Resilient food supply chain – Need of the hour

RNI No.: HARENG/2014/61357
www.thinkgrainthinkfeed.co.in
Monthly Magazine for Feed Technology
Price: 75/-Postal No. PKL-212/2018-2020
Volume 6 | Issue 11
September-2020

Publisher & Editor
Prachi Arora
prachi.a@benisonmedia.com
Marketing & Advertisement
s.reddy@benisonmedia.com
Head
MB Sharan Reddy
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Managing Editor
Dr. T.K. Walli
Former Head,
Dairy Cattle Nutrition, NDRI
he COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted urban food systems
worldwide, affecting the food security and nutrition of
Turban populations. With up to 70% of the global food
supply destined for urban consumption, the disruption of urban
food systems has particularly affected the food distribution and
the food retail sectors.
Covid-19 is not the first, nor will it be the last, of high-impact,
rapidly spreading pandemics to cause such disruption. It has
actually given us a signal to better prepare for the future.The
management of the crisis by city and local governments can
therefore play a major role in preventing the spread of the virus
and, at the same time, in mitigating the disruptions in their food
systems and any negative effects on vulnerable populations.
To better understand the challenges faced by different regions,
FAO hosted an Online Event on Urban Food Systems and COVID-
19 – Key Results from an FAO Global Survey.
The survey results revealed the importance of proximity to
production areas and shorter supply chains along with the
availability of agriculture labour will ensure uninterrupted food
supply in times of such crises.
It is important to recognize the key role that local governments
can play in facilitating the connection among food systems
actors beyond “charity and emergency“to long-term strategy,
policy, and planning. The establishment of multi-level food
governance mechanisms should be a key part of the urban food
and resilience agenda.
Urban food governance is therefore a crucial area for innovation
to be supported in order to ensure inclusive and resilient food
systems.
Do share your views with us to ensure an uninterrupted livestock
supply chain that will be covered in the next issue.
Prachi Arora
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Resilient food supply
chain – Need of the hour
Dr. Dinesh T. Bhosale
Former Chairman, CLFMA of India
Dr. S.P. Vinil
Poultry Expert
Mr. Amit Sachdev
Indian Representative, US Grain Council
Dr. P.E. Vijay Anand
US Soybean Export Council
Dr. Suhas Amrutkar
Subject Matter Specialist, Animal Nutrition,
MAFSU, Parbhani
Dr. SN Mohanty
Former Principal Scientist, CIFA
Dr. Meeta Punjabi Mehta
Agricultural Economist
Raghavan Sampath Kumar
Commodity Expert
Dr. Swamy Haladi
Feed Additive Expert
Dr. R Gnana Sekar
Lead Consultant, GS Dairy Farm Consulting
Dr. Suraj Amrutkar
Assistant Professor, Dept. of ILFC,
SKUAST-J, Jammu
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Prachi Arora |
Vollume 1 | Issue 10 | August 2015
Think Grain Think Feed is a monthly magazine published by BENISON Media at its office in Karnal. Editorial
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R&D
05
ARTICLE
Think Grain Think Feed - Volume 6 | Issue 11 | Sep 2020Monthly Magazine for Feed Technology
INTERVIEW
Power to the pellet: Challenges in
the circular agriculture
08 Global and Domestic
demand analysis of Soymeal
INDUSTRY NEWS
Experts expect Indian
poultry demand to reach 70%
of pre-COVID-19 level
ADB, Suguna Foods sign USD
15 mn financing deal
06
12
14
18 Heat stress in dairy animals
and the measures to reduce
its effect on milk production
Supply-demand of animal
protein in the Indian
sub-continent is reviving
FSSAI to make GM Free
certificate compulsory for crop
imports from Jan 1
17
22
24
26
30
Reimagine market intelligence in
the Animal Feed industry
India is well-equipped to support
other nations in tackling locust and
fall armyworm problem
Bioprotein may bring self-sufficiency in
Russian animal feed industry
Indian university issues advisory
against pest infesting maize crops

05
Think Grain Think Feed - Volume 6 | Issue 11 | Sep 2020
R&D
Power to the pellet:
Challenges in the circular
agriculture
To replace cereals in animal
feed with less sticky co-
products from circular
agriculture, there is an
urgent need to find out how
animal feed pellets stay
intact, from factory to
animal. In 'Pelleting in the
circular agriculture', a unique
Wageningen based
collaboration of experts from
animal science, process
technology, and physics are
investigating how to make
sustainable animal feed and
give power to the pellet.
In this public-private
collaborative project,
Wageningen University &
Research works together
with a host of partners and
from across the sector:
Zetadec, Agrifirm, DSM,
Elanco Animal Health, Phileo
by Lesaffre, Pelleting
Technology Netherlands,
VICTAM Foundation, Feed
Design Lab and Aeres
Training Centre International.
Pelleted animal feed contains
a large share of cereals. To
further move to a circular
agriculture, more co-
products should be used to
feed animal like pigs and
chickens. Replacing cereals in
animal feed is challenging,
because besides providing
nutritional value, the cereals
also make the pellets
stronger.
“The aim is to discover how
we can make high-quality
feed pellets of the future,
without having to use
cereals,” said Joshua
Dijksman, assistant professor
at Physical Chemistry and
Soft Matter
Pelleting in the circular
agriculture
The Pelleting in the circular
agriculture (PCA) project is
looking at how to include
more co-products from
agriculture and human food
industry in pelleted feed.
Examples are co-products
that are released during the
production of food or
biofuels or that come from
discarded foodstuffs. These
co-products have other
physical and chemical
properties than complete
cereals.
Menno Thomas from
Zetadec, co-coordinator of
the project: “The main
problem of replacing cereals
by co-products in pellet feed
is that such modifications
weaken the pellets, making
them brittle. This leads to
losses throughout the entire
chain, from production and
transport to storage, and
even in less nutrition during
the feeding pigs and
chickens. The challenge is
then to find new ways to
incorporate these co-
products into animal feed.”
Microscopic level
This project provides insight
at a microscopic level into
the physical and chemical
properties of animal feed.
For this, the researchers use
a mix of 3D imaging and
mechanical measurements.
Joshua Dijksman, assistant
professor at Physical
Chemistry and Soft Matter at
Wageningen University &
Research: "During the
production of animal feed,
basic ingredients are mixed,
after which moisture and
heat are added. The mixture
is then pressed into pellets.
We will study all these stages
of production in-depth and
look at how we can optimize
the process for processing
co-products in animal feed.
The aim is to discover how
we can make high-quality
feed pellets of the future,
without having to use
cereals".
Educational modules
PCA uniquely aims at
combining fundamental and
applied sciences by relating
studies at microscopic level
to those on pilot factory
level. However, there is
another unique feature
about this project: the
research findings are actively
disseminated to (young) feed
professionals via workshops
organised by Feed Design
Lab and e-learning modules
developed by educational
professionals of Aeres
Training Centre International.
Project co-coordinator Guido
Bosch from Animal Nutrition
Group at WUR: “In this way
we believe that we can
provide feed manufacturers
with new knowledge and
tools that allow them to
make their feeds more fit for
the circular agriculture.”

