Hong Kong lifts ban on Indian poultry products

Hong Kong has ended its ban on the import of poultry and poultry products from India. The ban had been in place in response to an outbreak of avian influenza that hit India in 2012.
With the lifting of the ban, a big opportunity has been offered to exporters from India. According to a report in the Business Standard, the Hong Kong market for poultry products is worth $2 billion. Even if Indian exporters capture 10 percent of this in 2016-17, India's export of poultry products will triple to $300 million from $106 million in 2014-15.

Many countries had banned imports of poultry products from India following the 2012 avian influenza outbreak. Saudi Arabia opened its market in 2014, and Kuwait lifted its ban on Indian poultry earlier in 2015.

"Opening up of the Hong Kong market is a good development for India as large players with compartmentalized risk mitigation facilities, especially for avian influenza, can initiate shipments of poultry," said UK Vats, deputy general manager in charge of poultry products at the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda).

The directorate of food of Hong Kong, has, however, allowed import of eggs, egg powder, liquid and egg yolk from India, but with strict quality conditions in place.

New chicken line specially bred for Indian village flocks

Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University in Jabalpur district has developed the new breed of chicken called Narmada Nidhi, Professor O.P. Shrivastava told the Press Service of India.
The new breed is a cross involving a local breed from Madhya Pradesh state (Kadaknath) and the Jabalpur Colour, which is an improved line bred by the University.  Narmada Nidhi has been bred to offer good nutrition to households in rural areas while surviving on household leftovers. It is also resistant to disease and does not require all the vaccinations needed by foreign poultry, Shrivastava said.
Narmada Nidhi produces around 180 eggs per year, compared to 45 for typical native chickens, so the cost of an egg would be about INR4 (US6 cents), INR2 cheaper than a normal egg. The cost of the meat will also be lower at INR80-90 per kilo against a standard chicken at INR120, while the flavor is similar to the popular native breeds.
“We are going to hand over 35 new breed fowls to 35 tribal families at a function shortly,” Shrivastava said.

Indian poultry meat, beef forecast for slower growth

By Jackie Linden
Poultry meat production in India is projected to rise to 7.2 million tons by 2024-25, representing an annual increase of 6.3 percent, according to recently published report in Amber Waves from the USDA Economic Research Service. This compares with an 8.9 percent rate of growth per year over the period 2000-12. Domestic consumption is expected to match these figures.
The report’s authors, agricultural economists Maurice Landes and Kim Hjort, write that rising incomes and production costs below popular competing proteins have been responsible for fueling India’s poultry sector, which ranks 5th in the world in terms of output. As a result of integration and growing domestic production of corn and soybean meal, poultry meat production has become more efficient and growth is expected to continue.
Over the next few years, USDA forecasts India’s poultry meat production will exceed that of beef. The beef sector is based on the water buffalo and its meat, known as “carabeef,” exports of which have shown double-digit annual growth over the past five to six years to make the country the global No. 1 beef exporter. From an average of 1.7 million tonnes per year over the period 2011-14, exports are forecast to double to 3.4 million tons in 2024-25. Leading markets for Indian carabeef are low- and middle-income countries.
A recent report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) forecasts that India will make the 4th highest contribution to the future increase in global meat production, behind China, the U.S. and Brazil. Between 2012 and 2024-25, Indian meat output is expected to increase by 1.07 million tons for poultry and 729,000 tons of beef.


Avian flu crisis over?
In two reports in recent days to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the Department of Agriculture in New Delhi reports no new outbreaks of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza in the country.
The series of outbreaks in the State of Kerala in the far south of the country – totaling 5 between November 2014 and January 2015 – is now described as “resolved.”
A more recent set of officially linked outbreaks started in early March 2015 in Uttar Pradesh and then in Manipur and Andhra Pradesh in the next month, with a total of three cases in poultry and two in wild birds (crows). Despite ongoing surveillance, there have been no virus-positive results since April 2015.

Report: India must double feed production

India’s $15 billion feed industry must double to $30 billion in the next five years to keep up with growing protein requirements, according to a report by Yes Bank.
In volume terms, an estimated 22 million tons of feed is currently required in India, with cattle accounting for 7.5 million tons, poultry accounting for 14 million tons, and aquaculture accounting for the rest.
Nitin Puri, president and country head, food and agribusiness research management at YES Bank, said policy measures need to be taken to improve milk productivity of cattle. India’s milk production is 5-10 liters, compared with 15-20 liters globally.
Puri said improvements in feed quality is one way to increase milk production. He also said the aquaculture industry is being promoted in the country.

