Think Grain Think Feed March 2021

RNI No.: HARENG/2014/61357
www.thinkgrainthinkfeed.co.in
Monthly Magazine for Feed Technology
Price: 75/-
Postal No. PKL-212/2021-2023
Volume 7 | Issue 5
March-2021

Publisher & Editor
Prachi Arora
prachi.a@benisonmedia.com
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Managing Editor
Dr. T.K. Walli
Former Head,
Dairy Cattle Nutrition, NDRI
utrition plays a fundamental role in improving
immunity and protecting from infections. With
Nthe spike in cases after months of decline, it is
essential to look into the nutrition where animal protein
can play a vital role. Better consumer awareness about
the importance of nutrition has resulted in increased
animal protein consumption. But how the Indian poultry
industry cope-up with the pandemic and what lessons
they learned, read cover story on pg.5 where industry
stalwarts representing the complete value chain of the
Indian poultry sector shared their opinions and
suggestions during an interactive webinar on 18th
February.
Women play a pivotal role in our everyday lives, be it
business, society, education, healthcare, and beyond. In
the pandemic, they demonstrated resilience and
exceptional leadership by managing both workplace and
home. On this International Women’s Day, we decided
to cover some women of our industry and know about
their journey and challenges. Fortunately, the list is
bigger, and we hope to cover more women in the
upcoming issues. Read pg. 10-18 to know more about
these leading ladies.
Safe milk is healthy milk. Managing cattle nutrition for
quality milk production and efficient breeding plays a
major role in profitable and sustainable dairying. Read
the article on Feed strategies for profitable dairying
contributed by National Dairy Development Board
(NDDB) on pg. 22.
Happy reading!
Prachi Arora
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Nutrition and immunity
go hand in hand
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
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Assistant Professor, Dept. of ILFC,
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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
policy is independent. Views expressed by authors are not necessarily those held by the editors. The
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WEBINAR REPORT
05
Think Grain Think Feed - Volume 7 | Issue 5 | March 2021
Monthly Magazine for Feed Technology
INDUSTRY THOUGHT
MARKET PROJECTION
18
Outlook of the
Indian Poultry Industry
INTERVIEW
10
Women of Indian Poultry Industry
14
16
Lavita Dalgado
Premium Chick Feeds
Likhita Reddy
Lotus Farms
Dr Sabiha Kadari
Trouw Nutrition
ARTICLE
22
Gender equality An essential ingredient
for growth of global agri-food industry
27
Feeding strategies
for profitable dairying
High time to look at
the threats of bird flu
US Grains Price Report for week
ending 12 Mar 2021
29
INDUSTRY NEWS
Poultry sector eyes recovery
on rising demand
30

05
WEBINAR REPORT
2020 has been a roller coaster ride for the Indian poultry
industry. Rumours starting around February last year
connecting COVID-19 with poultry consumption impacted all
the stakeholders. The industry started to revive after 3-4
months but now is facing another challenge of bird flu. To
understand how the industry cope up with the rumors and
future strategies, Think Grain Think Feed organized a webinar
on 18th February with Mr. Shiva Mudgil of Rabobank. The
webinar was attended by 124 attendees and has 1000+ views
on various social media platforms.
"Integrators were also impacted up to some extent but
because of better farm management, animal health, efficiency,
etc. they were able to recover in a better way compared to the
unorganized sector which is still on its way to recovery," said
Mr. Shiva while sharing his perspective on the industry.
“The industry was expecting to come back to normalcy in the
first quarter of the year but because of bird flu that has not
been the case so now, it is yet to be seen how the recovery
would be in the next quarter," he added.
According to him, COVID-19 resulted in the following market
trends:
·
Informal to formal market transition
·
Integration of the industry from upstream to the
downstream side
·
Better consumer awareness
COVID-19 turned to be positive for Indian poultry industry
Mr. Gulrez Alam, Director, IB Group shared his experience as an
integrator about the challenges and impact of rumors which
adversely impacted the demand.
“As an industry, we have seen challenges in operations,
production, logistics to everything. Resilience is the key and the
whole industry responded very well,” said Mr. Alam.
“We came out well in May onwards when lockdown started to
stabilize and consumer awareness also increased about the
importance of nutrition to build immunity. This negative of
COVID-19 turned out to positively impact the industry,” he
added.
Amiya Nath, a renowned feed professional and Vice-President
of Japfa Comfeed India divided the last year into the following
three parts:
Opinion of Industry Stalwarts
Outlook of the
Indian Poultry Industry

·
COVID link (Jan-Mar
2020) - proved to be the
worst period in the
history of the Indian
poultry industry
·
COVID rule (April-June
2020) – laid down new
rules and there was a
medium impact
·
COVID life (June-Dec
2020) - great recovery
“Since the start of the
pandemic, employee safety
was our first priority. June
onwards, business-wise it
started to improve especially
due to government support
of announcing poultry as an
essential good. Internationally
also, we revived in the second
half of the previous year,” he
commented.
Genetics plays a vital role in
the poultry industry which
along with better farm
management can bring more
profitability to the farmer. But
everything coming to still due
to COVID-19, what has been
the impact on a genetic
company? Mr. Marc Scott,
Manager, Aviagen India said it
takes 6 months before the
product comes into
production and hence
business-wise, we were least
impacted.
“Planning and communication
were the keys. Biosecurity
measures followed at GGP
and GP farms helped really
well. Still more research needs
to be done to protect the
birds from poultry diseases
like Avian Influenza (AI),”
added Mr. Scott.
Last year feed prices
remained low and margins
were better for the broiler
industry but volumes were
low.
“Challenge of the pandemic
was unexpected but we
managed well due to good
price management by our
team. This period taught us
to finetune ourselves in
terms of price-risk
management, inventory
management, and better
planning. This has been the
same with integrators but
smaller producers were badly
impacted. Though we also
came up for the rescue of
layer farms where we helped
them with emergency
supplies and also built new
customers,” stated Mr. Selvan
Kannan, Chief Technical
Officer with Noveltech Feeds
(a Goldman Sachs company).
Quick-Service Restaurant
(QSR) chains are getting
back to normal. The results
of listed chains in India
showed Oct-Nov sales to
near to normal (as that of
pre-COVID levels) even retail
stores are performing above
pre-COVID levels in terms of
generating sales. But overall
chains are still impacted.
“It was a challenging time
but also an opportunity as a
lot of consumers shifted
from live birds to the
processed category where
startups like Licious,
freshtohome, etc. done an
excellent job and a lot of
new players are coming into
this segment. The main
challenge was QSR was not
the product selling but the
time limit for home delivery
or take away. But as the
situation improved, things
started turning out, chains
like McDonald, Dominos, etc.
started to coming back to
the normalcy of 80-85% to
pre-COVID levels and some
reached even 100%. There
are positive signs for the
processing industry,” said Mr.
Bhupinder Singh, MD and
CEO of Vista Processed
Foods.
2021 – A year of hope
Bird flu scare started hitting
since starting of the year
2021 while on the market
side, B2B segment -hotels
and dinning still needs to
recover. But consumer
preferences are changing
SHIVA MUDGIL
Rabobank
Moderator
PROF. G. DEVEGOWDA
Nutritionist
GULREZ ALAM
IB Group
MARC SCOTT
Aviagen India
A. D. NATH
Japfa Comfeed
SELVAN KANNAN
Noveltech Feeds
BHUPINDER SINGH
Vista Processed Foods
06
WEBINAR REPORT

