There is not any exact
set point, it is the power or
the temperature increase. A
functioning consequence of
the amperage that is put
into the entrance in the
pellet mill, which means
more the power
consumption higher the
temperature of the feed.
Higher temperature can be a
problem for enzymes like
phytase which will deactivate
that means you need to
compensate with either pre-
or post-pellet supplement.
Do you suggest any
changes with respect to
the residence time of the
conditioner based on the
formulation?
GRM: In pelleting, on a
scale of 100, grinding is
33% then conditioning is
33% followed by 25% in die
selection and remaining 9%
is cooling. So, the
conditioning process is very
important. Earlier the pellet
mill manufacturers were
using single barrel
conditioners but with better
awareness on conditioning
or retention time, they
NILS LASTEIN
Application Manager,
Feed Global
Segment Management
ANDRITZ FEED &
BIOFUEL A/S
EXPERT TIPS

started using two or even
three conditioners.
Whether it is a single or
multi barrel conditioner,
the most important factor
is the retention time of the
material in the conditioner.
For that the operator gives
constant speed to the
conditioner drive shaft and
each shaft at a specific speed
delivers the material from
one barrel to the second
barrel and hence forward. To
achieve this constant speed,
the machine manufacturer
gives a VFD drive (variable
frequency drive) to the
conditioner. A feed miller
should assure a minimum
conditioning time of 40-45
seconds right from the
feeder to the conditioner till
the end of the last
conditioner where it enters
the pellet mill. Another
important point to consider
is that the more the fine
material is lesser is the
conditioning time, say 40
seconds.
Also, one should check the
quality of grinding. A
simple testing method is to
take 200 gm of material and
put it on 1 mm lab test sieve
then sieve it for 15-20 times
and the material which has
passed through the sieve
should be minimum 80%
then it is fine grinding. That
means the retention on the 1
mm will be 20%. If it is lesser,
then a standard 3 mm sieve
is used for the grinder or if
possible, it can be 2.8 mm.
The grinder sieve can be
finer but that will take more
time for grinding and the
pellet mill will starve for
material, so some solution
needs to be found out.
Another important factor is
to have saturated steam. I
have observed usage of
high-pressure boilers in
various feed mills. My
suggestion is to use a
saturated steam boiler with a
pressure of 10.54 kg/cm2.
Above this would deliver
superheated steam and if the
pressure is lesser around 8-9
kg/cm2 then it will deliver
wet steam.
NL: At Andritz we try to
achieve a retention time of
30-40 seconds. From a
technology point of view, it is
not recommended to adjust
the speed of the shaft
because then it does not lift
the material into the air
compared to the quantity it
lifts at normal speed which
leaves most of the meal
lying down in the
conditioner. If the retention
time is to be increased then
some of the paddles are
flipped from forward
position to backward
position to retain the meal
and remain at nominal
speed. It is really important
that the meal is flying up
over the shaft in the
conditioner all the way
around otherwise the steam
cannot get to the particles.
What is the best L/D ratio
for cattle feed?
GRM: Nowadays, cattle
feed pellets are around 4
mm as maize is added in
the formulation. But the
formulation of cattle feed is
such that it is high in fiber
and sand silica and hence
the L/D ratio is quite
different from poultry feed.
It should be around 8-10,
not more than that. Also,
one has to go as per the
fiber in the formulation if it
is very high in the
formulation then also the
L/D ratio will change.
PART-I PART-II
13

14
What is your opinion
about the online moisture
control for the entire
plant?
NL: The technology
provides a lot of benefits
like moisture adjustment,
moisture measurement or
protein measurement. Most
of the feed millers are using
it for online moisture
measurement to ensure the
least cost optimization. The
moisture online NIR is best
placed before the pellet mill
and it should be installed on
the main mixer. Of course, it
can do raw material moisture
check. In the process line,
one can install online
measurement on the side of
the batch mixer which then
can adjust the moisture as
per set point. NIR cannot be
easily placed at the pellet
mill because the technology
is based on light reflection,
as the moisture sets inside
the core of the pellet and
light will not reach there and
therefore one will get a
biased result. So, if one
wants to install NIR at a
pellet mill, one needs to
crush the pellets.NIR is not a
plug and play system rather
a costly instrument that
holds tremendous potential.
MR: The application of
online moisture NIR control
is very important in the
mixer because adjusting the
water level for dry conditions
causes a lot of problems
especially in the Indian
context and results in issues
with feed consumption.