Indian poultry producers hope to profit from beef ban

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  Freeimages.com/bugdog

  A beef ban in the Indian state of Maharashtra is expected to give a boost to the poultry industry.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Poultry firms expect demand to pick up after a ban on beef in the Indian state of Maharashtra, with other states ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also aiming to toughen laws on livestock slaughter.
  India is the world's second largest beef exporter and fifth biggest consumer, although its majority Hindu community views cows to be sacred, and Modi's BJP is pushing for legal steps to "protect and promote the cow".
  Maharashtra, which has a population of about 110 million, widened its ban to cover meat from bulls and bullocks. The states of Jharkhand and Haryana, also ruled by the BJP, are looking for ways to discourage slaughter of livestock.
  Such curbs, which critics call the outcome of Modi loyalists pushing a Hindu agenda, spell good news for many poultry farms. India consumed 2.3 million metric tons of beef in 2014 until October -- higher than all of 2013 -- while exports were 1.95 million metric tons in the same period.
  "We are expecting chicken consumption to increase in Maharashtra after a month, as it is a direct alternative to beef," said Prasanna Pedgaonkar, deputy general manager at chicken processor Venky's.
  Pedgaonkar expects the measure to push up sales 5 percent for his firm from a current daily figure of 1,500 metric tons.
  Overall consumption in the state could rise 5-8 percent within a month, said Dinesh Bhosale, the South Asia sales head of AB Vista, an animal feed supplier based in Britain.
  Even without a ban on beef, which is particularly popular in the southern and northeastern parts of India and tends to be cheaper than mutton and chicken, India's poultry output has been scaling annual records, as higher incomes boost demand for meat in the world's second-most populous country.
  Broiler production will hit a new high of 3.9 million metric tons in 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated in October.
  Owners of Mumbai shops that sell chicken say the effect of the beef ban has yet to show up in prices, although demand is starting to pick up despite the onset of summer, when consumption usually slows.

H5N1 avian influenza outbreak occurs in India

An outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been reported in Chandigarh, India. The outbreak occurred in a flock of ducks.
A total of 100 ducks were susceptible to the virus, with 22 deaths, according to a report from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
Tests were conducted by scientists at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases on December 16, with all three tests proving positive.
Control measures applied include stamping out, quarantine, movement control inside the country, screening, dipping and spraying, and disinfection of the infected premises.
The latest outbreak in India follows an earlier outbreak of H5 avian influenza that occurred at two locations in Kerala, India. In that outbreak, 15,000 ducks out of a susceptible 228,807 birds died. At the other location, 500 of a susceptible 13,000 ducks died, according to the OIE.
Concerns about avian influenza have been widespread in the global poultry industry in recent months. Outbreaks of avian influenza have also been in The Netherlands, Germany, U.K., Japan, Italy, Canada and the United States. Several other countries have subsequently implemented trade bans involving countries affected by avian influenza.
OIE will submit follow-up reports on the most recent case of avian influenza in India until the matter is resolved.

Indian states of Punjab, Haryana slow on conventional layer cage phaseout

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a notice to the Indian government, the government of Punjab and Haryana, the Poultry Federation of India and the Animal Welfare Board of India following a petition from the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organizations.
The federation notes that a year ago, the Animal Welfare Board of India issued an advisory to all state governments stating that battery cages should not be used and existing ones should be phased out by 2017. The federation has been checking with the of Punjab and Haryana animal husbandry departments as to whether they are phasing out traditional cages and guarding against the installation of new battery cages, but concluded that no concrete action has been taken by either state.
India is the third largest egg producer in the world, and at least 70 percent of the country's eggs come from commercial farmers using traditional cages.
"The use of battery cages to confine egg-laying hens is absolutely barbaric. The cages strip away the dignity of the hens completely. It's unfathomable that living beings can be treated with such cruelty," said senior advocate Arnand Grover, representing the federation. 

India’s poultry feed demand expected to rise 9 percent in 2014

The demand for corn and soymeal for animal feeds in India is expected to rise 9 percent to 10.9 million metric tons in 2014, according to a report. This is due to increasing consumption of eggs and chickens in the Southeast Asian country. Most of the growth in demand will be in corn due to ample supply and lower prices.
The higher demand locally could further reduce overseas sales already under pressure from lower grain pricing in Latin America. India is the leading seller of corn and soymeal in Southeast Asia, and the world's fifth largest producer of broilers.
"Consumption of feeds, mainly corn is expected to increase because demand for poultry products are likely to rise by at least 6 percent this year," said Sanjeev Chintawar, business manager for the National Egg Coordination Committee.
"We expect about 1 million tonnes (907,185 metric tons) per month demand for corn and soymeal over the next two months," said Ricky Thaper, an official of the Poultry Federation of India. He said the monthly demand for corn would be 680-725 metric tons, while demand for soymeal would be 181-227 metric tons.