06
INDUSTRY NEWS
Chicken and egg
consumption in the country
has started rising
significantly, and is likely to
reach 70 percent of the pre-
Covid level in the current
quarter, companies and trade
bodies said.
Demand had crashed when
the epidemic began, forcing
some poultry farmers to stop
operations, but consumer
demand started picking up
from July and it will gather
pace after the Navratras and
with the onset of winters,
they said.
“We expect consumption to
be back to about 70 percent
in October to December and
almost 90 percent by Jan-
March 21,” said BS Yadav, MD
Godrej Agrovet, a compound
animal feed company whose
poultry arm, Godrej Tyson
Foods sells 600,000 fresh and
frozen chicken every week.
“There is improved
consumption as several
hotels and restaurants have
come back in business due
to home delivery options.
The prices of chicken and
eggs have also started going
up due to this,” he said.
Farmers have started getting
a much better price for
chicken now. Earlier, prices
had crashed as people had
started avoiding poultry
products when the pandemic
began. The average weekly
consumption of chicken in
the country is 75 million
birds of an average weight of
2 kg.
Consumer confidence has
increased and there is an
increase in people dining
out, Suguna Poultry Farms'
managing director GB
Sundararajan told the
newspaper.
"Demand from hotels and
restaurants had seen a major
drop, which we now see
reviving. Also, after COVID,
consumers' perception of
eating chicken has changed
and they see it as an
immunity booster.
Consumption has reached 57
percent to 60 percent of the
pre-Covid time and we are
confident that it will reach
over 70 percent in the next
quarter,” said Sundararajan.
He said chicken prices in the
wholesale markets have
increased by 80 percent to
87 percent to Rs 150- Rs 180
a kg in the past five months.
October onwards ex-farm
prices can further increase by
15 percent over September
prices in eggs and chicken,
said Ramesh Chander Khatri,
secretary of Poultry
Federation of India.
Demand for eggs has also
increased and it was
reflected in the prices as well,
said Harish Juneja, a former
chairman for Delhi zone
National Egg Coordination
Committee (NECC), the nodal
agency of all farmers in the
broiler and layer industries.
“The industry is coming back
and poultry farms which
were shut down in April-
May are again starting
operations. A crate of 30
eggs is currently being sold
at Rs 140 which is a 75
percent increase from its
bottom prices in March-
April. We can expect another
30 percent increase in the
next quarter,” he said.
Source: economictimes
Experts expect Indian
poultry demand to reach 70%
of pre-COVID-19 level
ImageSource:TheHindu

08
ARTICLE
Soymeal markets have been trading with subdued note since starting of 2020. During
January and March, global as well as domestic prices of the entire soy complex were
plunging as the market could not assess the intensity of damage caused by the COVID-19
outbreak. After April the average price of most commodities, especially the soybean
complex, recovered from its yearly lows which started from February till April of the year.
Table 1 indicates the average price of soymeal from Indore.
Indian poultry feed industry which usually consumes ~35 percent of soymeal production of
the country was badly impacted due to the pandemic which resulted in lower poultry
consumption and misinformation further added to the worries of the industry.
Indian soymeal is considered to be one of the premium grade soy meals. European and
Asian countries prefer to use it over other soymeal. India usually exports ~65 percent of the
total soymeal produced in a year. It is mainly exported to South Korea, Thailand, Philippines,
Japan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Middle-East countries. The global soymeal market was valued
at USD 88.2 billion in the year 2018 and industry experts projected a growth of 4.2% CAGR,
to reach a value of USD 112.6 billion in the year 2024. This estimate might be revised
considering the impact of COVID-19 on supply & demand of the commodity, future
Global and Domestic
demand analysis of Soymeal
Abhijeet Banerjee, Religare Broking
ImageSource:ResearchGate

09
prospects still appear better
for global soymeal trade.
Analysis
·The year 2020-21 is
expected to be highly
competitive for the
export markets. The
global soybean
production is projected
at record levels in
2020–21, an estimated
increase by 10 percent
YoY to 370 million
tonnes, partly due to
record production in
Brazil. Even the US
soybean production is
forecasted to increase,
considering a 10 percent
increase in planted area
and favorable seasonal
conditions.
·Global protein meal use
for livestock feed is
expected to continue
recovering in 2020–21 as
China's swine industry
keeps reviving which
would lift soybean and
canola demand. China
has imported a
noticeable quantity of
soybean from Brazil
between January to July
2020, with maximum
imports during June. As
a result, since May 2020
Brazilian soybean
average offers have
remained higher
compared to US
soybean as the Brazilian
harvest started reducing
by then. In 2020–21, the
demand from China is
projected to shift back
to US soybean.
·The temporary closure
of some US
slaughterhouses, due to
the pandemic, resulted
in increased demand for
meal to feed a backlog
of animals ready for
slaughter. Therefore,
feed demand in near
future is likely to be
strong. Historically,
Argentina supplies
soymeal to Australia for
its poultry industry
demand. But there is a
reduction in supply due
to disruption in the
largest processing plant
in Argentina and an
increase in export taxes
shifted Australia to US
soymeal.
The recent forecast reports
of the US Department of
Agriculture (USDA) stated
India's soybean crush to
improve by 1.1 million to 9.4
million tons in 2020-2021.
Therefore, India's soybean
meal exports are expected to
gather momentum.This year
global soybean consumption
is also expected to increase
and China is projected to
account for over half of
global consumption growth
and roughly 85 percent
import growth. Considering
strong competition from the
United States and Brazil,
Argentine soybean exports
are projected to decline.
USDA also projected global
soymeal consumption
growth to 4 percent basis on
growing demand from China.
Global meal export is
forecast to grow 1 percent in
2020-21. Argentina and India
are projected to meet most
of this growth while rising
feed demand in the United
States and Brazil might
account for nearly all
increase in their meal
production. India's export
estimate for 2020-21 is now
projected higher at 2.07
MMT versus last year's
export of 1.45 MMT.
Like global markets,
domestic poultry
consumption is also
Month Average Price
(Rs/MT)
February 25302
March 28035
April 27719
May 25646
June 26233
July 26643
August 31500
Sep 32000
Table 1: Average price of
soymeal from Indore
Source: NCDEX, Indexmundi