While using NIR, the
positioning of sensors in
different parts of the mixer
and at same time 8-10
reading can be taken. The
thumb rule is for every 0.7-
0.8% moisture increase an
adjustment of 10°C in
temperature is required in
the conditioning. Using
multiple moisture measuring
sensors in the mixer one can
decide the quantity of water
to be added and
temperature to be set
especially for dry conditions.
Audience Questions:
What is the practical role
of pellet binder in
commercial poultry feed
as feed would be on hold
for more than 15-20 days?
It improves binding
capacity and pellet remain
durable for longer time
which results in minimum
fines % even after long
period storage and handling.
How to correct the
formulated feed nutrient
content and finished feed
nutrient content, if there is
difference?
First you decide CV for
different nutrient value and
same is to be compared
with finished feed nutrient
and if values are within CV
range, material should allow
for dispatch or make a
decision reprocess the feed.
How much compression
and LD ratio required?
L D ratio interprets
compression length.
L stands for length through
which material is
compressed.
D is the diameter of pellets
being produced.
L D ratio is different for
poultry feed pellets &
different for cattle feed
pellets.
In poultry feed pellets ratio
should be between 10 to
12.
In cattle feed pellets ratio
should be between 8 to 10.
Conclusions:
The webinar series
discussed the scope of
optimizing the feed milling
process. It aimed at
improving quality or
efficiency without disturbing
the milling specification any
of the process. Every feed
miller wishes to achieve
these parameters by using
the technology. Below are
the take home message
from the webinar:
· The standard starch
gelatinization is 60-70%
while the actual starch
gelatinization happening
in feed milling is less
than 30%.
· Feed microscopy is the
best method to test
starch gelatinization.
· For improved quality
and productivity, a feed
miller should look into
the three factors – raw
material, process control
and fine returns.
· For dies and rolls,
automatic roll
adjustment technology
is available.
· For cooling, not only air
flow rate or retention
time is important but
ambient condition
influences the cooling
process.
· Grinding plays a vital
role for smooth
conditioning, pelleting
and cooling.
EXPERT TIPS

16
INDUSTRY NEWS
In a first, India is all set to import 1.2 mn tonne of genetically modified soyameal, used
as livestock feed, after the environment ministry and DGFT cleared the air on the GM
issue, an official said
In a first, India is all set to import 12 lakh tonne of genetically modified soyameal, used
as livestock feed, after the environment ministry and DGFT cleared the air on the GM
issue, a senior Animal Husbandry and Dairying Ministry official said on 16th August.
Meanwhile, the food ministry -- after taking a call on this issue in a review meeting on
prices and availability of essential commodities -- asked the DGFT and other concerned
departments to immediately facilitate the import of 12 lakh tonne of soyameal.
The imports are necessary as skyrocketing prices of soyameal have made the livestock
feed costlier, affecting farmers associated with the poultry, dairy and aqua industry.
Soyameal is a protein-rich solid leftover raw material after extracting oil from soyabean
seed, the new crop of which is expected to arrive from October.
"Currently, there is no ban on import of soyameal, including GM soyameal. However, the
industry wanted clarification on the GM issue before placing the orders," the official told
PTI.
The environment ministry clarified on August 6 that since the de-oiled cake per se
INDIA TAKES HISTORICAL
DECISION TO IMPORT
GM SOYAMEAL
Image
Source:
World
Grain

17
obtained after crushing GM
soyabean does not contain
any living modified
organism, it has no objection
to import of soya cake or
meal from an environmental
angle, he said.
The official said there are
three types of GM foods, one
with Genetically Modified
Organism (GMO), second
with Living Modified
Organism (LMO) and third
with Non-Living Modified
Organism (NLMO).
"The soyameal is NLMO. The
Environment Ministry has
said it has no impact on
human and animal health as
well as on the environment,"
he added.
Further, the clarification was
sought from the food safety
regulator FSSAI, which said
"it regulates food and not
feed. And it does not have
any objection," he said.
Even the Directorate General
of Foreign Trade (DGFT) -- a
nodal body that administers
imports and exports -- said
GM soyameal is not in a
'restricted category' and
therefore has no concern if
imports take place, the
official added.
Asked if imports have begun,
the official said, "GM
soyameal is not in a
restricted category, still we
got clarification from
concerned departments.