Government help promised for poultry farmers in Indian state of Andra Pradesh

Poultry farmers in the Indian state of Andra Pradesh, one of the country's main poultry-producing regions, may soon be enjoying significantly cheaper energy costs.
Speaking at the seventh edition of the trade event Poultry India in late November, Sri N Kiran Kumar Reddy, chief minister of Andra Pradesh, commented that the state government would extend all possible help to the industry. The state authorities have already removed taxes on eggs and chickens, and he added that the power tariff for the trouble-hit sector would be reduced by 50 percent soon.
However, there were calls for further tax reductions. Chakradhar Rao, president of the Indian Poultry Equipment Manufacturers' Association (IPEMA) called on the minister to reconsider the imposition of value-added tax on poultry equipment, to encourage the production of innovative products at prices affordable to poultry producers, and to help Indian equipment manufacturers gain a more significant foothold in foreign markets.
Commenting on the current state of the industry, Ranjit Reddy, president of the Andra Poultry Breeders Association, said that while the Indian poultry industry had grown, per capita consumption could be higher, and that the sector was being hit hard by high input costs. "For the last two years, layer and broiler farming is facing a tough time due to sky rocketing raw material prices and increases in transportation costs.
"Poultry is going a rough phase now with sky rocketing raw material prices, increasing freight charges and adverse disease conditions. The cost of production is exceeding the realization price, and farmers have been suffering for a long period. Many farms have suffered losses, and peculiarly this time both the layer and the broilers farmers have had to face the brunt," said Ranjit Reddy.
He continued that import duties and taxes on imported feed ingredients and equipment were also hitting poultry producers hard, and their reduction or removal would go some way to helping the sector. Additionally, he noted, the 20 percent tax applied to processed chicken was doing nothing to encourage the growth of the processed meat sector. 

Indian Broilers and Aviagen India form new partnership

Officials from Aviagen India and Indian Broilers signed a cooperative agreement in October. Pictured, from left, are Paul Gittins, Aviagen India; Bahadur Ali, IB Group; Bob Dobbie, Aviagen International; Sultan Ali, IB Group; and B. Ramakrishna, Aviagen India.


Indian Broilers, a central business in the IB Group, has announced that it will source breeding stock from Aviagen India as it continues to grow and plans further expansion in India's domestic poultry industry. The formal grandparent signing ceremony signaled the commencement of a partnership between the two companies and was held October, 24 in Chhaittisgarth, India.
The signing was attended by senior management of Aviagen India and the IB Group who then paid a visit after the ceremony to the state minister for Chhattisgarh, Dr. Raman Singh to herald the importance of the event for both companies in the rapidly evolving Indian market.
"We are pleased to be joining hands with Aviagen India," commented Dr. Jaiswal, president of Indian Broilers," the event is an important step for them and a major shift for Indian Broilers."
The Aviagen Group is the global market leader in poultry genetics. The company develops pedigree lines for the breeding and production of broilers and turkeys, offering three commercial broiler breeder brands and two turkey brands to the customers in the poultry industry.
Aviagen India is fully owned company by Aviagen and represents the group's long term commitment to develop a local supply facility for the Indian domestic market and emerging export industry. The new production facility is located near Udumalpet in Tamil Nadu and occupies a 256 acre area with six modern, environmentally controlled houses, a dedicated hatchery, a feed mill treatment plant, fully equipped laboratory and business administration buildings.
A separate quarantine facility ensures the imported birds pass all Indian health and quarantine requirements. Aviagen India has developed and trained a team of 220 local employees to manage and assume responsibility for all aspects of production and believes this strategy will succeed over the long term, in the Indian poultry market.
"We are pleased to welcome Indian Broilers as a new customer and look forward to working with them as they continue to build and grow their business in India," commented Paul Gittins, business manager, Aviagen India. 