07
and restaurants are adapting
to the new trends.
“The restaurants are
becoming innovative; the
trend of protein
consumption is going up. In
QSR, prior to COVID-19, veg
sales were better compared
to the non-veg segment but
this has been reversed. More
innovative chicken products
started coming into the
market. Though in the case
of restaurants, it is yet to
place a proper system for
purchase as consumer trust
is still missing. While due to
better trust, modern chains
on QSR with traceability and
backward integration of the
meat have seen growth. I see
good growth in this category
for 2021,” commented Mr.
Singh.
Consumer engagement
In India, there are still 90%
traditional stores while 10%
modern stores. Consumer
awareness still lacks and as
an industry it is high time to
start investing in marketing
and branding.
“Consumer engagement
would result in better
consumer awareness, like the
concept of 4G restaurant
introduced by KFC where
they are taking its customers'
survey that would also bring
consumer awareness,” said
Mr. Nath.
“Chicken and egg should be
termed as immune
supporters as these are the
best source of proteins
helping in immune status
and it might also help to
fight other
miscommunications created
by various vested interest,”
added Mr. Kannan.
“As the consumer is not well
informed that is why various
rumors impact the
consumption badly. But in
the case of AI, we have to
deal together as an industry
with assistance from the
government,” commented
Mr. Scott.
Technology - A key driver
going forward
Consumer preferences are
changing with a better
understanding of the
relationship between
complete nutrition and
immunity, and the Indian
poultry industry is adopting
these changes. "I see a 50-
100% increase in processed
chicken from the base that
the industry had pre-COVID.
The only challenge is the
supply chain downstream
towards the processing
which is only possible with
the adoption of technology
on both upstream and
downstream side," remarked
Mr. Alam.
For the feed industry, it has
always been a roller coaster
ride. "Price fluctuation,
availability, etc. are issues
faced regularly by the feed
industry that’s why we
started forward buying and
planning our procurement.
To ensure quality supply of
raw materials which
otherwise is a big challenge,
Noveltech has also recently
invested 100 million dollars
in a solvent extraction plant,"
acknowledged Mr. Kannan.
It is important for the farmer
to be equipped with the
technology and that is true
for both whether it is a new
farmer planning to come into
the farming or someone who
is already into farming. It is
capital-intensive.
"Until and unless farmers
upgrade and invest in
technology and
environment-controlled
poultry houses we will not
have a bright future for the
industry. With technology,
the bird will be better
protected, farmers will have
better income and there will
be lesser use of antibiotics or
maybe in longer run no use
of antibiotics at all,” said Mr.
Alam.
Is integration the way
forward?
Poultry farming is a science
that needs regular up-
gradation. "It would be more
ideal for farmer to focus on
farming, feed miller on feed
milling, and chicken
processor on processing. In
India, almost every farmer
produces his own feed which
is not the case with the
western markets, where feed
companies are offering feed
even to the breeding
companies. In such a
scenario, more innovations
can be expected and if feed
companies are able to
produce on a large scale and
become competitive, even a
small-scale farmer should be
able to make the profits,"
opined Mr. Kannan.
Country birds – is it
sustainable & economically
viable?
Country birds are more

08
WEBINAR REPORT
immune but there is a
question of business viability
in terms of FCR or weight
gain. "Though country birds
are in India for a long time
but it gained a special identity
during COVID time. When
commercial broiler prices
were crashed desi bird was
sold at Rs 300-400. For the
entire last year, country bird
placement was increased by
50%. Due to encouragement
from the government and
small farmers getting into
technology to improve the
efficiency of country birds, I
see this segment may take a
different shape in the coming
years," commented Mr. Nath.
Better immunity and survival
make country birds an ideal
option for rural farmers. But
in commercial farming, there
are many other factors. “It
may not be fair to compare
farm birds with country birds
as farm birds are totally
commercial breed. It has
been developed in such a
way that it is very sturdy and
resistant, requires less
vaccination, and has better
immunity to survive in open
houses so very suitable for
rural farming,” said Mr.
Kannan.
"Broilers, free-birds or
country birds is a consumer
choice. Looking at the
increasing consumption in
India, the country bird is
going to be around. But
consumer demands clean
hygienic meat which is a
question in terms of country
birds, going forward
sustainability and carbon
footprint also become a
concern as these birds take
longer time to get to the
desired weight. A country like
India, needs a cheap source of
protein, while country birds
need land and yield a higher
FCR, hence it won't be a
cheap source," said Mr. Scott.
Going forward
Genetics is a continuous
process; better birds have
been developed and they
continue to be developed for
the future. “We at Aviagen
have birds for all type of
market segments, today we
are already developing the
birds for the future beyond
2025. Processing, controlled
housing, and automation are
the upcoming market trends
in the Indian poultry industry,”
said Mr. Scott.
The role of nutrition cannot
be understated whether it is
increased egg production
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Tuesday, 4th May at 4.00 PM (IST)
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09
to be in the same industry
and this is due to a
generation gap. Technology
can change their mindset as it
will not only give better
performance or better scale
to the farmer but also
longevity in terms of
continuity of business with
their next generation,” added
Mr. Alam.
"On the future of supply-
demand in India, India should
remain self-sufficient at least
until 2025. India with 1.3
billion people and per capita
consumption of 3.5 kg of
chicken and 65 eggs, has a
great scope of growth," said
Mr. Nath.
Conclusions
Prof. G Devegowda, a
renowned nutritionist joined
for the concluding remarks.
“Whenever we have bird flu in
the country there is a drastic
reduction in the market price
causing huge economic loss
to the producer. The cause of
recent bird flu is migratory
birds but apart from that, it is
also seen spreading through
country birds. The reason is
poor biosecurity measures, no
vaccination, and poor
management in backyard
farming,” he stated.
"All the stakeholders involved
in country birds farming
should follow the vaccination,
improve management
practices," he suggested.
In the COVID times, consumer
awareness has increased
about animal protein
consumption and better
immunity, and hence the
consumer preference has
changed which resulted in
increased consumption of
chicken and eggs.
“Now the consumer is
switching from live bird to
processed chicken meat and
there is an increase in online
sales and take away. But the
retail outlets selling live birds
should improve hygienic
conditions. As India is still 90-
95% live bird market," said
Prof. Devegowda.
“Some of processed chicken
outlets mention chicken to be
free from hormones and
steroids which might benefit
them for a short period but
negatively impact the overall
from 140 eggs (4 decades
ago) to 330 eggs (presently)
or chicken which used to
grow in 65 days while today
gains same body weight in
32-35 days. “Breed, feed, farm
management - all have a role
to play in such improvements
which is a continuous process
and there is a lot of
development going on
globally. Though India is
doing great in terms of
nutrition still it is a unique
country in the globe with so
many alternate raw materials
available which are not there
even with the neighboring
countries. Using these
alternative raw materials with
little more investment into the
enzymes or technologies can
help to produce cheaper egg,
milk, and chicken in India,”
commented Mr. Kannan.
"Improved quality can protect
the Indian market and can
also provide us with export
opportunities. FSSAI coming
into the picture in July is a
good indication to upgrade
the quality standards and if
we invest into food safety,
antibiotic-free chicken then
obviously we will be able to
promote the local
consumption and also be
eligible for exports,” he added
while discussing the scope of
the Indian market and future
trends.
"On the retail side,
downstream companies
going upstream and vice-
versa. A lot of companies are
going into backward
integration. We see a lot of
start-ups going into backward
integration and poultry
people coming into poultry
processing," stated Mr. Singh.
“I see the second-generation
poultry farmer doesn't want
industry. Such practices
should be avoided,” he added.
Sustainable poultry
production can take India to
newer heights. The first step is
to ensure efficient use of
natural resources like feed,
water. “There is a tremendous
improvement in terms of Feed
Conversion Ratio (FCR)
compared to the year 2000
when FCR was 2.5 which is 1.5
in 2020, and 70% less water
usage compared to 2000. This
resulted in lesser
requirements for raw material
and land. But there is still a
scope of improvement as 25%
of feed goes undigested
producing nitrogen and
ammonia. So improved
digestion by using enzymes
and other technologies
should be our next target,”
stated Prof. Devegowda.
You may access the QnA session on
www.benisonmedia.com and videos on
the YouTube Channel of Benison Media.