Traders have started placing
orders."
Other interested parties are
thinking that import of GM
soyabean seed has been
allowed, but it is not, he said.
The official said the industry
has estimated import of 12
lakh tonne of soyameal to
meet the domestic
shortages till the new crop
arrives from October
onwards.
The imports could take place
from countries like
Argentina, Europe and the
US, he added.
Seeking clarity, Solvent
Extractors Association of
India (SEA) Executive
Director B V Mehta said, "It
is better DGFT clarifies
publicly that GM soyameal
(with NLMO) is allowed so
that traders can enter into
contracts without fear of
getting their shipments stuck."
He also blamed speculators
for the rise in prices of
soyameal. In the last few
months, the domestic price
of soyameal has increased
from Rs 45,000 per tonne to
Rs 80,000 per tonne on
August 13, almost close to
the level of soyabean price
of Rs 87,000 per tonne.
All India Poultry Breeders
Association Secretary and
Indian Broiler Group Director
GulrezAlam said, "We are
importing."
Earlier, India was not
required to import soyameal
as it had enough supplies
and had price parity. But
now there is an abnormal
situation as the domestic prices
of soyameal are at par or higher
than soyabean, he said.
According to the agriculture
ministry's fourth advance
estimate, soyabean
production is pegged to be
higher at 12.89 million tonne
for the 2020-21 crop year
(July-June) as against 11.22
million tonne in the previous
year.
Industry experts said that if
the government estimates
are correct, then there
should not be any shortages.
Meanwhile, the country's
soyameal exports are on and
about 17 lakh tonne has
been shipped since October
2020. The annual domestic
demand of soyameal is 60
lakh tonne, according to the
SEA.

ARTICLE
18
India is a country of rich culture, where animal husbandry is considered as the art of rearing
animals, and livestock is more of family livelihood. But as commercialization takes place,
especially for milk-yielding animals, it is more important than ever to see if dairy animals
(cattle and buffaloes) are fed as per their nutritional requirements.
It is a known fact that by and large, dairy farmers in India face a huge scarcity of green fodder for
feeding their animals. With the reducing area of pasture, the problem is becoming more
prominent. The health of milk producing animal and the quality of produced milk is largely
dependent on the quality of the fodder given to the animal. But the seasonal variation in
crops along with its unavailability throughout the year, makes it difficult for farmers to
maintain the uniformity in feed. With increasing cost of quality fodder, a dairy farmer with
very less or no land holdings finds dairy farming unprofitable and many of them opt out of
the business. However, with the newer technology of ready-made baled silage, the animals
could get greens during most part of the year which would result in economic milk
production.
MAKING INDIAN DAIRYING
MORE ECONOMICAL
by Cornext Agri Products
Source: State of India's Livelihood report 2015
Baled Silage – An advanced
technology
Silage, rather the preserved
green fodder, can resolve most
of the issues of dairy farmers
and help them in making
dairy farming a more
profitable business. Silage (or
Ensilage) is a natural
preservation and fortification
of green forage such as
Maize, Moringa, Bajra,
Wheat, Jowar Berseem and
Hybrid grass, after
harvesting the greens when
its moisture level is around
30-35%. These forage plants
are chopped and stored in
an anaerobic condition in
order to fortify the
fermentation process.
Sometimes an inoculum is
also added to improve the
quality of fermentation. This
process is also called
ensiling. A fully fermented
silage is in golden brown
color with sweet smell and
sufficient moisture, and can
be stored for 12 months
which is a good way to
ensure uniform feed for
cattle for the whole year.
Many traditional silage making
practices such as pits, bunkers
and bags come with their

19
own inherent disadvantages.
The most advanced Baled
Silage technology is now
becoming more popular
across the world, especially
in the tropical countries.
Silage baling process uses
advanced compaction
technologies to create
anaerobic conditions inside
the bales and it also hastens
the process of fermentation.
Also, the quality of baled
silage is superior to any
other traditionally made
silage.
Features of Best quality
Silage
1. The color is golden brown
2. Compaction or density
must be at least 600
kg/m3
3. Moisture while baling
of short-chain fatty acids, which in turn
might lower the ruminal pH. A ruminal
pH < 5.8 for a certain period can lead to
subacute ruminal acidosis. Keeping the
ruminal pH within the physiological
range is important for microorganisms
colonizing the rumen. Those
microorganisms metabolize feed
protein via ammonia or amino acids to
microbial protein, which is then
available for the host. Microbial
efficiency is limited by the availability
and balance of nitrogen and energy, the
latter is mostly provided as starch. This
imbalance in pH leads to lesser
digestibility in animals which badly
effects the animal health. If some
amount of concentrates is replaced with
silage, it will result in a better cost
benefit.