10
ARTICLE
in poultry demand in the
forthcoming year would
depend on the HORECA
sector. Considering all the
above facts, prospects of
global and domestic soymeal
stabilizing. The domestic
feed consumption in India is
expected to return to normal
levels in 2020–21.With
lockdown restrictions being
eased, further improvement
demand is most likely to
improve in the coming year,
and the consumption
scenario also seems to
remain better.
Year Beginning Production Imports Domestic Exports Ending
Stocks Total Stocks
2019-2020 11.74 241.76 63.06 239.71 66.94 9.92
2020-2021 9.92 252.06 64.66 249.5 67.83 9.31
Table 2: GLOBAL SOYMEAL BALANCE SHEET (MMT)
Table 3: DOMESTIC SOYMEAL BALANCE SHEET (MMT)
Source: USDA
Year Beginning Production Imports Domestic Exports Ending
Stocks Total Stocks
2019-2020 0.48 6.72 0.05 5.49 1.45 0.31
2020-2021 0.31 8 0.05 6.05 2.07 0.24
INDUSTRYNEWS
without any disruption to
ensure steady global supply
during the COVID-19
pandemic.
India's agricultural export
rose by 23.24% to Rs 25,553
crore during in March-June
this year, while many
countries suffered a
disruption in output and
supply.
Agriculture commissioner S K
Malhotra assured that India
had enough stocks to avoid
any disruption. “We will not
let any disruption happen in
global supply. We are well
prepared to step up farm
exports as we have enough
stocks,” he said during the
virtual meeting of FAO's 35th
Asia-Pacific Regional
Conference (APRC).
He said the government is
focusing on wellness food
and nutraceuticals while
developing “Brand India” in
campaign mode to help
penetration into new foreign
markets and of new products
which automatically
India has assured the United
Nation's Food and
Agriculture Organisation
(FAO) it will consistently
export farm products
translates into higher value
realization.
“Agricultural exports as a
percentage of India's
agricultural GDP has
increased from 9.4 % in
2017-18 to 9.9 % in 2018-19.
While the agricultural
imports as a percentage of
India's agricultural GDP has
declined from 5.7% to 4.9 %
indicating exportable surplus
and decreased dependence
on import of agricultural
products in India,” he told.
As per WTO data, the share
of India's agricultural exports
and imports in the world
agriculture trade in 2017
were 2.27% and 1.90%,
respectively.
The government's agriculture
export policy launched in
2018 focuses on the cluster-
based export promotion of
novel, indigenous, organic,
ethnic, traditional, and non-
traditional agricultural
products including value-
added perishables.
Source: economictimes
India with enough stocks for
consistent exports

11
La Nina may disrupt global
food supply
Nina weather system could
roil global food production,
sending prices higher, as
potential droughts and
floods bring the upheaval to
a suite of key agricultural
commodities from South-
East Asia to South America.
The highly anticipated
phenomenon has officially
formed, the US Climate
Prediction Center said
Thursday, after the last
significant La Nina event
occurred in 2011.
During that period, upheaval
in commodity production led
to a steep increase in world
food prices, with the United
Nations Food & Agriculture
World Food Price Index
surging to a record in
February 2011, up 37 percent
from the end of 2009.
La Nina typically affects a
broad range of farm
commodities, as it brings
above-average winter-spring
rainfall in Australia,
particularly across eastern,
central, and northern
regions, as well as in South-
East Asia, with the potential
for flooding.
It can also dry out the
southern US through winter,
bringing cooler temperatures
and storms across the north.
In South America, croplands
in Argentina can become
arider, with drought possible
across parts of Brazil.
The weather phenomenon
disrupts production of a
broad range of agricultural
produce, such as soybeans,
corn, rapeseed, sugar, coffee,
and rubber said Bloomberg
Intelligences Alvin Tai.
Feed crops scenario
Wheat
The 2010-11 La Nina
brought Australia's wettest
two-year period on record,
according to the country's
Bureau of Meteorology, and
with it a strong 2011-12
winter wheat crop. This
season, the crop could climb
78 percent year-on-year to
27 million tons, the USDA
FAS said in July.
“A wet spring will support
pasture development and
grain fill for the winter crop,”
Rabobank said in its
September agribusiness
report. However, if wet
conditions continue into
harvest, it can reduce crop
quality.
A late-season La Nina is
unlikely to have any impact
on the current winter crop in
Australia, forecaster Abares
said in its June outlook. The
country's harvest of grains
including wheat and barley is
due to start within weeks.
La Nina may also exacerbate
a bout of dryness in
Argentina, jeopardizing what
was supposed to be a record
wheat crop in one of the
world's top exporters.
Soybeans
Soya growers in the US
might escape damage, with
harvests typically complete
by November. “Brazilian soya
may be more at risk if
drought and high
temperatures weaken
conditions for planting,
which stretches from mid-
August to mid-December,”
said Tai.
The US, Brazil, and Argentina
account for about 80 percent
of soybean production and
smaller harvests can raise
prices, according to Tai. In
the 2011-2012 season,
Brazil's soy production
declined 12 percent.
Cotton
“For cotton, drier-than-
normal conditions in
southern and western Brazil
and northern Argentina
could have a negative impact
on crops there, while more
rain could benefit Australian
fiber,” according to Donald
Keeney, senior meteorologist
with Maxar in Gaithersburg,
Maryland.
Source: businessline
INDUSTRY NEWS

12
INDUSTRY NEWS
ADB, Suguna Foods sign USD
15 mn financing deal
the nationwide lockdown to
contain COVID-19, it said.
This has resulted in losses
and tight liquidity conditions
for the company, which
employs 7,700 employees
and partners. It also supports
more than 40,000 contract
broiler farmers, including
many women, and 2,00,000
corn and soybean farmers,
the release said.
"ADB's assistance will
provide essential liquidity
support to Suguna's
operations during this
COVID-19 crisis, help the
company build inventory
buffers and make timely
payments to the contract
farmers and suppliers," said
Martin Lemoine, head of the
agribusiness investment unit
at ADB's private sector
The ADB said it has signed a
pact for a USD 15-million
debt financing through the
subscription of non-
convertible debentures for
Suguna Foods, to help
sustain poultry farming
operations, rural livelihoods
and food security in India
during the COVID-19
pandemic.
The agreement was signed
by the deputy director
general at ADB''s private
sector operations
department, Christopher
Thieme, and Suguna Foods
Managing Director G B
Sundararajan, the Asian
Development Bank (ADB)
said in a release.
Suguna, one of India's
largest poultry broiler
enterprises, has been
significantly affected by
supply disruptions caused by
operations department.
ADB's assistance will also
encourage local lenders to
support the business and
help attract other medium-
and long-term capital and
international partners,
Lemoine added.
The Bank's assistance
comprises two-year
amortizing senior secured
non-convertible debentures
in three tranches. It is
consistent with the
Government of India's efforts
to strengthen the agriculture
sector and improve farmers''
incomes by filling in gaps in
agricultural supply chains,
ADB said.
It also aligns with the
National Action Plan for Egg
and Poultry.
The transaction is also
aligned with ADB's USD 20
billion response package to
COVID-19. As part of this
assistance, ADB's private
sector operations
department is providing
financing support to
companies facing temporary
liquidity issues.
ADB further said poultry
livestock is central to India's
food value chain as an
affordable source of animal
protein that can address
malnutrition.
"ADB's timely financing will
help Suguna sustain
production to preserve the
incomes of farmers and feed
suppliers and ensure
continued supplies of
poultry," it said adding that
the agreement represents
the beginning of a long-term
relationship between the
ADB and Suguna.
Source: outlookindia