INTERVIEW
10
Women
of Indian
Poultry
Industry
Lavita Dalgado
Premium Chick Feeds
omen play a pivotal role in our everyday
lives, business, society, education,
healthcare, and beyond. On this
W
International Women’s Day, Think Grain Think Feed
connected with some of the women leaders who are
contributing to the growth of the Indian Poultry
Industry.
After completing her MBA from Mumbai, she started her
career in the financial sector where she worked for 8 years.
But in all these years she kept in touch with her father about
the progress Poultry Industry and in 2013 she took the hard
decision to join Premium Chick Feeds. Today, after 6 years
working in the industry, she feels delighted about her
decision to change the industry and shares more about the
learning, challenges, and some tips for the young girls who
have started to work in the industry or planning to join.
Please read the below excerpts.
You are the third
generation in the group
and have seen your family
running the business since
your childhood. Would you
please share about
learning from the family?
Yes, my father Mr. Neil
Dalgado started at a tender
age and is the 2nd

11
generation of our family in
the industry. We had poultry
farms in Panvel which were
run by my Grandfather Mr.
Victor Dalgado, and if I look
back it's been about 50 years
of experience that my Father
possesses, having seen him
work at every level, right
from door-to-door delivery
of eggs to now looking after
all our projects for the
company.
I have learned a lot from him,
and the other directors of
Premium Chick Feeds,
however, one common
learning is that I have seen
them put in a lot of hard
work and being driven by
passion, which I believe is
the key to Succeed and excel
in any sphere of life.
Work-life balance is a
concept that describes the
ideal situation in which a
working person can split his
or her time and energy
between work and other
important aspects of her life.
Achieving work-life balance
is a daily challenge. It is
tough to make time for
family, friends, community
participation, spirituality,
personal growth, self-care,
and other personal activities,
in addition to the demands
of the workplace.
Going by my experience, the
nature of Work-Life Balance
challenges change in
different phases of life, like
as a daughter, a newly-wed
wife/spouse, a daughter in
law, a young mother, or a
Balancing your
professional and personal
life can be challenging,
what is your take on this?
friend.
Some of the work-life
balancing techniques
?
Know your
Boss/Manager's
schedule
?
Know when to make
calls and when to do
administrative work
?
Schedule family
vacations to minimize
work disruption
?
If you telecommute,
ensure that your tech
tools are state-of-the-art
?
Draw a clear line
between your personal
and work time
?
If you're an overachiever,
consider cutting back
When you are the Boss
?
If you're a manager, and
you tend to be an
overachiever, encourage
your staff to take
breaks—even if you
don't. (You really should,
though)
?
Make sure that you
aren't holding back the
reigns when it comes to
your employees' work-
life balance. Learning to
let go will pay dividends
in building a dedicated,
motivated staff.
Bottom line
?
Achieving a comfortable
work-life balance as a
parent doesn't just
happen randomly any
more than does a great
career. It takes strategy
and thought. It's a give
and a take, and it stems
from a choice and a
sacrifice. You can make
work-life balance labour
of love—after all, it is
about love.
Indian Poultry Industry has
come a long way from
backyard poultry to
integrated farming. As the
industry grows, with a
current per capita chicken
consumption at 3.3 kg in
India to the world average of
17 kg, we as an Industry
have a great opportunity and
a huge gap to fill. However,
there are certain India-
specific features, like open
sheds and small average
farm size. But that doesn't
preclude us from adopting
the most modern
technology, which we have
been doing. In fact, we are
actually proud of providing
widely distributed self-
employment across the
country.
I visualize the Indian Poultry
to be known as one of the
most, if not the most,
efficient in the world. I can
see continued advances and
modernization in the
Industry in the following key
areas:
?
Production Farms:
Increasingly efficient
machines and
equipment including
automation.
?
Feed Manufacturing:
Increasingly indigenous
machinery deployed
comparable with the
best in the world.
Improved Feed
Formulation with better
Conversion Efficiencies
How do you envision the
future of the Indian
Poultry Industry?

in farms.
?
Branding: Increasing
recognition and
preference of Chicken
consumer and trader for
quality reared broilers.
?
Birds Processing – I see
a consumer behavior
shift (though at a slow
pace) from live bird
chicken meat to
processed chicken. And
further moving to
frozen, Ready-to-Cook
to Ready-to-Eat. I see
stiff competition in this
space among different
brands and survival of
the best in quality and
service to the customer.
And thus, to provide
Microbial free antibiotic free
healthy and safe chicken at
the lowest cost to every
consumer across the country.
What piece of advice
would you give to girls
who are looking to pursue
their careers in the
industry?
When I joined, I was one of
the only women at various
Conferences and Meets. But
that is quickly changing. We
now see Women at varied
levels and pillars of the
Poultry Sector be it through
Veterinary Services - we see
a number of Women
Veterinary Doctors, Women
in Management, Accounts,
and HR. All this is becoming
possible as the industry gets
more and more organized
and business more and more
professionally managed.
There is a never-ending
scope for this industry, being
a part of the Food Industry,
and hence it will always
stand tall. Women can join
Veterinary courses and
contribute to the field of
Poultry genetics, Poultry
microbiology, Poultry
nutrition and Food hygiene,
and other poultry courses
thus leading to the
improvement of the quality
of chicken, production
efficiency and concurrently
lowering costs.
At the grass-root level, a
significant number of these
farms are run by women.
Also, backward farming is
primarily done by women, as
of date comprises of 20% of
India's poultry sector. We
have women working at
Breeder Farms, Hatcheries,
and the Retail stores
interacting with customers.
Organized Poultry business is
becoming more and more
complex and its
Management and
Monitoring systems getting
refined with time, reducing
the need for physical field
monitoring by Senior
Management for operations
performance. This, in turn,
has also afforded women's
growth in the sector.
Premium Chick Feeds alone
has about 20 Women
Employed in various
departments.
While managing the
departments, I see there is
no falling back or a gap in
the performances of women
in any of these departments
of the company. Also, for an
example of myself, the
Industry has its harshness
and crudeness though my
entry to the company was
smooth with the experiences
I had from my Father, but I
had to also find my space
and way in it.
I personally believe that
women are born with a gift
of Multitasking, and hence
we have an edge in
managing our homes, our
families, kids and our work,
and if we do put our mind to
achieve anything, there is
definitely nothing that can
stop us.
INTERVIEW
12