Dairy animals and their nutritional
requirements
Farmers usually feed the cattle with crop
residues, as the major roughage, or the
residues from the food processing
factories. Being lower in the nutritional
values, these residues may not provide
optimum nutrition. For increase in
production of milk, farmers prefer to
mix huge quantities of concentrate in
the feed which results in imbalanced
feed which causes lower rumen pH and
change in the fermentation pattern
which can lead to acidosis. On the other
hand, the silage contains dry matter,
green matter, moisture, fibre and
protein in a balanced ratio. It is easy for
dairying animal to easily absorb the
nutrition, and keep its system clean and
healthy. A healthy animal will produce
better quality and quantity of milk along
with other health benefits.
An opportunity
Making Good Quality Silage requires
scientific understanding of the processes
involved. Bailed Silage using the
technology can definitely revolutionise
the Indian dairy farming industry.
For further information, please connect with the authors at
info@cornext.in
Feature Bunker Bags Bales
Preparation time High Medium ü Low
Compaction Low Low ü High
Dry Matter Loss High Medium ü Low
Seepage High Medium ü Low
Anaerobic Condition Low Low ü High
'Ready-to-Use'time Long Medium üEarly
Mold Growth High High ü Low
Density of Silage Low Medium ü High
Spoilage High High ü Low
Palatability Low Medium ü High
Quality Low Low ü High
Animal Performance Low Low ü High
Safety Low Medium ü High
Table 1. Comparison of bunker, bags & bales
Table 2. Costs benefit analysis
Nutritional Corn 6kg Corn Conc. 2 kg of
Values Silage Silage Feed Conc. Feed
Dry matter(%) 33 1.65 89 1.36
Crude Protein (%) 8.5 0.14025 18 0.2448
Ether Extract (%) 3 0.0495 2.5 0.034
Crude fiber (%) 35 0.5775 12 0.1632
TDN (%) 70 1.155 65 0.884
COST (INR) 7/kg 42 25/kg 50
as per latest prices in Kerala
should be between
65%and 75%
4. Chopping length must be
less than2 cm.
Benefits of Baled Silage (ex:
Maize Silage)
· High nutrition with high
digestibility
· Increase in milk
production
· Higher shelf-life
· Improved health in
animals
· Higher profitability for
dairy farmers
Economics of corn silage
Following table helps to
understand how 6kg corn
silage is more economical and
nutritious than any of
alternatives.
Feeding of more concentrates
can lead to higher production

20
India is the world's second
largest producer of both litchi
and fish. Pisciculture gets a
fillip as scientists from the
College of Fisheries in
Muzaffarpur, Bihar find ways to
make fish feed with litchi
seeds, which will bring down
the expenses for the fish
farmer.
While pisciculture is a lucrative
enterprise, the fish farmers
have to invest a great deal in
fish feed that is expensive.
However, scientists from the
College of Fisheries at Dholi,
Muzaffarpur (that comes
under Dr Rajendra Prasad
Central Agricultural University,
Samastipur, Bihar) have
come up with a unique
solution — use litchi seeds,
which are a waste, to make
fish feed.
This litchi seeds-based fish
feed is also less expensive for
the farmers thus cutting down
their costs and increasing the
profit margin.
“Along with litchi cultivation,
Bihar is also known for fish
cultivation, and we have been
working for two years to find
cheaper alternatives to fish
feed in order to help the
farmers and have finally been
successful,” Shivendra Kumar,
associate professor of the
College of Fisheries,
Muzaffarpur, told Gaon
Connection. The fisheries
college is based in
Muzaffarpur, which is Bihar's
litchi belt, and has the
country's highest yield of
litchis.
“Along with the litchi seeds, we
INNOVATION MAY CUT
FISH FEED COSTS BY 25%
R&D
add wheat, maize, soybean,
mustard and the husk of
paddy,” Shivendra Kumar
explained. “Ten per cent of the
feed is made up of litchi seeds
and the rest make up the
balance amount. One can also
add up to 20 per cent of the
waste litchi seeds,” he added.