Swine, poultry and bovine feed acidifier approved for use in Indonesia

Bayer Animal Health, a pharmaceutical and animal health company, and feed additive supplier Dr. Eckel announced the completed registration of Latibon Plus ME in Indonesia. The multifunctional acidifier, developed and manufactured by Dr. Eckel and supplied to the feed industry in Southeast Asia by Bayer Animal Health, will be available to customers in Indonesia in 2013. Indonesia is the seventh country in Asia to approve Latibon Plus ME for distribution.
After two years of work from both companies, the registration license was issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, which approved Latibon Plus ME for pigs, duck, chicken and cattle. Additional claims for shrimp and fish feed were registered with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and are estimated to obtain approval in Indonesia in 2014.
Latibon Plus ME combines organic and inorganic acids and their salts to reduce the buffering capacity in feed, Dr. Eckel says.
"Improved hygiene optimized buffering capacity and a better digestibility -- these are key performances factors supporting healthy growth in young animals. Furthermore, Latibon Plus ME improves the intestinal flora and protects the animals against diarrhea," said Dr. Bernhard Eckel, vice president of Dr. Eckel.
Further registration for the product is currently underway in China and Malaysia.

Indian poultry market an elusive prize for poultry exporters

By the year 2030, India will be the world’s largest consumer of food, according to Eric Joiner, vice chairman, AJC International, and chairman of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council’s International Poultry Development Program. Joiner, speaking at the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council’s annual meeting in Williamsburg, Va., said that India currently has 1.27 billion people living in an area one-third the size of the United States. There are 650 million people in India under the age of 30, equivalent to the combined populations of the U.S. and the EU.
There is a growing middle class in India, with per capita income growing at 4.9 percent annually. One million engineers graduated from universities in India last year. Joiner said that 60 percent of the population is non-vegetarian. Broiler production and consumption are growing at a 12 percent annual rate, currently at 2.8 kilograms per capita, but approximately 5 kilograms for the meat eaters.
Explosive growth
Total poultry consumption in India is expected to triple to 9.1 million metric tons by 2030. There is currently a very small processing industry in India; 95 percent of poultry is sold live through wet markets. Live chickens are purchased in the market, and they can be killed and processed for the consumer right there, or the live bird can be brought home. Joiner said that branded processed and refrigerated poultry sales are expected to grow 20 fold by 2030 to $8.3 billion. Quick serve restaurant chains in India, such as McDonald’s and KFC, are predicting explosive growth, but supply is a limiting factor, Joiner reported.
Joiner characterized India as a dynamic growth market. “There is extreme demand and dynamic growth in a lot of different areas,” Joiner said. “Clearly there are major challenges in food safety, biosecurity, governmental oversight, and very little regulatory oversight.”
Joiner said that quick serve restaurant and retail growth potential are limited in India by processing and cold chain capacity.
“Imports will come, but it will take a long time,” Joiner said.
Developing markets
Joiner said that the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council’s philosophy is that healthy and safe poultry products help everyone, not just U.S. producers. “A rising tide floats all boats,” he said. Because of this philosophy, he said that the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council tries to engage poultry industry groups in countries like India to help them develop and modernize. The Indo-Dutch Centre for Excellence is already working with Indian poultry producers.
Osler Desouzart, consultant, OD Consulting, said that the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council and Brazilian poultry producers should work together to open export markets for poultry. “We have to talk and cooperate,” he said.
The U.S. and Brazil are the two largest poultry exporting countries, and opening markets is good for the consumers in importing countries and for Brazilian and U.S. producers.
Desouzart, who reports that he visits with clients in India a few times a year, said, “We should be visiting India.” But he isn’t optimistic that the Indian government will open the country to poultry imports: “They shall not open their markets; [the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council should] join forces with the Brazilians and prepare for a fight.” 

Belarus imposes temporary import ban on India poultry

Belarus has imposed a temporary import ban on poultry from India due to a recent outbreak of avian influenza in the state of Karnataka, according to the department of veterinary and food surveillance of the Food and Agriculture Ministry.
The ban, which went into effect on October 29, includes live poultry, hatching eggs, down and feathers, poultry and all kinds of poultry products, feed and feed additives from the birds. It also applies to second-hand equipment for poultry farms. Belarus also canceled all previously issued permits for import of any poultry or poultry products from India.

India chickens, ducks die of suspected bird flu

Over 200 chickens and ducks died at the Central Poultry Development Organization in Hesaraghatta, near Bangalore, India, due to a suspected avian influenza outbreak that has already killed 3,600 turkeys, according to reports.
Blood samples from the birds have been sent to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory and all the dead birds have been disposed of in accordance with the prescribed guidelines under the Government of India Action Plan 2012 for control, containment and eradication of avian influenza. The government has also notified 68 villages that fall within a 10-kilometer radius of the organization. So far, according to the government, no “unusual mortality has been observed among the poultry and birds” in surrounding villages that fall under the surveillance zone.