You recently joined the
industry; would you please
share your observation of
the Indian Poultry sector?
Consolidation of the industry
is evident since India ranks
third among the largest egg
producers and fourth in
chicken production globally.
Consumption of both eggs
and chicken in the last five
years has increased to 68
eggs per annum and 2.5kg
per annum, respectively.
However, the number of
trained professionals is
limited in the sector, since
most institutions of higher
learning do not offer courses
on poultry farming, it reflects
on the process of
modernization of the
industry. In my opinion,
people should get the
chance to be educated
about poultry farming (as a
potential course in itself) to
14
Likhita Reddy
Lotus Farms
he represents the second generation of
Lotus Farms Group of companies.
SInspired by her father and uncle who
started the company in the early '90s, she was
always driven to the idea of starting her own
business. After completing her Masters in
Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship
from Newcastle University, UK, she came back
to India and decided to join the family
business. She along with her brother Arun
Madhav started a new venture - Lotus Farm
Chicken which is a B2C business dealing with
the direct selling of products from farm to
consumer. Read about her journey below.
INTERVIEW

15
keep this industry running
with the help of new
technology and modern
methods.
I have also observed price
fluctuations which is one of
the most challenging aspects
of this industry. Due to the
price fluctuations,
consistency in the market is
disturbed. Similarly,
managing meat production
in lean seasons is a
challenge, especially during
festivals when consumption
is low, or during special
events when demand
increases.
Work-life balance is not
something that comes by
itself, it is an aspect that is
acquired by us and which
helps us prioritizing
according to the situations in
the right manner. Poultry is a
demanding industry that
requires round-the-clock
attention. It is important to
balance work life and
personal life to keep
ourselves from drowning. In
the beginning, it was quite
challenging to maintain a
work-life balance, particularly
since I was still
understanding the workings
of the industry. It was not
easy to keep up with the
fast-moving changes that
took place with regard to the
Balancing your
professional and personal
life can be challenging,
what is your take on this?
price fluctuations and of
course, the daily challenges
to keep the operations
running.
My father, Srihari Reddy, who
has been in this industry for
more than 25 years now, has
helped me understand the
importance of leading work-
life and personal-life
parallelly. Also, my brother,
Arun Madhav has always
played a big role in
supporting me and allowing
me to lean on to him, to
ensure I maintain a good
work-life balance.
I am delighted to share that
the company supports work-
life balance even for its
employees where they are
given equal opportunities
without any gender bias. We
are actually working as a
huge family representing
diverse backgrounds.
The Indian poultry sector can
expand significantly in the
next 10 years, given the
current per capita
consumption rates of both
eggs and meat. Notably,
poultry is the main source of
protein in India, which
translates to a potential
boost in the industry. As the
sector expands, it will
provide employment to
many youths, too. On the
same note, poultry farmers
will have to adjust to the
Where do you see the
industry going 10 years
down the line?
modern trends of building
the industry and moving
forward with the help of
technology and
digitalization.
Initially, being in the poultry
industry was classified as
fieldwork with low hygiene
levels. As a result, most
people have perceived the
industry as suitable for low-
skilled individuals. However,
the sector has evolved to
include professional
responsibilities. For example,
the industry introduced
positions for veterinarians,
sales executives, and
nutritionists, among others. I
would encourage girls to
explore this opportunity by
pursuing relevant courses in
these areas as a first step,
and then move on to
appropriate work experience.
The poultry industry is a
solution to the many
potential youths in the
nation as it is an industry
that is constantly improving
itself and expanding rapidly.
We live in a society where it
is important for a woman to
constantly work harder to be
on the same road to success
as everyone else. To all the
girls and women out there,
always remember - never let
anyone walk over you, reach
for the eggs and you will get
chickens.
Tips for girls who are
looking to pursue their
careers in the industry.

16
fter completing her Ph.D. in Poultry
Science from IVRI, she started her
career as an R&D Manager at a private
A
firm. But the turning point of her career was
taking the Technical Role. In an e-interview with
Think Grain Think Feed she shares more about
her journey, the industry, and tips for girls who
are starting their careers in the industry. Please
read the below excerpts.
You have been working in
the industry for more than
a decade. Would you
please share about
learnings or interesting
incidents?
The most exciting thing
about working in the poultry
industry is its dynamic
nature. We are part of the
food chain and we have the
responsibility of “feeding the
future” in a responsible and
sustainable manner. After my
Ph.D. in Poultry Science from
IVRI, I started working as an
R&D Manager at a private
firm. Then the organization
asked me to take up a
“Technical Role” instead of
R&D which was a big turning
point in my career. I liked the
idea and since then have
been enjoying meeting new
and varied customers from
different geographies,
discussing with them
industry challenges, and
coming up with potential
solutions. I was very
Trouw Nutrition
Dr Sabiha Kadari
INTERVIEW

17
fortunate that in my very
early career itself, I had the
opportunity to work with
some bright minds and great
legends of the industry.
Sharing the stage with Dr.
Leeson as a speaker was the
highlight of my career so far.
I am a firm believer that
challenges are part and
parcel of life and the key lies
in converting the
“Challenges” into
“Opportunities”. It is all
about making use of
opportunities, setting your
own standards, and live by
them both on a personal
and professional front. I have
been very fortunate that my
mentors in various
organizations gave a lot of
freedom in work that
provided a great learning
opportunity and as well
helped me to manage my
personal life. My family had
been and continues to be a
great support in managing
this work-life balance, during
my travels. Of course, then
you have friends who
unconditionally support you
whenever needed. Working
in the poultry industry has
been rewarding to me and I
must say that I was never
subjected to any gender
discrimination at either
workplace or in the industry.
Please share about
challenges you faced
including work-life
balance.
Where do you see the
industry going 10 years
down the line?
Tips for girls who are
looking to pursue their
careers in the industry.
The Indian poultry industry
has the highest potential for
growth in the world. In the
last few decades, it has
grown tremendously despite
many challenges. To bring in
more efficiencies and
consistent performance, the
industry will gradually move
towards automation in each
sector. Digitalization is
picking up across the globe,
and the Indian industry will
adopt this technology across
the value chain, which will
play a big role in addressing
the food safety and
traceability challenges. Big
data management and
artificial intelligence is
another trend the industry
will move towards and will
gain momentum over time.
Getting the right price for
animal produce is still a big
concern. As the cost of
production is increasing, our
produce should get a
consistently better price.
Therefore, I feel there should
be innovations in the way we
market our product. This
along with increased chicken
processing will certainly help
to standardize the volatility
in end-product pricing.
As I said before, the poultry
industry is very dynamic and
exciting. Young girls coming
out of Universities should
have big dreams and clear
goals. The livestock industry
will certainly be a platform
for them to achieve their
goals. According to me,
young girls should develop 3
C”'s - Courage, Confidence,
and Communication. Maybe
I can add another “C” – be
curious and ask questions
and guidance from industry
leaders. We need more girls
and women to join our
industry to make it more
vibrant. In today's world
wherein we talk a lot about
diversity and inclusion,
women deem to be a good
fit in this by bringing in a lot
of varied thoughts,
dimensions, ideas, etc., for a
given scenario. At the start
of my career at many a
place, I would be the only
lady industry representative
and nowadays it is good to
see the trend changing. It is
heartening to know that
many company owners and
managers cite me as an
example to their female staff
about how we need to be
courageous to travel and be
dynamic at workplaces. I
would like to sign off by
saying that gender
discrimination should not
happen in any industry and
an opportunity should be
given solely based on the
potential of the candidate. I
think India has advanced
leaps and bounds already in
this direction.

