Cargill’s greenfield dairy feed mill breaks ground in India

A ceremonial groundbreaking was held in late February on Cargill India's greenfield dairy feed mill in Bathinda. The project will cater to the growing need for quality feed for Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan dairy farmers. The feed manufacturing plant will cover 8.5 acres, and use the latest technology from Cargill USA and Cargill Italy feed manufacturing plants.
The project is expected to generate employment opportunities for approximately 200 people, along with providing training for 20,000 farmers annually on dairy nutrition, calf rearing and farm management best practices, bringing the relevant nutrition, training and operational excellence best practices, the plant will produce nutritious diet for cows and allow for crop diversification, increasing grain usage by 12,500 metric tons per year.
"India is already the largest milk-producing country with key dairy states like Punjab, Haryana, and parts of Rajasthan," said Shri Siraj Chaudhry, chairman, Cargill India. "With the milk demand in India expected to grow by … 50% by 2023, the animal feed mill will play an essential role in catering to the increasing demand. Cargill Animal Nutrition plays a critical role in the feed to food supply chain, and these series of investments in Punjab further reiterate our continued commitment to India and help to make Punjab our dairy hub in India."
"This initiative will equip local farmers with the knowhow and help in implementing a reliable supply chain for dairy processing," said Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal, deputy chief minister, Punjab.
Achyuth Iyengar, managing director of Cargill Feed & Nutrition, India business, added, "Cargill's investment will feed approximately 75,000 cows per year, incentivize over 3,000 farmers towards growing grains, and help in crop diversification."
Cargill will bring solution-driven methods to Punjab's dairy feed needs, such as NIR testing for incoming raw material quality, nutrient driven formulation and rigorous testing of raw materials and finished feed to improve results for farmers.

Supplier Novasep expands, opens India subsidiary

Novasep, a supplier of manufacturing solutions to the life sciences industry, is expanding its presence in India with the opening of Novasep Process Engineering Services PCT LTD, a part of its industrial business unit. The new office will enable Novasep to better serve industries in India producing functional and commodity food and feed ingredients, milk derivatives and bio-based chemicals, according to the company.
Michel Cotillon, a Novasep veteran, formerly R&D head of the industrial biotech business and then its area sales manager for France and Benelux, has been promoted to head the subsidiary as general manager.
Novasep's expansion comes at a time when India's food and feed ingredients industries are experiencing fast growth. It follows Novasep's successful expansion of its team in China in 2012. "Novasep's setup in India is another key milestone in our strategy to expand our geographical presence," said Michel Spagnol, CEO at Novasep. "After our success in China, Novasep India is well placed to support our growth in future years."
Novasep's Indian subsidiary will provide local support to sugar mill operators in India to integrate Novasep's processes. Novasep will also continue to sell biopharma chromatography equipment and associated processes in India.

India gets cattle feed processing plant in state of Gujarat

A cattle feed processing plant and an institute for dairy technology have been inaugurated at Mahesana's Dudhsagar dairy in the Indian state of Gujarat, according to reports.
The factory is the biggest in the country and will process 1 million kilograms of cattle feed per day. Chief Minister Narendra, who led the inauguration, said that the cattle-rearing sector has been neglected in India. "Milk productivity per animal in India is lower when compared to other parts of the world," he said. "This is the reason why the cattle breeders in India have not become prosperous." To help remedy this, the government has recently set up Kamdhenu University to create a pool of manpower for encouraging scientific cattle-rearing techniques in Gujarat.