INTERVIEW
expected to trail only China
and the U.S. in its contribution
to incremental demand for
poultry by 2025, accounting
for 5% to 10% of global
growth. Growth will continue
to be influenced by local
protein preferences.
Indonesia, The Philippines,
and Vietnam are other Asia
markets expected to account
for another 10% poultry
demand increase, according
to reports.
Dr. Nagpal, would you
please share on the global
scenario of animal protein
consumption? How do you
predict the market
movement?
Dr. Vaibhav Nagpal: Global
meat consumption continues
to grow at a 2% increase
annual (not considering short
term COVID impact) with
nearly half of this growth
coming from China. Published
reports indicate India is
Indian
subcontinent
market has started
improving.
Currently broiler
production is up to
70%, and the layer
is close to 80%.
Dr. Vaibhav Nagpal
14

15
The recent announcement
of Project Destiny aims to
make Novus global leader
in the gut-health solution
category, please share brief
details about its phases.
Dr. Vaibhav Nagpal: Project
Destiny is Novus’s multi-
phase strategic plan aimed to
establish the company as “a
leader in gut-health solutions
for the sustainable production
of protein through nutrition.”
The first step was creating our
new Executive Leadership
Team, which was established
in April. From there we
reorganized our teams into
three regions – the Americas,
EMEA, and ASIA. Each of the
regions has a chief
commercial officer and each
sub-region (we call them our world areas) has a managing
director to oversee operations. Americas is comprised of two
sub-regions – North and Central America, and South America.
We consolidated our services in Europe and the Middle East,
Turkey, and Africa to create EMEA. Asia is comprised of three
sub-regions: Northeast Asia, headquartered at Shanghai;
Southeast Asia Pacific, headquartered at Bangkok; and South-
Central Asia, headquartered at Chennai.
We have also established strategic marketing and technical
teams at the global and regional levels that will allow us to
better understand our customers’ needs and industry trends.
We also decentralized corporate functions to support more
agility within our regional offices.
Through Project Destiny, our customers should experience a
heightened level of service and responsiveness from their
Novus representatives. Our plan through this change is to
bring us closer to the customer by thinking the way they think.
We are also exploring new differentiated products and
solutions that we can bring to our customers.
Dr. Vaibhav Nagpal: Environment, social and economic are key
sustainability pillars for Novus. The products we sell, the way in
which we conduct business with stakeholders, and our
stewardship of Earth’s natural resources are all interconnected,
integrated and equally important to the company.
There are five segments of Novus’s Sustainability Priorities,
which were outlined by our stakeholders a few years ago as
How Novus is aligned with UN sustainability goals?
Mr. Neeraj Srivastava

16
INTERVIEW
top priorities: Customer
Productivity & Profitability,
Engaged & Empowered
Employees, Supply Chain
Efficiency, Human Health &
Nutrition and Sustainable
Animal Agriculture. It’s
through this “Sustainability
Compass” that we navigate
how we operate as we help
our customers provide animal
protein in a manner that is
safe, accessible, and
economical as well as socially
and environmentally
responsible.
Dr. Vaibhav Nagpal: Gut
health is a very broad topic as
is antibiotic-free production.
Even when people use
antibiotics they are still
concerned about gut health.
When we look at gut health
through nutrition, we see four
different aspects:
·Instigators of poor gut
health because of
oversupply of nutrients in
the lumen
·Presence of nutritional
factors that causes
disbalance and shift in
microbiota·
·Inflammation/oxidative
stress, which causes
morphological and
functional alterations in
the gut
·Poor digestion of feed
and nutrients leading to
a less functional gut
Novus is looking at the
opportunities in India for its
antibiotic-free solutions as
well as our Eubiotics
products, while the
customer feels this is very
soon so introduce such a
concept in the Indian
market. How would you like
to respond to that?
These are challenges that
customers around the world
face. Our job at Novus is to
ensure we can provide
customers comprehensive
gut health solutions,
regardless of where they are
globally, ultimately
improving their financial
outcomes.
Neeraj Srivastava: With the
lockdown easing, the market
has started improving and
currently broiler production
is up to 70%, and the layer is
close to 80%. There is no
shortage of milk whereas
prices are under pressure
because of low demand,
mainly from the HORECA
sector. The situation in Indian
subcontinents is also similar.
The aquaculture industry is
also suffering because of
restrictions on exports and
low international demand;
94% of shrimp production in
the region is for export.
Neeraj Srivastava: It was
tough to manage things for
the first two months of the
lockdown. We have
proactively moved our
products to various locations
throughout the country to
better serve our customers
without any delay, regardless
of supply chain challenges.
We’ve taken the same
proactive approach and
Mr. Neeraj Srivastava,
could you please update
our readers about the
present supply-demand of
animal protein in the
Indian sub-continent?
What supply chain issues
have you faced during the
lockdown period and what
do you predict in next
year?
shipped additional products
from the U.S. and Europe to
build enough inventory
locally to ensure our
customers should not suffer
because of product
unavailability due to
pandemic-related delays.
Fortunately, things are now
moving normally globally.
Operations in China have
resumed to 100% and we do
not foresee any major
hurdles in the next year for
India and the subcontinents.
Neeraj Srivastava: In India
there are mainly corn-soy-
based diets used for poultry
production. Any change in
the prices of these
ingredients impacts the final
cost of feed production.
Apart from that, there are
many opportunities to
include alternative raw
materials in feed
formulations. Novus is
helping farmers to mitigate
the impact of increased
fluctuating raw material
prices in two ways:
1. Reformulating diets by
using enzymes like
phytase and protease,
which can help to
reduce the use of costly
feed ingredients and
thereby reduce the feed
cost while maintaining
the same level of
nutrients.
2. Offering technical
services from our
technical experts for feed
and farm management
and helping farmers to
Enzymes enhance the value
of crops or raw feed
material produced in India.
Can you please elaborate
on that?