18
INDUSTRY THOUGHT
nternational Women's Day is a great time to reflect on the vital role
women play in agriculture. Being 50% of the population, women make
essential contributions to society and economies.
I
The U.N. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 5) recognizes gender equality
as a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.
Hence gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but it is also
essential to advancing society and the global agri-food industry.
On the larger canvas, we all need the commitment to empower women
farmers and women employees with a robust support system.
Personal Experience
I'm proud to be in the field that feeds the world. "When I began my career in
agribusiness 11 years ago, confidence didn't come naturally". I've learned that
an equal opportunity environment at home and work supported this
realization.
Vinny Madhuri G
Bayer Crop Science
Gender
equality
An essential
ingredient for
growth of global
agri-food industry
An essential
ingredient for
growth of global
agri-food industry
Gender
equality

19
Women are capable, the
roles they fulfil are valuable,
and must empower women
in any industry, for that
matter.
In a recent "Women in the
Workplace" study, McKinsey
found that one in four
women is considering
downshifting her career or
leaving the workforce due to
COVID-19. That's a
significant consequence of
our times that needs utmost
attention and elevate
inclusion efforts.
In the last few decades,
women have carved an
important place in the
agribusiness leadership
domain. While this last year
has proven to be very
challenging, it has also been
a testament to the power of
resilience. It has made
organizations and people
around more mindful and
empathetic.
Over the years I have found
that women in our industry
have proven to be highly
successful, despite the
industry dominated by men.
In the marketing,
sustainability, customer
service and research spaces,
some of the largest
portfolios are headed by
women. Our eye for detail,
bringing empathy, resilience
to the workspace, and
managing relationships set
us apart from our male
counterparts.
Inclusion at the workplace
cultivates creativity and
drives innovation. Moving
forward, we need more
qualified women in
leadership positions, so
younger female colleagues
have more role models to
inspire them.
Women are often confronted
with unconscious biases and
prejudices but she has to
find her own purpose and
work towards it. Below are
the some of the points that
helped me
·
Having a
,
don't let perceived
judgments from others
hold you back
·
Be
and know
how to react proactive
or assertive way
·
Stereotyping is natural
but pay attention when
you attach judgment to
it, adopt a
instead
·
Having a
attitude and recognizing
that where you are
today is not by chance
·
Build your
and network
·
Let go of perfection,
,
and learn from them
·
Embrace your
– learn to be proud
of your strengths and
use them to move
forward
Work-life balance –
unattainable myth
All working women
recognize that the perfect
balance between work and
self-
compassionate mindset
aware of micro
aggressions
curiosity
mindset
'YES I CAN'
support
structures
embrace imperfections
authentic
self
Increased education is not only
critical to women's health and well
being, but it has also accounted for
about 50 percent of economic
growth in OECD countries over the
past 50 years, according to U.N.
Women.
The Global Food Security Index
(GFSI) report found that increasing
women's participation in agricultural
R&D will provide long-term
solutions to help improve food
security.

20
home life is an unattainable
myth. Instead, I believe we
play multiple life roles that
require more effort/time
than others. One should not
hesitate in seeking help from
others at work and home
environment to share the
load. Also, I strongly believe
in prioritizing the roles and
decide how best to manage
time across your various
roles and responsibilities. It is
essential to relax and take a
break in the form of a hobby
or holiday. I do it by writing,
cooking or making sure I
take enough time off to
travel to new places, which is
always a learning and
rejuvenating experience.
Tips for women venturing
into agribusiness
It is good to see more and
more girls studying
agriculture and veterinary
sciences. For young women
entering the agribusiness
industry, my advice would be
to invest in yourself – on
communication skills, believe
in yourself, and also keep
learning (every day is Day1)–
every industry constantly
changes. It's essential to
always be on top of all the
various trends. Don't be
afraid to take risks at work
and ask for constructive
feedback.
Also, to the women in the
industry, it is our
responsibility to make sure
the next generation of
women are educated,
encouraged, and empowered
to meet the challenges of
meeting the world's growing
food, fuel, and fibre needs.
Organizations must align
their business objectives to
help develop women leaders,
improve education and
awareness, and increase the
pipeline of female talent.
Embracing inclusion and
equity also makes good
Many organizations have
diversity but not an inclusive
workplace culture.
business sense. Studies have
shown that gender-diverse
teams have higher revenue
compared with male-
dominated teams.
75% of the women
responding to the 2019
Women in Food and
Agriculture Survey felt that a
lack of mentor ship was a
significant barrier to their
career development.
Networking is vital; curating
meaningful relationships and
adding value to them is
crucial for career growth.
Agriculture is an industry
that can thrive positively
because of the community
of like-minded people.
Women around the world
want and deserve equal
opportunities for a brighter
future. To achieve this, there
should be women at every
table where decisions are
being made.
Finally, remember being able
to carry many hats as
daughter, sister, wife,
manager, colleague, a
mother is a strength!
This International Women's
Day, I encourage each one of
you to
– to commit to learning
more about the role of
women in the ag industry, to
remove barriers, and to
enable equitable workplaces,
both on and off the farm,
offices, production facilities
for years to come.
#ChooseToChallenge
INDUSTRY THOUGHT
Ms. Vinny Madhuri,
currently working as
Grower Digital Connect
Manager - India,
Bangladesh & Sri Lanka at
Bayer Crop Science
Vinny has completed MBA
in Agri Business
Management and has over
11 years of experiecne with
organisations such as Axis
Bank and Alltech. In her last
assignment she worked as
Marketing Manager, Aqua
& Social Media (South Asia
) for Alltech
Her twitter handle is
@VinnyGandham
About the author

Dietary Protein meals fed to animals are degraded to the extent of 70-75% in the rumen (RPD).
Large Portion of Protein from expensive cake/meals is wasted.
Parkash Bypro Bypass protein is specially processed & treated at state of the Art Plant at
Jalandhar, Punjab by M/s. Raunaq International so that degradation in the rumen can be reduced
to around 30%.
Parkash ByPro ByPass Protein are digested more efficiently in the small intestine (around 70-
75%) (UDP) and result in extra Protein being available for milk production and growth. Milk
production increases by 10-15%.
For further details, you may please refer to the recent article contributed by Dr TK Walli, Former Head,
Dairy Nutrition Department, NDRI, Karnal at https://benisonmedia.com/success-story-of-bypass-protein/