Litchi cultivation in Bihar
According to Bengaluru-based
Indian Institute of Horticultural
Research, India is the second
largest grower of litchi in the
world, after China. In India,
83,000 hectares of land is
under litchi cultivation. Of this
nearly 35,000 hectares are in
Bihar. Muzaffarpur alone
accounts for 11,000 hectares
of litchi orchards.
The other states where litchi is
cultivated widely include Uttar
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab,
Himachal Pradesh and West
Bengal.
Meanwhile, India is also the
second largest fish producing
country in the world and ranks
second in aquaculture
production as well as inland
fisheries. In 2018-19, the
country's fish production was
13.7 million tonnes, with the
contribution of 9.5 million
tonnes by the inland sector
and 4.1 million tonnes
contributed by the marine
sector. In 2017-18, India
exported 1.37 million tonnes
of fish, worth over INR
45,000 crore.
“Litchis are plentiful in our
state and we were looking to
find ways to use the waste of
the fruit, the seed,
productively. Under the
leadership of RC Srivastav, the
vice chancellor of the
university, we could find that
alternative,” Shivendra Kumar
said.
For the past four or five years
the state has been making
litchi juice where the seeds are
removed during the
processing, which became the
main element of the fish feed,
the scientist explained. On an
experimental basis, the
researchers tried out the litchi-
based feed with the fishes in
the college pond and the
results were satisfactory, he
said.
According to Shivendra Kumar,
if fish farmers in the country
used this fish feed with the
litchi seeds, it would bring
down their expenses by 20-25
per cent.
“While the fish in the college
pond are doing well with the
feed, we have now distributed
the feed to several fish
farmers,” the associate
professor said. “We believe
using this fish feed for a year
will reduce their expenditure
on the regular fish feed by
twenty to twenty-five per
cent and we will ask them
after a year to find out if it
did indeed,” he said.
The quality of the fish feed is
directly proportional to the
production of the fish. While
fish farmers cultivate good
breeds, they do not pay
adequate attention to the feed
they give the fish, and that
defeats the purpose, Shivendra
Kumar pointed out.
This litchi seeds-based fish
feed is also less expensive
for the farmers thus
cutting down their costs &
increasing the profit
margin.

22
ARTICLE
Introduction
With adoption of intensive farming practices, the usage of
compound feed has increased in dairy industry. Cereal
grains and oil cakes are the major ingredients commonly
used in a compound feed. These ingredients can be
contaminated with fungal organisms during any stage of
their growth, harvesting, storage or after processing.
Recent changes in the climatic conditions have also
favored fungal colonization and mycotoxin contamination
of agricultural crops and products. Under tropical
conditions, fungal species like Aspergillus, Fusarium and
Penicillium are commonly known to infest feed raw
materials and produce mycotoxins like aflatoxin B1
(AFB1), ochratoxin, trichothecenes, citrinin, zearalenone,
etc.
DIETARY ACTIVATED CLAYS:
AN APPROACH TO REDUCE
THE IMPACT OF AFLATOXIN
Rajendra Moorthy, Prateek Shukla and Nabila Fatima, Kemin Industries South Asia
Aflatoxin: The most
notorious mycotoxin
Amongst all mycotoxins,
AFB1is the most extensively
studied mycotoxin in dairy
cattle, as the excretion of
aflatoxin M1(AFM1) in dairy
milk is a public health
concern. Regulatory
authorities are trying to
control the exposure of
aflatoxin in cattle and
humans through mandating
strict limits on aflatoxin
levels in feed and milk.
However, according to
Kemin's internal survey on
AFB1 prevalence, the
problem of AFB1 is growing
day by day. The survey
findings can be summarized
as mentioned below:
It was more evident from the
prevalence data that,AFB1 is
frequently present in the
feed and raw materials used
for cattle. It is a well-known
fact that aflatoxins are
potent carcinogens for both
cattle as well as human
beings. However, various
researches also revealed that
presence of AFB1 in feed
leads to deteriorated feed
quality, lower feed
palatability and overall
lowered animal performance.
Acute aflatoxicosis due to
consumption of abnormally
higher levels of AFB1 causes
major signs of liver lesions,
leading to congestion and
bleeding. Taking cue from
these concerns, any
incidence of aflatoxicosis in
commercial dairy setup can
put a serious question mark
on the quality and
performance of the feed
material offered to the
animal.
