Mycotoxin prevalence in feed samples in Asia is increasing. It is becoming commonplace to find more than one mycotoxin contaminating the feed. Asian Agribiz talks to Dr Sangita Jalukar of Arm & Hammer about why this might be so and the need to move beyond testing to actively deal with the massive challenge ahead of us. In this podcast you will lear…

Several new and old players in the Indian poultry sector are investing in processing plants as they want to tap into the growing demand for chicken in India. Asian Agribiz talks to Alok Raj, Principal Consultant at Aptec Technology Consulting on growth in the industry and what pitfalls many must look out for when investing in processing. In this po…

Good news for Asian poultry markets keeps rolling in. In last week’s In Focus podcast, we heard Arief Fachrudin talk about the 30% growth projected for South and Southeast Asian poultry markets. This week, the Rabobank Poultry Quarterly talks of a positive story for poultry in the latter part of the year as markets in Southeast and South Asia show …

The poultry markets in South and Southeast Asia are growing, with growth projected at 30% between 2023-2030. The drivers behind this growth are the regions’ robust economic outlook, population expansion, and a shift in consumer preference, which together present a golden investment opportunity. Interestingly, the growth is not only about volume, bu…

Eggs can come into contact with bacteria such as Salmonella during the laying process or via environmental sources such as feces or feathers. Therefore, egg washing reduces the risk of contamination and makes eggs safe for consumption. Although egg washing is not a common practice worldwide yet, Paul Buisman, Head of Innovation at Moba, tells Asian…

With caution, producers in the region are adopting generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) for better productivity, efficiency, and animal health. Considering the many benefits of the package, it is reasonable to say that Gen AI is here to stay. Industry suppliers have also been active in innovations to help producers ride this tide and grow pr…

Interest in crate-free gestation, or sow group housing, has increased recently due to animal welfare concerns. In Southeast Asia, most gestating sows are still confined in stalls that limit their movement during pregnancy. However, some key regional producers have already started converting parts of their operations to sow group housing. Asian Agri…

The May 2024 Chief Economists Outlook, which explores key trends in the global economy, was launched last week amid a mood of cautious optimism tempered by uncertainty about geopolitical and domestic political developments. The latest results indicate growing business challenges despite a positive near-term growth outlook. However, the long-term pr…

Doug Korver, Professor Emeritus at the University of Alberta and President of Alpine Poultry Nutrition Inc in Canada, is doing a study on layers that are kept longer. As these are high producing birds and are relatively small, the practice puts pressure on their skeletal system and shell quality. In this podcast, Dr Korver discusses with Asian Agri…

India, a distinct entity within Asia, likely accounts for the region’s largest workforce, which is steadily seeing upward economic mobility. The country accounted for 4% of global GDP growth between 1991 and 2021. As the Indian economy advances, the demand for food production, convenience, and flavor is on the rise. Producers are not just keeping u…

Demand for duck meat in Indonesia has surged over the past decade and continues to grow annually, but the production system is struggling to keep up. In this second podcast with Dr Hardi Prasetyo, a consultant for duck breeding companies in Indonesia, learn about: • his insights on the duck meat industry in Indonesia • the challenges facing the ind…

Anticipating and responding to consumer demands is always challenging, especially in the fast-changing retail environment. However, recent financial reports show that Asian animal protein producers have certainly been responsive to market desires. Some healthy figures emerge after what seems like a ‘long Covid’ of earnings. Generally, across the re…

Some countries rely heavily on imported food and raw materials to grow food locally. With supply chain and climate change-related disruptions, real-time solutions need to be explored and implemented. Rupert Claxton, Meat and Livestock Director at Girafood highlights the problems and solutions for this by addressing the following: 1) Examples of Asi…

ChatGPT threw up an extensive menu of factors, many of which are already underway among the progressive producers in Asia. Low-impact livestock management that reduces greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), such as optimized feeding practices and manure management, was cited as crucial. Reducing waste by utilizing by-products and minimizing food waste thr…

Indonesia’s layer duck industry has the potential to grow since the per capita consumption of eggs remains low. However, only a few are investing in breeding and production. Asian Agribiz speaks with Dr Hardi Prasetyo, a consultant for duck breeding companies in Indonesia, about the industry's status and future opportunities. In this podcast, he di…

High temperatures have been the trending topic on our website, with reports coming in from across South and Southeast Asia. Temperatures in the northern Indian Ocean are the highest on record (above 40 degrees). El Niño peaked over the winter, boosting temperatures on top of the sustained background warming from climate change.…

ood security remains a critical issue for Asean nations as uncertainties grow, populations rise, and climate change intensifies. To address this challenge, each government needs to develop targeted policies. Asian Agribiz talks to Dr Pushpanathan Sundram, CEO of Public Policy Asia Advisors in Singapore, to explore potential solutions. Tune in to th…