ARTICLE
22
Introduction
Optimizing milk production and reproduction are imperative for sustainable dairy farming. This
can be achieved through the adoption of scientific feeding practices. Interventions pertaining
to 'Feed and Fodder' can play a pivotal role in making dairying more remunerative to the milk
producers in both, the short term as well as the long-term situations.
These interventions need to be targeted towards the achievement of the following: maximizing
milk output at every stage of lactation, optimizing feeding cost, achieving the desired 'age at
sexual maturity', maintaining reproductive efficiency throughout the productive life of the
animal and maintenance of health and immunity in the face of metabolic stress and challenges
by pathogens.
1.0: Feeding strategies for maximizing milk output during the lactation period
In the production cycle of a dairy animal, a 100 day period of critical importance exists. This
period begins 30 days prior to calving and continues up to 70 days post-calving. During this
period, it is vital to ensure the birth of a healthy calf, maintain the health of the dam without
Feeding strategies
for profitable dairying
V. Sridhar and Pritam Kishore Saikia
Animal Nutrition Group, National Dairy Development Board
Image
Source:
The
Economic
Times
V. Sridhar

23
any incidence of metabolic
disorders during the
transition period, achieve
peak milk production in line
with the genetic potential,
prevent excessive loss of
'Body Condition' as well as
achieve high fertility at first
breeding.
1.1: Feeding of specially
formulated 'pregnancy
feed' to the dams
During the final weeks of
gestation, the nutrient
requirement of the dam
increases and this is
accompanied by a
simultaneous decline in
appetite as well as rumen
capacity, leading to low feed
intake. It is therefore
important to supplement
specifically formulated
nutrient-rich feed to the
animal, to fulfill its energy
demand and prevent
metabolic disorders such as
ketosis and milk fever and at
the same time minimize the
incidence of retained foetal
membranes, metritis and
mastitis post-calving.
NDDB has formulated a
specific 'pregnancy feed' to
fulfill these requirements.
This feed is being
manufactured and supplied
to the dairy farmers by the
milk federations/unions in
Punjab, Gujarat, and
Karnataka with the active
support and guidance of
NDDB. In dams receiving
pregnancy feed, the birth
weight of the calf born was
24% higher and the calf
mortality rate was 50% lower
in comparison to the control
group animals.
1.2: Feeding of specially
formulated 'early lactation
feed' up to 70-90 days
post-calving
The amount of milk
produced during the total
lactation depends primarily
on the milk yield during the
early lactation as also the
attainment of the peak yield
commensurate to the
animal's genetic potential.
During this early lactation
phase, the milk yield
increases more rapidly than
the feed intake and the
animal starts mobilizing
body reserves to meet the
energy requirements.
Mobilization of body
reserves, though normal,
should be gradual and not
more than 0.5 kg/day. Higher
loss of body weight may lead
to metabolic disorders
resulting in long-term impact
on production and
reproduction.
In addition to the
supplementation of
specifically formulated 'early
lactation feed' to the animals
the maintenance of the
concentrate to roughage
ratio at 50:50 and the
adoption of 'challenge
feeding' are other
recommended practices
during the early lactation
phase.
2.0: Adoption of 'Strategic
Animal Nutrition Plan' for
optimizing the cost of
feeding
The strategic use of green
fodder - comprising the right
mix of legume and cereal
fodders – in combination
with locally available
concentrate materials/ cattle
feed along with the usage of
the right feed supplements
can maximize productivity
from animals while
optimizing production costs.
In line with this approach,
NDDB has mooted the
'Strategic Animal Nutrition
Plan' and the same has been
adopted by some milk
unions. Elements of this plan
comprise the evaluation of
nutrient requirements of
animals in each physiological
stage, assessment of the
Pritam Kishore Saikia

availability and price of key
raw materials, planned green
fodder cultivation, fodder
conservation in the form of
silage/hay and finally
optimization of the dairy
animals' rations by using
Least Cost Ration
Formulation software (which
incidentally is available free
of cost in the e-Gopala App
and can be downloaded
from Google Play Store).
This plan is to be revised
every quarter by the Animal
Nutritionists at the level of
the milk union and
communicated to the dairy
farmers in the form of a
'ready reckoner'.
In those areas wherein the
'Strategic Animal Nutrition
Plan' has been implemented,
the cost of production was
reduced by about 8% with a
commensurate increase in
milk yield by about 12%. The
table below details an
example of such a plan
implemented in the state of
Bihar.
Conservation of green
fodder in the form of silage
The non-availability of green
fodder, particularly during
summer, increases the cost
of feeding and also hampers
animal productivity. It is
therefore important to
conserve green fodder
during seasons of surplus to
ensure regular supply during
lean periods.
NDDB has been rendering
continual support to dairy
farmers and milk unions in
all aspects of silage making.
Various models of silage
making – small scale,
medium scale, and large
scale with capacities of 5
Metric Tons per day (MTPD),
16 MTPD and 100 MTPD
respectively – have been
designed for the benefit of
farmer entrepreneurs, milk
unions, etc.
Strategic use of feed
supplements to address
physiological and climate-
related challenges faced by
milch animals
i. Feed supplement for
improving Fat and SNF
content in milk
Fat and SNF content in milk
directly impacts the price
realization by the dairy
farmers. Fat and SNF content
of milk depends on many
factors such as species of the
animal, breed, lactation
stage, season, milking
practices, and nutrition.
Nutritional factors affecting
fat / SNF content in milk are:
imbalanced feeding, feeding
energy-deficient rations, low
Body Condition Score (BCS),
improper rumen function,
excessive concentrate
feeding, improper roughage
to concentrate ratio,
deficiencies of minerals, etc.
Several feeding strategies
can be adopted for
improving the fat and SNF
content in milk. These
include (but are not limited
to) the maintenance of an
appropriate roughage-
concentrate ratio,
supplementation of
appropriate additives as well
as the avoidance of Negative
Energy Balance.
NDDB has designed a
specific feed supplement for
the improvement of fat/SNF
in milk. Studies have shown
an average 7.2-9.6% increase
24
ARTICLE
Table: Strategic feeding plan for a cow yielding 11 liters of milk with 4% fat
Oat / Maize fodder 2 25 50 15 30 20 40
Berseem/ Lucerne/
Cowpea fodder 3 0 0 13 39 10 30
Wheat straw
(homegrown) 0 6.5 0 4 0 3 0
Cattle feed BIS II 25 2 50 2 50 2.2 55
Mustard cake 25 0.5 12.5 0.5 13 0.5 13
Maize grain 23 1.7 39.1 1 23 1 23
Pulses & Chunni 40 0.6 24 0 0 0 0
Mineral mixture 60 0 0 0.1 6 0.1 6
Total 175.6 160.5 166.5
Suggested feeding
during Kharif season
Existing feeding
Suggested feeding
during Rabi season
Amount
(Rs)
(Kg/
day)
Amount
(Rs)
(Kg/
day)
Amount
(Rs)
Particulars Price
(Rs/kg) (Kg/
day)