Dietary Mycotoxin Binders:
An approach to manage the
mycotoxin menace
>80% increase in
prevalence of AFB1
since last 10 years
>80% of the
contaminated samples
have >20 ppb AFB1*
Average level of
AFB1 in these
samples was 36 ppb
*In India, the maximum permissible limit of AFB1 in feed is 20 ppb (BIS 2052: 2009).

Various materials, such as
activated clays, yeast cell
walls, enzymes etc., are being
investigated either alone or
in combination to manage
the problems associated with
mycotoxins in dairy animals.
Due to the unique structure
and physiology of ruminant's
gastrointestinal tract (GIT), it
is very essential for any
mycotoxin binder to
demonstrate its efficacy
considering these factors.
Innovation
The latest formulation
produced by Kemin contains
mixture of activated clays
carefully chosen through
unique screening techniques.
The formulation has also
undergone both in vitro and
in vivo assessment to
determine its efficacy.
Invitro assessment
After careful consideration of
different physiological
conditions of ruminant's GIT,
an invitro triphasic assay has
been developed to test the
efficacy of the final
formulation. It was observed
that the above-mentioned
activated clay formulation
showed a high binding of
>99% at adsorption step and
very less levels of <2% in the
desorption step(Figure 1).
These results suggest that,
the formulation formed a
complex with AFB1 that
would be stable across the
entire GIT and helps in
eliminating the AFB1 from
the body, thereby preventing
the formation of AFM1.
Invivo assessment
To validate the invitro
findings, an invivo trial was
conducted using 20 dairy
animals in commercial
conditions for 60 days.
During the trial period, all
the animals were fed with
the same diet. The diet was
analyzed for AFB1 and the
levels were found between
28 and 35 ppb. To evaluate
the efficacy of activated clay
composition and to assess
the actual carry-over
percentage of AFB1 to
AFM1,AFM1 in milk was
measured at defined time
intervals. The average milk
AFM1 level during
supplementation of dietary
activated clays was observed
to be 0.04 ppb, whereas
when no supplementation
has been given, the average
milk AFM1 level was found
to be 0.06 ppb(Figure 2).
Interestingly, an increase of
more than 40% in milk AFM1
levels have been also
observed after
discontinuation of activated
clay supplementation.
The maximum residual level
(MRL) of AFM1 in milk is 0.05
ppb according to European
Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Hence, in this trial
supplementation of dietary
activated clays helped to
control AFM1 in milk under
MRL.
Conclusions
Based on the in vivo and in
vitro studies, it can be
suggested that dietary
activated clays could able to
bind AFB1 inside the animal,
thereby preventing the
formation of AFM1 and its
subsequent secretion into
the milk. Moreover, dietary
activated clays can be an
efficient choice to manage
the mycotoxin menace in
dairy animals under
commercial conditions.
Note: References available on request.
AFBI Binding Percentage (%)
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Adsorption in
firs phase
Desorption in
second phase
Desorption in
third phase
Net Binding in
Triphasic Condition
97.48
99.06
Figure 1. shows the impact of dietary activated clays on
AFB1 after subjecting to invitrotriphasic assay. Mean±SE, n=3.
In vitro triphasic assay demonstrates >97% net binding with
AFB1 and activated clays formulation
AFM1 level (ppb)
0.07
0.06
0.05
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
0
Without Supplementation With Supplementation MRL
0.06
0.04
0.05
Figure 2. demonstrates the efficacy of dietary activated
clays to control AFM1 in milk
>30% lowered AFM1 in milk has been observed with
supplementation of activated clays formulation
24
ARTICLE

ARTICLE
26
The tropics are the hottest climate zone on earth. In the countries near the
equator, average temperatures range between 25°C and 27°C, and although the
efficient and safe handling and storage of grain is a crucial issue everywhere,
heavy rains, high ambient temperatures and relative humidity in tropical
environments pose significant challenges, such as:
· Processing losses - A large proportion of grain losses occur in storage, but
high air temperature and higher humidity of ambient air make the proper
drying and storage of material more difficult
· Food safety - About 25% of crops worldwide coming from the field are
contaminated with mycotoxins, and additional contamination may occur if
grain storage is not optimal. Typical tropical climate conditions mean favorable
growing conditions for mycotoxins, mold and pests, making it more difficult to
control and minimize the contamination.
· Climate change - With many tropical countries already severely affected by
climate change, all processes need to save substantial amounts of water and
energy and avoid waste.