Explore what value you can tap into at Asian Agribiz’s 2024 Pig Feed Quality Conference, which will spotlight and dive deep into critical challenges facing the Asian industry. Of particular interest would be Innovad’s trial that assessed the protective efficacy of an immune-boosting complex mix against experimentally ASFv-challenged pigs, mitigatin…

Gut health and moving away from AGP is a broiler research project that Doug Korver, Professor Emeritus at the University of Alberta and President of Alpine Poultry Nutrition in Canada, and his team are undertaking. They developed a necrotic enteritis challenge model, which is a natural exposure model that mimics the normal development of the diseas…

Tectonic shifts seem to be a thing of the past in the Asian animal protein industry. The focus now appears to rest on profitability and market demand amid a tight economic situation. Tracking popular news on our website, poultry topics dominate. Japfa Comfeed Indonesia's strategic adjustments to its sales paradigm caught the interest of many, as di…

Transportation biosecurity is paramount for safeguarding the health and safety of livestock and poultry during transit. It involves implementing measures to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious diseases among animals and into farms. Yet, it frequently gets overlooked within biosecurity initiatives. Mike Button, a global consultant in v…

Falling raw material prices helped ease business for Asia’s feed industry in the second half of 2023. While global feed production dipped last year, Asia Pacific saw a 1.4% growth. Most poultry and livestock industries in the region are expected to grow this year, meaning higher feed demand. However, growing geopolitical tensions, climate change, a…

Vietnam’s livestock industry has undergone a significant level of specialization, but the slaughtering subsegment seems to lag behind. Michael Patching, CEO at Alta Food and Agriculture, suggests prioritizing worker training programs to improve meat processing standards. Currently, Vietnam lacks such courses, but companies can look beyond the count…

Porcine circovirus (PCV) is a widespread virus globally. While PCV1 has long been known as a common contaminant in laboratory cell cultures, it is generally non-pathogenic. However, the emergence of PCV2 has led to the postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome, affecting pig populations worldwide. Asian Agribiz speaks with Dr Roman Krejci, Veterin…

Experts have suggested that broiler producers in Indonesia do what CP, Japfa, and Malindo do: invest in a vertically integrated operation to optimize cost efficiency along the supply chain and survive in the long run. This message has been reverberating for years and is frequently offered as the solution when the industry suffers oversupply and poo…

Systematic culling of male chicks is common in many poultry-producing countries. This is done since male chicks are considered redundant. However, in recent years, the practice has been frowned upon as cruel and unnecessary. In Europe, some countries have begun phasing out this practice, citing animal welfare concerns. One technology that can help …

This week, we have the pig industry in focus with some developmental news, despite lackluster demand, supply constraints, and price pressures. We see a new GGP farm surface in Sri Lanka and post-ASF repopulation in Malaysia progressing well. Pork remains the dominant meat in Vietnam, accounting for over 62% of the country’s total meat output. Accor…

Asian governments say that broiler feeds should have a minimum crude protein level to ensure quality. In this podcast with animal nutritionist Dr Budi Tangendjaja, Asian Agribiz digs deeper into the background of the regulation, the impact if we keep using minimum levels, and why industry players are now formulating broiler feeds based on digestibl…

Generative AI (artificial intelligence), still in its infancy, is moving all industry sectors forward at a fast but uncertain pace. Yet, it leaves an indelible mark on operational efficiency, mainly through automation monitoring, output consistency, waste reduction, and increased yield. Digitalizing operations with smart farming is already gaining …

When it comes to animal welfare, small details like lighting can influence how birds behave and perform. Asian Agribiz quizzed Kim Hendrix, Product Manager of Hato Agricultural Lighting, about professional lighting for poultry and learned that: 1) Birds perceive light differently from humans, and farmers must put themselves inside the barn to under…

One of the most interesting things that happened in the food processing industry post-Covid is the growth in demand for frozen food. It allows shelf-stability and offers better reach and accessibility to consumers, and for businesses vying for import dollars. Frozen food has given rise to the development of a cold chain management system, storage f…

The Indian piggery sector has received much attention in recent years as the government has turned its attention towards this neglected sector. Asian Agribiz talks to Dr C P Gopakumar, Managing Director at DLG Farms, to understand the history of the industry and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. In this podcast you will learn about t…

With continued fractures in the global food space, we see production costs and the ensuing cost of goods weighing in on consumer purchase decisions. Still, there are green shoots to consider within meat production and retail. We see winners and losers in exploring changing consumer needs and how meat producers are keeping in step. There is a pivot …

This week we celebrated ‘Protein Day’ in South Asia, aimed at educating more consumers on the importance of eating protein in their daily diets. South Asia, with a vast population, lags in meat and egg consumption, and change has been slow for many years. In 2020, the average daily meat consumption per person was below 40g in the region, and per ca…