ARTICLE
26
in fat and a 1.8-2.4% increase
in SNF when this supplement
was fed to cows. Similarly, an
average 2.4-3.7% increase in
fat and 1.6-1.8% increase in
SNF in buffaloes was
observed.
ii. Feed supplement for
mitigating 'heat stress' in
cattle and buffaloes
'Heat Stress' is a common
occurrence in most parts of
India. Dairy cattle start
experiencing heat stress at a
Temperature Humidity Index
(THI) of 72 and above.
Beginning in the month of
April and extending up to
September moderate (72
THI) to severe heat stress (85
THI) has been reported in
most states in India.
Heat stress can lead to
substantial economic losses
for farmers owing to reduced
milk production - by up to
20% - in the immediate term
and sub-optimal fertility in
the medium term.
'Heat stress' can be
mitigated by nutritional and
management strategies.
Supplementation of
appropriate
nutrients/additives can
reduce the negative effect of
heat stress on animals and
stabilize the income of dairy
farmers during the summer
months.
NDDB has developed a
specific feed supplement for
mitigating 'Heat Stress'
which has been widely
appreciated. Many milk
unions have taken up the
production of this
supplement with NDDB's
support and are supplying
the same to their pourer
members during the summer
months.
3.0: Feeding management
of calves to address the
issue of high 'Age at First
Heat' and 'Age at First
Calving'
One of the important aspects
of profitable dairying is the
regular 'replacement' of low
productive/ unproductive
animals with high producing
animals. It is recommended
that dairy farmers raise their
own replacement animals
rather than procure from
outside to enable accurate
assessment of milk yielding
potential and mitigate the
disease burden.
A properly managed
program for the rearing of
calves on the farm can
reduce mortality rates in new
born calves, reduce the 'age
at sexual maturity and
ensure the desired 'Age at
First Calving (AFC)'.
NDDB's scientifically
designed 'Calf Rearing
Programme' (CRP) has been
operational in three states of
India for more than four
years and covers both
indigenous cow breeds,
cross-bred cows, and
buffaloes.
Calves reared under this
program have recorded
higher birth weights and
higher daily growth rates
than animals in the control
group. The 'age at first
calving' in such calves were
31 months in Kankrej cows,
29 months in Murrah
buffaloes and 24 months in
Crossbreds.
4.0: Real-time monitoring
of critical parameters in
animal nutrition for
profitable dairying
Real-time monitoring of
parameters such as feed
intake, fat and protein
content in milk, feed residue
in a manger, BCS, and dung
score enable the dairy farmer
to evaluate the rations being
fed and take up corrective
actions expeditiously to
maintain the desired levels of
milk production and milk
quality.
Farmers could start
recording the feed intakes
and BCS of animals and
juxtapose the same with data
pertaining to milk / fat
yields, ration composition,
etc using simple
spreadsheets. Analysis of this
data could throw light on the
causal factors for many a
problem facing the farmers
and enable appropriate
remedial action.
The 21st-century dairy
farmer is faced with both
challenges and
opportunities. There is ample
scope to improve the
profitability of dairying if the
methods and techniques
listed above are adopted by
the dairy farmers.

27
High time to look at
the threats of bird flu
Dr. Ibne Ali, Founder
Ali Veterinary Wisdom (Livestock and Poultry Consultant)
The?Indian?poultry market has been marred twice during this year ending in March 2021. First
by corona rumors and second by bird flu outbreak. The industry has been shattered to the
ground and ?
?
a major jolt on the supply front is ?
felt recently, ?
its effect can be seen around ?
the
festive season of ?
Holi and beyond. By end of the November last year, the ?
industry start?
ed?
showing signs of recovery due to persistent demand and a high sale prices. Suddenly?
, news of
bird flu start?
ed?floating in ?around ?
December and its severe consequences ?
are ?
faced by the
poultry Industry.
Bird flu is enzootic in India, every year 2-3 small outbreaks occur in isolated pockets. Usually,
the deadliest outbreaks are seen - near ?
the end of ?
winter or in spring. It is well-known fact that
this season is the breeding time of the wild migratory birds which essentially puts stress on?the
immune system of birds. Through epidemiological studies, ?
it is found that flu mainly attacks
during fall and springtime of the year. When these 2 factors combined viruses could spill over
in such susceptible populations.
Migratory birds, especially the gallinaceous family are reservoirs of viruses but more than 90
species of birds are susceptible to Avian Influenza (AI). Wild waterfowl and shorebirds are the
major natural reservoir of AI viruses. Wild waterfowl are asymptomatic, may excrete virus in the
feces for long periods, may be infected with more than one subtype, and often do not develop
a detectable antibody response. AI virus has been recovered directly from lake and pond water
used by infected wild ducks. A single gram of infected soil can infect a million birds. Contact of
these birds with range-reared commercial ?ocks is an important factor in some outbreaks. This
Dr. Ibne Ali

ARTICLE
28
source of infection often
results in a seasonal
incidence in some states.
In short, ?
it can be said that
the virus is everywhere and
cannot ?
be eliminated. So,
this point is very critical while
discussing bird flu in any
context. We cannot have a
solution to this problem but
we may ?
plan ?
a wise strategy
to reduce losses & to save
the interests of stakeholders.
Who are the ?
?
stakeholders?
There are 3 areas, Poultry,
Wild birds and Human
Health.
To find a solution we have to
prioritize these three things
and then make strategy. First
and foremost is human
health and while considering
this we should know the
following points:
·
Not all bird flu viruses
can infect humans – only
H5N1 can
·
H5N1 can rarely infect
humans, till now no
human AI infection is
reported in India since
H5N1 found in 1997
·
No human-to-human
transmission occurs
·
Nobody gets infected by
consuming poultry
products and there is no
report till now
So, according to the above
points, human health may
not be the first priority while
formulating strategy.
Second thing is environment.
Environment factor is
consisting of virus circulation
in wild birds. Virus is
universal and continually
circulating in wild birds
without affecting them. In
reservoir birds, viruses do
not cause disease but they
have a tendency (although
rarely) for cross species
infection and in this
susceptible species virus
shows visible disease which
is seen as outbreak. For the
present bird flu, the cross
species was probably crows.
Ponds and lakes where
infected ducks/waterfowl
inhabit might have become
an important source of
infection. But this is natural
cycle where we as a human
do not need to interfere but
we have to remain vigilant
about the outbreak in the
commercial flocks. For this,
regular serological surveys in
and around potential
locations is required. Like
commercial farms near
natural water bodies need to
be surveyed regularly.
Now, the most important
part which is most ignored
i.e., poultry. Poultry represent
at least 1.5% of national GDP
which employed nearly 5-7
lakh people directly. Besides
providing employment it
provides a relatively cheaper
option of nutritional security
in a protein-deficient country
like India. So, we should not
think to avoid poultry
consumption as it is
integrated in cultural and
economic fabric of India. It
should only be managed
using a proper strategy to
safeguard the interest of all
stakeholders. Below are the
three main areas of work that
should be outlined as
follows:
1. Strict biosecurity at
farms (farmer education)
2. Regular sero-monitoring
around farms to track
mutations or possible
outbreaks
3. Vaccination of flocks at
least around hot spot
locations
Vaccination is a very
important part of the overall
strategy which can have a
positive effect on all three
areas. Following advantages
of AI vaccination are notable:
o Reduce chances of
disease spread in
commercial flocks
therefore reduce
economic losses
o Lesser chances of bird-
to-human disease
transfer as it blocks virus
spillage and circulation
in commercial flocks.
People who are handling
birds become relatively
safe.
o A well-documented fact
is vaccines lower down
the probability of
generating HPAI from
circulating LPAI
o Vaccination is a cheaper
option than culling
which usually results in a
market crash
o When virus circulation
frequency is checked by
making commercial
birds resistant then its
wild bird cycle will be
easier to control.