17
improve the quality and
quantity of their end
product.
Neeraj Srivastava: Under
Project Destiny, we have a
newly established strategic
marketing and technical
services team as well as
created a strategic innovation
and product management
team to drive product
innovation and differentiation
to increase market
In a previous interview in
November 2019, one of
your customers said, Novus
has a good portfolio of the
product but needs to
further market penetration.
How would you respond to
that today? Any new
products in the pipeline to
reach the Indian market.
penetration and reach to our
customers.
We have an outstanding
opportunity in the HMTBa
molecule, which is the
methionine source for our
ALIMET® feed additive. The
molecule is surprisingly
versatile and has allowed us
to create our line of bis-
chelated MINTREX® trace
minerals and a powerful
acidifier that has the added
benefit of methionine,
ACTIVATE® nutritional feed
acid, to name a few of our
current HMTBa-based
products.
We are certainly exploring
new differentiated products
and solutions that we can
bring to our customers.
Feed safety and traceability
is an important area for
animal nutrition, what
Novus is doing to deliver on
that aspect?
Neeraj Srivastava: Novus is
committed and following all
laws of the lands. Feed safety
and traceability is a global
concern today. Novus offers its
unique products to produce
safe feed and protein for
human consumption. All
products of Novus are being
produced in a highly safe
environment, our
manufacturing facilities are
equipped with world-class
certification like GMP & FAMI-
QS. All the produced batch
undergo with strict quality
check and analysis both
internal and external before it
reaches to the market.
INDUSTRYNEWS
FSSAI to make GM Free
certificate compulsory for crop
imports from Jan 1
crops are imported into
India, it has been decided
that every consignment of
imported food products
listed by the FSSAI must be
accompanied with a 'Non-
GM cum GM Free'
certificate.
According to the FSSAI, the
directive was issued as per
FSS (Import Regulations),
2017, which is to ensure
safe and the
wholesomeness of articles
of food imported into India.
The crops include Alfalfa,
Apple, Argentina Canola,
Bean, Chicory, Cowpea, Egg
Plant, Flax Seed, Maize,
Melon, Papaya, Pineapple,
Plum, Polish Canola, Potato,
Rice, Safflower, Soybean,
The Food Safety and
Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) has identified 24
crops imported in India to
mandatorily declare 'Non-
GM cum GM Free' certificate
from January 1, 2021.
FSSAI, in an order to restrict
the entry of Genetically
Modified crops, has decided
to issue a directive for the
requirement of 'Non-GM
cum GM Free' certificate
accompanied with imported
food consignment.
The directive says that the
framing of regulations
related to genetically
modified or engineered
food, which is governed by
the Section 22 of the FSS
Act, is taking time and to
ensure only non-GM food
Squash, Sugar Beet,
Sugarcane, Sweet Pepper,
Tomato, and Wheat.
The food importers were
asked to submit a detailed
certificate declaring that the
product is the non-GM
origin and does not contain
Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMO) and also
not genetically modified
along with the name and
address of the exporter,
manufacturer, and
consignee, description of
the product, invoice,
lot/batch number, expiry
date, quantity, date of
manufacturing or packing,
and date of shipment &
place, amongst others.
Source: fnbnews

18
ARTICLE
Introduction
Environmental heat stress is obviously the problem faced by the animals located in hotter
(tropical) regions of the world. Heat stress not only reduces milk yield in cows and buffaloes but
also affects several other economic parameters viz. animal health and animal reproduction,
resulting in a significant economic impact on the dairy owners in these countries. The most
obvious effect of heat stress is the reduction in feed intake, leading to a decrease in milk yield.
But apart from that, there are several other metabolic implications that also contribute to the
reduction in milk yield. In addition to that, there is a decrease in milk quality, primarily due to an
increase in somatic cell count (SCC) and incidence in mastitis, increased health care cost, and
reduced growth in heifers. However, to overcome the challenge of environmental heat stress in
tropical countries on dairy animals, some management and nutritional strategies have been
worked out by several researchers, which may help, but only partially.
Cows have limited adaptability to fight heat stress
An excellent example of an animal adapted to anAdaptations to Dry and Hot Climate:
Heat stress in dairy animals
and the measures to reduce
its effect on milk production
T. K. Walli, Former Head, Dairy Nutrition Division, NDRI, Karnal
ImageSource:BusinessLine

19
extremely hot and dry climate
is no doubt the camel, a
pseudo-ruminant. Not only
has this animal an ability to
be comfortable in such a
climate, but it can do without
food and water for many
days. The fat stored in its
hump comes to its rescue,
slowly releases energy, even
at 10 days of starvation.
Ruminants, however, are
devoid of such an efficient
adaptive mechanism and can
fight heat stress to a limited
extent only. However, the
ability to fight heat stress
varies among ruminant
species and breeds,
depending upon whether
evolved in temperate or
tropical regions. The Bos
indicus too has fat stored in
its hump, which helps the
animal to use the stored
energy during its limited
nutrient supply. These animals
are in a better position to
dissipate heat during the hot
season, unlike Bos taurus,
with no hump and the fat
evenly spread
subcutaneously, which makes
the thermo-regulation and
heat dissipation difficult
during the hot season.
The hot
humid conditions are the
most stressful for the animals.
The best-adapted animal for
the humid tropics is
undoubtedly the buffalo.
Although its sweat glands are
far less active than the zebu
cattle, however, the wallowing
helps it a lot to get rid of the
body heat. So, it definitely
needs water or mud to assist
it in thermo-regulation.
A combination of
the two variables,
temperature-humidity index;
THI is a better predictor of
whether or not cows are
“stressed”. A THI < 72 is the
point at which a dairy cow
starts to decrease
productivity.
It can be generally said
that roughages and grasses in
tropical regions are of lower
quality than in temperate
regions. The major roughages
available for bovine feeding in
tropical regions are straw,
stover, and other crop
residues, characterized by
lower palatability, lower
digestibility and low nutrient
Adaptations to Hot and
Humid Climate:
Temperature Humidity Index
(THI)- A Better Predictor of
Heat Stress:
Adaptation to Inferior Quality
Feeds:
content in terms of energy,
proteins, minerals and
vitamins. However, cattle
breeds in tropics are often
adapted to these inferior
feeds by having a higher
rumen volume relative to
body weight, enabling them
to have longer retention time
in the rumen to digest it
relatively more. Buffaloes are
more suited to these
conditions, as apart from
higher rumen volume and
longer retention time, they
also perform better on fibrous
diets, possessing higher
digestive ability to utilize fiber,
than cattle.
Unabated heat
stress can decrease feed
intake by more than 35%.
However, even in well-cooled
dairies decrease in feed intake
due to heat stress may be
between 15-20 %. In non-
cooled management systems,
milk yield can decrease by 40-
50 % during severe
conditions. Reduction in feed
intake due to heat stress
reduces consequently nutrient
intake, resulting in decreased
milk synthesis in the
mammary gland. However,
the reduction in milk
production is not just due to a
reduction in feed intake only,
but due to heat stress itself.
About 40% of the
energy from Volatile fatty
acids (VFA) produced in
rumen and then absorbed
from rumen, are used as
energy spent on heat
dissipation. Another 10 % of
energy is spent on eating,
chewing, and propulsion of
Heat Stress Reduces Feed
Intake/ Quantity of Milk
Produced:
Reason for Reduced in Feed
Intake:

20
ARTICLE
roughages through the gut. In
hot climates, as the animals
are unable to cope up with
the dissipation of heat, there
is a signal from the central
nervous system to limit feed
intake, so as to avoid extra
heat load. This is the main
cause of the reduction in feed
intake in heat-stressed
animals. Ironically, though
heat stress reduces feed
intake, the animal actually
needs more energy even to
fight heat stress through the
process of heat dissipation
(just like air conditioning
mechanism).
Under thermo-neutral
condition, the energy
required for milk synthesis is
partly met from the tissue
mobilization through the
phenomena of nutrient
partitioning. However, in
cows subjected to heat stress,
nutrient supply to the
mammary gland are limited
by the double effect of
reduced feed intake as well as
restricted tissue mobilization,
resulting in lower milk
synthesis in the mammary
gland.
The post-absorptive
metabolism of heat-stressed
cows markedly differs from
that of thermal neutral cows,
more so that of lactating
cows. This is due to the
metabolic adaptations that
animals undergo, in order to
deal with heat stress. This
becomes a metabolic priority
even in dairy animals, for
which generally the first
priority happens to be the
mammary gland.
The physiological mechanism
Post-Absorptive Metabolism
of Heat Stressed Cows
by which heat stress impacts
production and reproduction
include reduced feed intake,
altered endocrine status,
reduction in rumination and
nutrient absorption, and
increased maintenance
requirements, resulting in a
net decrease in nutrient
availability for production.
Reductions in energy intake
during heat stress results in a
majority of lactating cows
entering into negative energy
balance (NEBAL).
1. Heat-Stressed Cows are
Susceptible to Rumen
Acidosis: Heat stress forces
cows to dissipate heat via
panting, leading to increased
respiration rate and the
enhanced rate at which CO2
is exhaled out. This leads to
the decreased blood CO2
level, which is made up by
converting part of HCO3
(Bicarbonate) secreted by the
liver to CO2. The result is that
rumen gets less bicarbonate
through saliva for buffering
activity than it actually
requires to maintain its pH,
making the animal more
susceptible to sub-clinical and
acute rumen acidosis. The
unhealthy rumen
environment causes a
reduction in feed intake and
also may lead to laminitis and
milk fat depression, etc.
2. Switching Metabolism to
Prevent Adipose
Mobilization/ F A
Oxidation: Early lactation
cow is a classic example of
lactation-induced negative
energy balance (NEBAL).
When the cow is in thermo-
neutral condition, even if the
feed intake is not matching
with the nutrient demands of
the mammary gland, reduced
insulin levels and enhanced
growth hormone levels
partition the nutrients in favor
of milk synthesis. This allows
mobilization of adipose fat,
transported to the mammary
gland as Non-Esterified Fatty
Acids (NEFA), and serving as a
precursor for fat synthesis in
the mammary gland.
However, unlike NEBAL in
thermo-neutral conditions,
heat-stressed induced NEBAL
does not result in elevated
plasma NEFA level, because
heat stress blocks fat
breakdown.
3. Switching Metabolism to
Step-up Glucose
Production:
Gluconeogenesis in the liver is
at its peak in early lactation
cows, to meet the demands of
the mammary gland for
lactose synthesis. During heat
stress, though there is more
glucose production than
under thermo-neutral
conditions, a good proportion
of this glucose is required to
provide energy at the tissue
level. This is a metabolic
adaptation by the animal to
fight heat stress so that less
metabolic heat is generated.
That is why in heat-stressed
cows, the glucose disposal
rate is much higher than in
cows in thermo-neutral
conditions. Thus, the reduced
feed intake coupled with
reduced availability of glucose
(than its actual production) to
the mammary gland for
lactose synthesis, results in a
significant decrease in milk
synthesis/ yield in heat-
stressed cows.
4. Reduced Body Protein
Retention/ Increased
Muscle Breakdown: The
reduced body protein

21
with the combination of mist
cooling and fan. This is being
adopted by many big dairy
farmers in India. Of course,
the effect of heat stress on
milk production can only be
partially reduced.
It is a known
fact that the fibrous diets
generate more heat during
rumen fermentation, called
the heat of fermentation. By
reducing the quantity of
highly fibrous feeds in the
diet, the animal's heat load
can be slightly reduced.
Instead, the animals may be
offered succulent green
fodders to meet their fiber
requirement.
Bypass nutrients when fed to
ruminants just bypass the
rumen and are not subjected
to ruminal fermentation.
Instead, these nutrients are
passed on to the lower tract
where these are digested and
subsequently absorbed from
the intestines. In the rumen,
these nutrients are protected
against ruminal enzymes,
thus, proteins are not
attacked by proteolytic
enzymes and the fats are not
attacked by lipolytic and
hydrolyzing enzymes.
Feeding of bypass protein
saves dietary amino acids,
which are the converted to
glucose in the liver, to serve
partly as energy source and
partly used as a precursor for
lactose synthesis in the
mammary gland. Apart from
the generation of less heat in
the rumen, feeding of bypass
protein increase the efficiency
of nutrient utilization, and
thus, try to maintain milk
Reducing the Quantity of
Fibrous Diets:
Use of Bypass Nutrients:
retention is also supported by
a decrease in milk protein,
including the decrease in the
synthesis of alpha and beta-
casein fractions of milk from
heat-stressed cows. This is
because these animals have
an increased amino acid need
for non-productive functions,
primarily to provide energy at
tissue level, using amino acids
as a precursor for glucose
synthesis.
5. Cows are more Prone to
Impaired Immune
Response: The heat stress
affects the immune function
in cows. Thus, during
summer months cows are
more prone to metabolic,
reproductive, and other
health disorders: like mastitis,
retained placenta, metritis,
and ketosis.
How to Reduce the Adverse
Effect of Heat Stress in
Dairy Cows
It has been proved through
research that only 40 % of the
decrease in milk production is
due to reduced DM intake,
the rest of the 60 % reduction
in milk production can be
explained by heat-stressed
induced other biochemical
changes. However, the
adverse effect of heat stress
on the overall health and
productivity of dairy animals
can be overcome to some
extent by improving
microenvironment and feed
management. Following the
approaches as given under:
Under Indian
conditions, the heat stress can
be reduced somewhat by
providing proper shelter,
controlling air moments and
causing a cooling effect inside
Providing Shelter/ Cooling
System:
production.
Feeding of bypass fat
increases the energy density
of the ration and
compensates for lower feed
intake by providing energy for
maintenance and productive
purpose. In fact, in high
yielding animals, the inclusion
of bypass fat as a dietary
supplement is very essential,
especially during hotter
months, in order to maintain
cow's milk production.
Heat stress
generally increases the
production of free radicals,
leading to oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress has a
negative impact on immune
and reproductive functions.
This may lead to increased
frequency of mastitis, higher
somatic cells count in milk,
decreased fertility, increased
embryo mortality, post-
partum retained placenta, and
early calving. Glutathione
peroxidases family of anti-
oxidative enzymes, containing
selenium incorporated within
an amino acid
(organic/chelated form), plays
a major role in maintaining
the anti-oxidative balance,
protecting the cells from
damages against heat stress.
Given along with Vit E, which
too is an antioxidant, the
result is twofold.
Supplementing the diet with
other feed additives like
buffers (Sod. Bicarbonate),
Niacin and Yeast also have a
beneficial effect on the rumen
environment and overall
positive effect on milk
production.
Use of Feed Additives,
Antioxidants –Selenium and
vitamin E:
Other feed additives:

22
ARTICLE
A well-known mathematical problem begins with a group of millionaires meeting over lunch
(clearly a pre-COVID scenario). The group has a wonderful time, enjoying their food and
drinks wholeheartedly. As they ask for the bill, one particularly cheeky member of the group
proposes that the richest among them pay the bill. The group agrees, but immediately finds
itself at an impasse over the bill. No one wants to share their exact wealth.
This scenario, called the Millionaires' problem, was first proposed in 1982 by computer
scientist and computational theorist Andrew Yao. It is a secure multi-party computation
problem, a subfield of cryptography with applications in e-commerce and data mining. It is
commercially applicable to any situation where there is a need to securely compare numbers
that are confidential.
Many solutions to this mathematical problem have been put forth, the first presented by Yao
himself. As the Glowlit team set out to reimagine market intelligence in the Animal Feed
industry, we looked to the Millionaires' problem for inspiration. What we saw was really an
issue of trust. Each of the millionaires needed to know where they stood relative to the
Reimagine market
intelligence in the Animal
Feed industry
Guy Soreq, Glowlit
ImageSource:InfinitiResearch