Meat quality is critical for both producers and consumers. Factors like genetics, nutrition, and management during production and processing all contribute to quality. Asian Agribiztalks to Dr Chaiyapoom Bunchasak, Nutritionist and Professor at the Department of Animal Science at Kasetsart University in Thailand how to enhance meat quality with pro…

The pig industry in Asia has been hard at work, striving to get back on its feet and reach pre-pandemic levels of output. Year-long price fluctuations have shadowed producers, leading to downsizing and fewer players. Despite rising demand, consumption remains weak amid hope that prices will bounce back in 2024. Vietnam expects prices to rebound and…

As tensions in the Red Sea impact movement of goods to and from Europe, Asian Agribiz talks to Mohammed Al-Ansare, Senior Pricing Specialist and Melvin Kwok, Agriculture Specialist from S&P Global Commodity Insights on how this would impact grain flow to Asia. Mr Al-Ansare also takes a deep dive into what to expect in the shipping markets going for…

The Lunar Year of the Dragon is predicted to bring good fortune to livestock industries globally. But staying positive is a task indeed with all the challenges the industry must contend with. For instance, in the past, an election year in Indonesia would boost chicken meat consumption significantly and reign in good prices. But this has not been th…

When feed producers develop formulations with the intention of reducing in-feed antibiotics, they need to ensure the optimization of the ingredients to support animal health. Kurt Wegleitner, Managing Director, and Waraporn Kraitavin - Regional Technical Support Manager at Phytobiotics Futterzusatzstoffe GmbH, shared with Asian Agribiz that phytobi…

Good hatchery management is crucial to produce high-quality chicks and to maximize hatch rates and ensure successful in-ovo vaccination. Asian Agribiz speaks with Gerd de Lange, Senior Poultry Specialist at Royal Pas Reform, about how in-ovo vaccination works for effective vaccine delivery. In this podcast, he discusses: • advantages of in-ovo vacc…

China is on a mission to widen its network of high-standard free trade agreements in 2024. No surprise that Asean and chosen Asian countries are tipped as favored partners in this exercise. Already Asia is being touted as the furnace in which a new era is forged. The region accounts for 57% of global GDP growth, 64% of patent generation, and more t…

Purchasing or formulating broiler feed diets based on crude protein content is an outdated concept, says Matthew Clark, Director, FeedGuys Resources, Malaysia. Mr Clark who will lead Asian Agribiz’s Broiler Feed Quality Conference on February 21, will discuss how new concepts of measuring amino acid composition will be both useful for the bird as w…

Soybean meal (sbm) is the main source of plant-based protein that contains all the essential amino acids necessary to maximize animal growth and development. However, when ordinary sbm is used in starter feed, young animals have difficulty digesting it because of its anti-nutritional factors (ANFs). In this podcast, Dr Glenn Ferriol, Area Manager -…

Food safety is not an individual concern. It involves all stakeholders from processors to consumers. The World Health Organization’s Framework for Action on Food Safety for the Southeast Asia Region says unsafe food undermines food and nutritional security, human development, and international trade. The report cited food safety challenges such as …

Having a blended Broiler Feed Quality Conference (BFQC) allows Asian Agribiz to offer broiler industry professionals better ways to remain updated on critical developments. Conference Chairman David Faulkner explained that Asian Agribiz has, over time, developed a vast network of experts worldwide, and can bring them together to discuss topics cruc…

Each feed ingredient has pros and cons when used in aquafeed formulation. DDGS stands out due to its high protein content, well-balanced essential amino acids, and lack of anti-nutritional factors. Asian Agribiz talks with Dr Romi Novriadi, Vice Chairman of Indonesia’s Aquaculture Society and lecturer at the Jakarta Technical University of Fisherie…

Shipping is once again experiencing disruption, this time because of escalating turmoil in the Red Sea. With large freighters, especially from Europe, forced to use a much longer alternative route, freight charges are once again escalating. Already we see the challenges and added costs it has created in shipping equipment to Indonesia. Asian produc…

Producers wanting to meet the demand of younger consumers for different types of sausages do not need extra equipment. Attagorn Pongthep, General Manager of Handtmann Thailand, explains to Asian Agribiz how co-extrusion technology allows producers to: 1) Offer sausages with viscous fillings like cheese and sauces. 2) Acquire new market share. 3) Cr…

How has 2024 launched for you? As much as industry leaders foretell significant disruption across the agriculture value chain in the next two years, it does not seem different from the last two years. What is obvious though is that animal protein producers that have survived the trauma of the past, have grown in resilience. This strength then holds…

As farmers focus on lowering production costs, and feed makers are challenged with labels that meet regulations, home mixing appears to resolve both. However, home-mixers may face challenges such as technology, knowledge of animal nutrition, and extra investment in processing equipment as they pursue this idea. Matthew Clark, Director of FeedGuys R…