29
MARKET PROJECTION
It was a WASDE week and
the report was released on 9
Mar 2021. For the US, no
changes on production,
supplies, ending stocks, but
for the world production is
increased to 1,136 MMT (up
2 MMT) and ending stocks
increased by 1 MMT to
287.67 MMT. Production
increased in India, South
Africa and Bangladesh. Also,
exports raised for India. For
the year 2020 (Jan-Dec),
India has exported 1.83 MMT
of corn. For the Marketing
year 2020-21 (Starting Oct
2020) exports are at 1.4
MMT, with more to go as
new crop is starting to be
harvested in Bihar and prices
could be down.
On Friday, 12 Mar 2021, the
prices of US corn on the
exchange were down in
$5/MT for Mar and $2 for
May-July. March closed at
$216.20/MT; May
$212.19/MT; Jul $208/MT
and Sep $195.26/MT. FOB
prices too were down, US
Gulf down $4/MT at
$246/MT; FOB PNW down $6
for spot at $268/MT and
down $4/MT for May at
$270/MT. Other origins also
were down. Argentina new
corn indicated at $227-
230/MT' Brazil Mar down
$23/MT and indicated at
$243/MT and new crop
down $3/MT at $235/MT.
Black sea corn down $5/MT
at $260-263/MT.
Other grains, Sorghum
prices on FOB basis (Texas)
down $3/MT and indicated
at $338-334/MT; Barley
prices are mixed and the
World barley production is
expected to be higher with
an increase for Australia.
Barley exports in the
WASDE report raised for
Australia, with higher
imports for Saudi Arabia,
which has tendered for
another 660,000 MT of
Barley and also Algeria,
which has recently tendered
for 50,000 MT of Barley.
India is also a net
opportunistic exporter, with
exports of about 100,000
MT recorded in first three
months of the year. (Jan-
Dec 2020, exports were only
1,329 MT). Prices of French
Barley down $2/MT at
$262-264/MT; Argentina up
$15/MT at $259-262/MT;
Black Sea down $11/MT at
$245-248/MT; Australian
barley indicated up $2/MT
at $251/MT and Russian
barley up $1/MT at
$245/MT.
As ethanol production
comes back, US DDGS
US Grains Price Report for week
ending 12 Mar 2021
prices are down. FOB prices
at US Gulf were indicated at
$292-285/MT down $9/MT.
FOB PNW also down by
$8/MT at $297-294/MT for
the period Mar-May 2021.
Freight prices though remain
high and the export market
for DDGS remains slow and
prices stable at $360/MT for
delivered cargoes to South
Asia and South East Asian
markets. CGM prices
however moved up by
$15/MT to $810/MT on FOB
basis and CGF prices down
by $10/MT at $275-278/MT.
Amit Sachdev,
U.S. Grain Council

INDUSTRY NEWS
30
per cent loss due to the bird
flu fears. There has been a
drop in production as many
farms have cut down on the
numbers,” Suresh Chitturi,
Vice-Chairman and Managing
Director of Srinivasa
Hatcheries, said. The prices of
eggs, however, are still ruling
low. At the farm-gate, the egg
is quoted at ? 3.50 a piece,
while the retailers are selling at
? 5.
Branded poultry
Normally, the poultry sector
sees improved prices during
April-May every year. However,
this year, the price
improvement has come in
early during late February and
March, said Soundararajan.
The Covid and bird flu scare
are seen pushing consumers
towards the branded poultry
segment. “This year, the
branded chicken segment,
both value added and
processed, will grow by about
20 per cent, even though the
industry has shrunk by 5-7 per
cent as consumers are seen
shifting towards the brands,”
Yadav said.
Chairman of the Chhattisgarh-
based IB Group, Bahadur Ali,
said the industry has come out
of the bird flu epidemic with
prices of live poultry birds
rising to about ? 80-95 per kg.
As the prices of birds have
increased, so have the prices of
poultry feed derived from
soyabean and corn.
“The cost of feed is higher by
about 5-7 per cent compared
with the third quarter,” Yadav
said.
Source:HinduBusinessLine
Live birds, egg prices
rebound from lows
After facing the double
whammy of Covid pandemic
and bird flu over the past one
year, the poultry sector is
eyeing a recovery on rising
prices fuelled by pick-up in
demand and shortage of birds
in the market. Industry players
such as Godrej Agrovet and
Suguna expect prices to rule
firm for next few months on
shortage of both live birds and
broiler chicks.
“Demand has definitely picked
up, but it is still around 75-80
per cent of the pre-Covid
levels. The segments which
consume in large quantities
such as marriages, parties,
hotels and restaurants are yet
to come back to normal levels.
My sense is that the demand
will come back only when
adequate vaccination takes
place,” said Balram Singh
Yadav, Managing Director of
Godrej Agrovet Ltd.
Prices rise
Yadav said poultry prices,
which have skyrocketed in the
past few days will remain high
for next few months as well.
Farm-gate prices of live birds
are hovering between ? 85 and
? 100 per kg across various
parts of the country, against a
low of ? 45-50 about a month
ago. Also, the prices of broiler
chicks are ruling high at
around ? 45-48 as placement
has picked up amidst a
shortage.
“Consumption levels are
coming back to normal,” said B
Soundararajan, Managing
Director, Suguna Holdings, a
large poultry player. He
attributed the shortage of live
birds to the drop in
placements by farmers during
the early part of the year, when
fears of bird flu had surfaced
across many States. Also, the
prevailing shortage of chicks is
due to the impact of sharp
decline in breeder bird
placements during February-
April last year, when the spread
of Covid had impacted the
poultry sector badly. “The
shortage will get moderated in
the next few months,” he said.
“The bird flu scare is receding
now as temperatures are on
the rise,” said Ramesh Khatri,
President of the Poultry
Federation of India.
“The demand is returning and
prices could go up further as
there is a huge shortage in the
market as many players have
suffered huge losses. The
shortage is across many
regions but felt more in North
India,” Khatri said.
During the pandemic, poultry
consumption took a major
beating in northern and
western parts of the country,
where the off-take dropped by
30-40 per cent, while eastern
and southern regions
witnessed a decline of 10-15
per cent.
Retail prices have increased in
tandem with the farm-gate
prices. There is a sharp
increase in the chicken prices
in Hyderabad. The price, which
fell to ? 130/kg a month ago,
has inched up to ? 215 now.
“Several small players had
closed down their businesses
as they suffered up to 40-50
Poultry sector eyes recovery
on rising demand

Think Grain Think Feed March 2021

Think Grain Think Feed March 2021

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