23
others, without giving away
their own position.
Glowlit facilitates trust across
the industry by allowing
users to anonymously
benchmark their position
relative to the market. Like
the Millionaires' problem, its
solution is mathematical. The
Glowlit algorithm ensures
that only verified price
entries make it into the
reports, and the accuracy of
reports encourages more
users to enter better data. As
products grow in numbers of
user entries, proportional
increase in the number of
verified entries is oberved.
Slowly but surely, it is
restoring trust across the
supply chain.
In third week of September
Feed Additive Focus, brought
to you by Glowlit, takes a
look at the latest price
changes in L-Threonine
98.5% & Vitamin B7 (H)
Biotin 2%
Spot buyers are paying 13%
less for Vitamin B7 (H) Biotin
2% than they were just one
week ago. A 35% decrease
in user interest is observed
compared to the previous
week.
Spot buyers are paying 18%
more for L-Threonine 98.5%
than they were just one week
ago. A 17% decrease in user
interest is observed compared
to the previous week.
Source: Glowlit

24
INDUSTRY NEWS
India is well-equipped to support
other nations in tackling locust and
fall armyworm problem
measures in over 10
northern states to prevent its
spread.
Extending support for
tackling locust problems,
Rupala asked the FAO to find
innovative solutions to
address challenges related to
water scarcity, climate
change, hunger, and
nutrition.
"I urge FAO to find
innovative solutions,
evidence-based analysis and
partnership to develop
multi-sectoral solutions to
the challenges of water
scarcity, climate change,
hunger, and nutrition," the
FAO statement quoted the
minister having said in the
meeting.
He also reaffirmed India's
commitment to fulfill
aspirations of Asia-Pacific
regional countries and share
responsibility to ensure food
security for all.
"Our 'neighbors first' policy
will live up to the aspirations
of the region with
collaboration in the
exchange of best practices in
R&D and programmatic
interventions to step up
production and productivity
of agriculture produce,"
Rupala said.
The minister also mentioned
that the government has
adopted a "flexible
approach" for facilitating
imports from other
countries. Now, digital copies
of phytosanitary certificates
are being accepted to not
disturb the world food
supply chain.
According to the FAO, global
India is ready to work with
the United Nation's Food and
Agriculture Organisation
(FAO) to assist other
countries in the event of
recurrence of migratory
pests such as locust and fall
armyworm, Minister of State
for Agriculture Parshottam
Rupala said recently.
The minister expressed the
government's willingness to
share India's experience and
work with the FAO on
controlling migratory pest
while addressing a four-day
FAO's 35th Asia-Pacific
Regional Conference (APRC)
here.
This virtual conference,
hosted by Bhutan, was
convened to plan responses
and recovery work to
address the twin pandemics -
- COVID-19 and hunger.
In India, the problem of
desert locust that prevailed
since April 11 has now
subsided after the
government's timely
food systems are under
stress due to the
compounding threat of the
pandemic on existing crises
such as conflict, natural
disasters, climate change,
pests, and plagues.
The COVID-19 has led to a
setback in the fight to end
hunger and malnutrition.
Food production and supply
has been hit hard in many
countries.
"We have recently presented
the FAO COVID-19 Response
and Recovery Program,
which aimed at preventing
global food emergency
during and after the COVID-
19 pandemic, while working
on medium- to long-term
development responses for
food security and nutrition"
said FAO Director-General
Qu Dongyuhis at the
conference.
"In line with the UN
approach to "build back
better," and in pursuit of the
Sustainable Development
Goals, it aims to mitigate the
immediate impacts of the
pandemic while
strengthening the future
resilience of food systems
and livelihoods," he added.
The conference also
discussed new marketing
channels (such as e-
commerce) and new
technologies (including
better storage facilities) that
will help reduce food losses,
as these are critical to ensure
the flow of nutritious foods
and to generate improved
incomes for those who work
across the entire food and
agriculture sectors.
Source: indiatimes

26
INDUSTRY NEWS
Bioprotein may bring
self-sufficiency in Russian
animal feed industry
In the Soviet Union, in the 1970s the first production of nutritional proteins from
hydrocarbons was started. In total, the country has built 12 factories with an expected
production of approx 1 million tons every year. This was close to approx 70% of the world's
bioprotein production at the time. The importance of the bioprotein industry in the country
was comparable to that of the nuclear industry, as it allowed the Soviet Union to be self-
sufficient in animal feed.
Safety and efficacy study
All plants produced Paprin, a single-celled protein yeast grown in a liquid paraffin medium,
or Gaprin, an inactivated methane biomass, an oxidized Methyllococcus capsulatus
bacterium. Studies on safety and efficiency were not adequately conducted, which resulted in
horrifying outcomes in the case of Paprin.
Impact on animal health
The product disrupted hormonal and water balance, causing edema to form throughout the
body of the animals, reported by the Russian business consultancy, which brought studies
from Bashkiria State University. “Meat obtained from animals fed with Paprin contained an
accumulation of abnormal amino acids that were incorporated into the membranes of nerve
ImageSource:AllAboutFeed