Often the level of industrialization in tropical countries is still so low that
traditional methods for grain handling remain widely used. But traditional
KEY FACTORS FOR PROPER
GRAIN STORAGE IN TROPICAL
REGIONS

27
methods have their limits
with respect to the above-
mentioned challenges. To
achieve high yield in an
efficient way when operating
in a tropical environment —
and to ensure food safety —
hygienic and energy-efficient
industrial processes in grain
cleaning, conveying, drying
and storage are strongly
advised.
Besides that, the harvest
volumes of countries around
the equator create the need
for industrial grain handling
solutions. But how do you
set up a proper grain
handling process?
Grain cleaning
Clean grain handling
processes begin with proper
cleaning, but in many cases
cleaners — if they are used
at all — still only remove
coarse impurities. To ensure
food safety, poisonous
impurities and defective
grain, along with
contaminating spurs, also
need to be removed by a
comprehensive cleaning
process right at the start.
As a positive side effect,
removing impurities also
means there is less material
to be dried and stored.
Drying of wet grain down to
storage moisture is
necessary, and this process
step has a huge impact on
grain quality.
In tropical countries
to the required storage
moisture level.
Grain drying
The drying of paddy can be
challenging. Even when
drying with large capacities,
drying speeds are high, and
the number of broken grains
and energy consumption
need to be minimized. A
dyer consisting of a
sequence of drying and
tempering steps can give
better results. In the drying
steps, the paddy is dried at
tailored temperatures
depending on the respective
moisture levels. In the
tempering steps between the
drying steps, the moisture
can distribute
homogeneously within the
paddy kernel to minimize the
creation of brokens.
Compared to conventional
processes, this principle
saves around 20% of energy
at a given higher yield, as the
amount of brokens is
reduced.
Tropical regions also see
many types of biomass used
to fire heat sources, and the
dryers can be flexibly
operated with a huge variety
of sources, for example, with
steam heat exchangers or
indirect biomass furnaces.
When appropriate, gas or oil
heat sources also may be
used.
To protect the environment
and to comply with
traditional drying methods,
such as sun-drying on the
ground — for example, on
the street — are still
common. But while this is a
cheap way to gently dry the
crop, it does mean animals
can eat the grain. It is also an
unhygienic drying process,
due to contaminations and
pests, and heavy rains can
interrupt the drying. The
yield is low, the grain is not
dried homogeneously, and
the storage stability is
questionable.
Compared to this, industrial
drying processes are much
more stable and hygienic.
Industrial dryerdries at high
capacity, maximizing the
grain's homogeneity and
therefore quality, while at the
same time minimizing
energy consumption and
costs.
To achieve homogeneous
drying of the grain and
maximum product quality, an
optimal airflow within the
dryer's product column is
needed.
A product flow separation
step in the drying column
also acts as a static mixer, for
further improved
homogeneity. A perfectly
homogeneous drying
process not only leads to an
optimum product quality but
is also highly energy
efficient. So, in a controlled
way the grain is gently dried

28
deviation of the defined
parameters appears,
enabling instant action and
avoiding discoloration and
grain losses as a result of
hotspots. A comprehensive
contemporary industrial
solution is therefore able to
tackle the biggest grain
storage challenges in a
tropical environment:
Operational costs are
minimized by energy-saving
solutions and yields are
maximized compared to
traditional grain handling
methods.
Using industrial grain
handling solutions, process
losses are minimized as
proper cleaning preserves
the “good material,”
homogeneous drying to the
exact target moisture
maximizes the yield, and
carefully controlled storage
minimizes losses in the silos.
And crucially, food safety is
ensured by comprehensive
cleaning, exact and hygienic
drying, and proper storage
to keep the grain in a healthy
and safe condition.
The technology is available
with Bühler. The company
has built up extensive
knowledge of the key factors
that need to be considered
for proper storage, as
documented by many
successful installations in
Southeast Asia.
Source: Solsand Publications
increasingly strict exhaust air
regulations, A dryer with an
exhaust air handling system
minimizes the dust in the
exhaust air (< 20 mg/m3 for
all grains other than paddy
and < 50 mg/m3 for paddy).
Finding skilled operators can
be difficult, driving the desire
for excellent drying results
that can be achieved
independently of the
operator. Buhler provides a
digital service comprising an
automatic moisture control
allowing for automatic
drying to the target
moisture, as well as
dashboards and mobile view
for full process transparency
and customized tech reports
to support the plant's
continuous improvement.
