Poultry partnerships between India, Japan being explored

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  Andrea Gantz

  The Indian poultry industry is hoping to form partnerships with Japanese companies to give the sector a boost.

  From WATTAgNet:
  India’s poultry industry is hoping to expand its export opportunities, and is looking at potential agreements with Japanese companies to give a boost to its poultry exports. A delegation of Japanese companies visited India recently and expressed interest in exploring joint ventures with partners in India for processing poultry products and importing them.
  The delegation was led by Mayekawa Manufacturing, a company that makes cooling and freezing systems as well as compressors for refrigerators and heat pumps.
  During the visit, Mayekawa Chairman Yoshiro Tanaka told Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu that his group has alliances with 24 Japanese companies looking to invest some US$9 billion in India's food processing sector.
  The Indian poultry sector has been reporting a healthy growth of 12-15 percent a year on the back of a rapidly growing middle class and rising incomes. Exports have been low because of cost disadvantages and global concerns over the quality of Indian poultry products following frequent outbreaks of avian influenza.
  "Thanks to mushrooming global quick service restaurants (QSRs) like KFC and McDonald's, apart from local QSR brands, the Indian poultry industry had over the last decade or so begun adopting global quality standards," said a senior executive at a large poultry company, requesting anonymity.
  Presently, India exports poultry products mostly to Oman, Germany, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. It also ships small quantities of egg powder to Japan.