27
bioprotein production in
Russia seems to be getting a
second chance.
Bioprotein - A different
and new product
The Russian company
Metanica recently revealed a
new generation of methane-
based inactivated protein
biomass under the Metaprin
brand. The production
technology differs from that
used in other similar projects
around the world and in
many ways, it is impressive
compared to the technology
used for Gaprin production
decades ago.
Metaprin is designed to
update fishmeal in the
nutrition of birds, pigs and
livestock.
“We do not use external
recycling of mobile culture
fluid and paint with air, not
oxygen, which results in
energy saving and is one of
the main components of the
bioprotein production costs,”
said Nikolay Kutafin, Director
of Development at
Methanica. “The company
has also abandoned airlift
mixing, which inhibits the
cells of microorganisms.
Besides that, the production
site does not have a cooling
circuit in the fermenter, and
there is no post-
fermentation gas, which
makes it possible to produce
a tonne of protein using no
more than 2000 cubic meters
of gas,” he added. The
company also uses several
different strains of bacteria,
each of which performs an
important role. “All the
internal laminar-vortex
motion of the cell culture
fluid is carried out thanks to
the use of a specially
developed mixing aeration
head,” Kutafin explained.
cells, thus disrupting the
process of conducting a
normal nerve impulse,” said
Raisa Bashirova, principal
investigator at Bashkiria
State University, who added
that it was even harmful to
humans to paintings with
Paprin: “Factory staff and
local citizens were presenting
diseases such as canker sores
and bronchial asthma. “
In the 1990s, almost the
entire production of
bioprotein in Russia was
stopped. Gaprin, although it
had proved to be safe and
efficient, could not compete
with rather cheap imported
protein feedstuffs, which
began to land on the local
market in large quantities.
Now, several decades ¬later,
There is a protein shortage
ranging from 1. 5 million to 2
million tonnes, every year in
Russia. Metaprin is primarily
designed to replace fishmeal
in the diets of birds, pigs,
and livestock. “Fishmeal is
Metaprin's main competitor.
However, Metaprin is
superior in terms of proteins,
amino acids, vitamins, and
microelements. It has a
sustainable quality. Its
production and composition
characteristics do not
depend upon weather
situations and the time of
year and its use is more
convenient for breeders,”
Kutafin said.
Metaprin – A safe product
In Russia, fishmeal is of
uneven quality, even within a
single consignment, and
sometimes it appears to be
adulterated. “Metaprin is
added to feed at levels
ranging from 2.5% to 30% of
the total product mass. One
tonne of metaprin can
balance the protein content
of 20 tonnes of feed,” Kutafin
said, adding that meat
products obtained from
animals fed with this type of
bioprotein are absolutely
safe for humans, which has
been confirmed in multiple
studies, including in the
European Union.
The company is working on
an experimental 100 m3
plant for protein
biosynthesis, with a
production capacity up to
4000 tonnes of protein per
year. “We envisage a
modular approach to plant
construction. It allows us to
quickly ramp up production
by putting new 100 m3
fermenters into operation,”
Kutafin said. Some big
investment groups in Russia
have already expressed an

28
INDUSTRY NEWS
interest in the new
technology, mulling plans to
build a plant with a designed
production performance of
50,000 tonnes per year.
The country is also among
the world's leaders in terms
of oil, gas, and coal
production, which opens
opportunities for protein
biosynthesis from methane.
“When we talk about oil and
coal production, we are
talking about associated
petroleum gas and coal mine
methane – which is often
burned or emitted into the
atmosphere, causing
significant harm to the
environment. We are
developing, among other
things, mobile complexes
that can operate in remote
locations during oil
production,” Kutafin said.
Metanica aims to promote its
technology not only in
Russia but also abroad.
“Quite a few requests to use
our developments have
come from abroad. Our team
sees itself as an integral part
of humanity, and so our
technology and products will
be available all over the
world,” Kutafin said.
Metanica is not the only
company in Russia interested
in Bioprotein. In 2019,
Protelux completed a 6,000
tonne per year methane-to-
feed-protein plant in Russia,
based on technology from
the Danish company Unibio.
4 fermenters encompassing
methanotrophic bacteria that
absorb natural gas have
been constructed as part of
the Ivangorod facility not far
from the Russian border with
the European Union, the
company said in a statement.
The Danish company's U-
Loop technology enables
natural gas to be converted
into a single-cell protein –
UniProtein – to be further
used in feed.
A more efficient and faster
way of fermenting
These methanotrophic
bacteria consume the C1
connections in the methane
gas in order to grow. They
have transformed into
protein granules thanks to a
traditional downstream
process. This patented
technology is a vertical pipe
structure that provides
optimal growth conditions
for the bacteria. This is a
more efficient and faster way
of fermenting than
horizontal, conventional
bioreactors. Protelux has
invested some $35 million in
this project.
The company has also
unveiled plans to build 10
similar plants all over the
country in the next decade
with a designed production
capacity of 100,000 tonnes
per year each and with
expected revenues of over
$1.5 billion. If these plans
work out, Russia will be able
to swiftly regain its position
as the world's leader of
bioprotein production. In
2017, it was announced that
the second plant was to be
launched in the Alabuga
special economic zone in the
Tatarstan Republic, Russia.
The investment cost was
estimated at Rub 18 billion
($270 million) and
production is expected to
reach 100,000 tonnes per
year (to be obtained from
180 million cubic meters of
natural gas). In April 2018,
the company also signed a
letter of intent with the
government of Astrakhan
Oblast, Russia, to build
another 100,000-tonnes
plant for Rub 10 billion ($135
million). However, there was
no further progress on either
project over the past few
years. There is no
information as to when these
2 plants might become
operational.
Changing competitive
environment
There are good prospects
that the new bioprotein
projects will succeed.
Nevertheless, this could be
difficult, given the expanding
fishmeal and soybean meal
production capacities in
Russia, commented a source
in the Russian feed industry.
Besides, the biggest
agricultural holdings are
struggling to achieve
complete independence in
feedstuff, so they are not very
interested in bioprotein, he
said.
Fishmeal
During the past few years,
Russian production of
fishmeal has been limited to
100,000 tonnes per year. This
figure is forecasted to triple
over the next few years, as the
Russian government has
embarked on reform of
investment quotas in the
fishing industry, offering
fishermen quotas in exchange
for investments in new vessels
or processing infrastructure.
Under this program, Russian
fishermen will put 23 fish-
processing plants into
operation in the next few
years, including plants for
fishmeal production.
Soybean meal
Russian soybean production
totaled 3.08 million tonnes in
2019. This figure has
increased by a factor of 3.5
over the past decade and
further growth should expand
soybean meal supplies for the
Russian feed industry.

30
INDUSTRY NEWS
During the regular survey,
egg masses and younger
larval instar can be collected
and destroyed. Weather
conditions in September-
October is favorable for the
infestation by this pest,
Chhuneja said.
He added that the pest is
easier to control in the initial
stage, while the grown larvae
cause more damage, making
round to oblong holes in
leaves along with a large
amount of fecal matter.
The larvae can be identified
from four spots in a square
pattern at the rear end and
white-colored inverted Y-
shaped mark on the head.
Pest management Fodder
maize should not be sown
after mid-August. Avoid
staggering sowing of maize
especially in adjacent fields.
Punjab Agricultural
University has issued an
advisory to manage the fall
armyworm, an invasive
insect-pest that has been
infesting maize crops in
Punjab since mid-June.
PK Chhuneja, head,
department of entomology,
PAU, said incidences of fall
armyworm in timely sown
grain maize has been rare,
and at this stage, it has
further diminished. He
added that based on last
year's experience, the
incidence in the coming days
on fodder maize is also
imminent.
So, farmers have been
advised to regularly survey
their fields, especially the
crops sown late, and take up
immediate management
measures as soon as the pest
is observed on the crop.
Incidence of the pest is
higher in high density
planting of fodder maize
while it is lesser in mixed
cropping, for example, when
sown along with bajra.
Collect and destroy egg
masses of fall armyworm
from leaves. Egg masses are
covered with hairs and are
easily visible.
In case of higher pest attack,
spray Coragen 18.5 SC
(chlorantraniliprole). Use 120
liters of water per acre for up
to 20 days old crop and
increase the quantity by up
to 200 liters as per crop
growth. Direct the nozzle
towards the whorl of the
plant.
Observe a waiting period of
21 days (after spray) before
harvest to ensure the safety
of animals
Source: hindustantimes
Indian university issues advisory
against pest infesting maize crops

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Resilient food supply chain – Need of the hour

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