Grain temperature
When storing the material, it
is necessary to avoid the
creation of hot spots that
can cause the degradation of
the grain. Keeping the
material at lower
temperatures means the
storage time can be
maximized and infestation
by pests can be avoided.
Given high ambient air
temperatures, mere aeration
may not be sufficient or may
even be harmful due to the
warm and humid air entering
the silo.
In these cases, the use of one
or more coolers is necessary.
Here, basically three factors
must be managed —
temperature, moisture and
storage time. Low
temperature and low
moisture content allow for
substantially longer storage
times and vice-versa. This is
key to success for grain
conservation under tropical
ambient conditions with high
moisture and temperature
over most of the day.
Energy consumption
A further challenge is energy
consumption. Once the
target temperature and
moisture are achieved, these
storage conditions should be
maintained in an efficient
way by cooling in
consecutive cycles to
minimize energy use. At the
same time, grain losses due
to respiration are minimized
and insect exposure is
significantly reduced.
A new digital service
technology developed at
Bühler for silo monitoring,
which allows ambient and
grain conditions
(temperature and moisture)
to be monitored. The user
can set alarm levels based on
critical and warning
temperatures — all layers in
a silo can be easily
monitored and the aeration
and cooling precisely
adjusted, saving energy and
optimizing grain quality.
The user receives
notifications once a
ARTICLE

30
INDUSTRY NEWS
By the end of this decade,
globally, poultry meat is
expected to represent 41 per
cent of all the protein from
meat sources, according to
the OECD-FAO Agricultural
Outlook 2030.
Poultry meat consumption is
expected to rise as
consumers are attracted due
not only to lower prices but
also product consistency and
adaptability as well as higher
protein / lower fat content,
the report has said.
While world poultry meat
production in 2020 was an
estimated 134 million
tonnes, the year witnessed
pandemic-led demand
destruction. However, the
sector is expected to recover
as incomes begin to recover.
While disease outbreaks,
sanitary restrictions and
trade policies will impact the
evolution and dynamics of
the world meat market,
interestingly, poultry can
respond more quickly to
market signals due to
shorter production cycles as
compared with ruminants,
the report pointed out,
adding an improvement in
genetics, animal health and
feeding practices can change
quickly.
The Indian poultry industry
is poised to benefit from the
ongoing changes in lifestyles
in general and eating habits
in particular. No wonder, the
share of organised
commercial farms is rising as
it is largely modernised and
technically improvised.
According to government
data, egg production has
been rising steadily, having
risen from 95 billion in 2017-
18 to 105 billion the
following year and to 114
billion in 2019-20. Similarly,
poultry meat production,
too, has been expanding.
from 3.7 ml t in 2017-18 it
grew to 4.1 ml t the
following year, and then on
to 4.3 ml t in 2019-20.
Although ambitious, some
projections suggest, by 2023,
the country may produce
136 billion eggs and 6.2 ml t
poultry meat.
The growth of the country's
poultry sector is not going to
be without challenges.
Volatility in feed prices
cannot be wished away.
Rising feed costs can
potentially raise the overall
production costs in a price-
sensitive market. So, it may
become necessary for the
large players to establish
backward linkages and
produce own feed material
like maize and soybean.
Using commodity derivatives
to hedge feed price risk is
another option.
While compliance with food
safety norms is critical, to
ensure robust and consistent
demand growth, it is
necessary for the industry to
win customer trust,
especially through constant
communication to educate
consumers.
In a country where large-
scale vegetarianism is a myth
and where 70 per cent of the
population is ready and
willing to eat meat when
made affordable and
accessible, the growth
potential of the poultry
industry is clear.
To tap the potential, all
hands in the industry will
have to be on the deck. The
industry must work out
where it wants to be by 2030
and to reach there, estimate
the number of birds (layers
and broilers) needed, feed
requirement, vaccine
supplies and investment in
processing capacity.
In a nutshell, the poultry
industry needs capital
investment and must use
technology in its operations
to bring in greater efficiency
in supply chain management
and business processes,
while building resilience
against unforeseen shocks in
future.
Source: The Hindu Business Line
ORGANIZED POULTRY
FARMING IS ON RISE IN INDIA
To benefit from ongoing changes in lifestyles and eating habits

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