India establishes $26.9 million for poultry improvements

The Indian government has set aside Rs 1.5 billion (US$26.9 million) to assist poultry estates and backyard poultry development, according to reports. The assistance will focus on one existing government component, Assistance to State Poultry Farms, and two new components, Rural Backyard Poultry Development and Poultry Estates.
“The Rural Backyard Poultry Development component is expected to cover beneficiaries from below poverty line to mainly enable them to gain supplementary income and nutritional support,” said Union Home Minister P Chidamabaram. It will assist roughly 385,000 beneficiary families by providing higher-potential birds through 1,285 mother units, which will rear the day old chicks up to 4–6 weeks. The Poultry Estates component will encourage taking up poultry farming in a clustered way scientifically, on a pilot basis, and initially only two estates will be set up.

India poultry industry challenged by high feed costs

The poultry industry in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is facing severe challenges due to abnormally high prices of maize and soya bean, both of which are used in the making of poultry feed, according to the state's Poultry Federation.
The poultry industry is seeking government intervention to bring down the prices of ingredients that go into making the feed, hoping to stave off what the Federation says is the coming closing of poultry units all over the state. “The price of soya bean was Rs 18,000 (US$337.14) [per metric ton] till 45 days ago, but shot up to Rs 32,000 (US$599.36) suddenly, making it unaffordable for the poultry industry,'' said D Sudhakar, president of the Poultry Federation. Costs of both maize and soya bean have been rising for the last two years, said Sudhakar.
Another issue is that of export — a significant amount of the soya bean crop is being exported to Iran, said Sudhakar, creating artificial scarcity in the domestic sector. He also said the price difference between domestic and exported product should be looked into by the government, as soya bean is exported to Iran for Rs 25,000 (US$468.25) per metric ton but being sold on the domestic market for Rs 32,000 per metric ton.

US-India poultry trade barriers may cause World Trade Organization case

The U.S. has said it may take India to the World Trade Organization over what it believes are India's unfair restrictions of U.S. poultry imports based on false food safety claims, according to reports. The U.S. may open a case at the World Trade Organization to try to open the market. "Our American poultry is safe," said U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk. "There is no reason for them to deny us access. We are extraordinarily frustrated with India's continued non-application of internationally recognized scientific standards."

Jakarta gains poultry slaughtering houses for avian influenza control

Jakarta's Marine and Agriculture Department plans to build poultry slaughtering facilities in five city markets in an effort to minimize the spread of the avian influenza virus, as well as provide extra convenience for traders, according to reports. The five markets are Sukapura Market (North Jakarta), Perumnas Klender Market and Ciracas Market (East Jakarta), Cempakaputih Market (Central Jakarta), and Grogol Market (West Jakarta). Officials are also preparing four additional slaughterhouses outside the city. “So, relocation can be done from 200 collecting places and 2,000 slaughtering houses to [the new facilities] that we have prepared," said Dzawil Hidjah, head of the livestock division of the Marine and Agriculture Department. "This is also to ease monitoring toward poultry which will be slaughtered and consumed by residents.” Jakarta's Health Ministry has also trained 14,000 people from the community health center to handle avian flu in an effort to control potential outbreaks. There have been seven cases in poultry and five in humans in North Jakarta between 2005 and 2012.

Broiler producer Suguna to expand in south India

Broiler producer Suguna Poultry is partnering with franchise consultant Francorp International to expand in south India by opening new Suguna Daily Fressh outlets, according to reports. The company hopes to open 500 outlets by the end of 2012 in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. "Daily Fressh is an innovative venture of Suguna in the franchised retailing of poultry and meat products [that provides options] in all forms, such as fresh meat, frozen meat, ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat meat products, with allied products such as spice mixes and herbs," said P. Rajan Mathews, business head of Suguna. "Daily Fressh will create a new shopping experience for the poultry and meat lovers nearest to their home and create clean surroundings inside the cities." Suguna's processing plant has recently been certified as an ISO 20000:2005 company for poultry processing.

Nepal poultry demand down on bird flu fears

Chicken sales are down in the Nepal districts of Udaypur and Khotang after bird flu was found in some poultry farms in the neighboring district of Sunsari, according to reports. No bird flu has been found in either Udaypur or Khotang, said the District Agriculture Development Offices of both areas. Demand for poultry has dropped up to 50 percent in some areas, according to farmers, and traders are suffering significant losses. "Fowl on my farm are ready for market, but I am not finding buyers because people are hesitant to consume poultry products," said Udaypur farmer Keshav Karki.