In 2024, the “Year of Elections,” global leadership shifts are shaping new directions in trade and policy. CrushCon organised by U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) at Hotel Sofitel Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, embody this year’s theme, “Electing to Trade.” The conference was attended by more than 100 delegates from South Asia; India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka besides USSEC Team from Dubai and Senior Soybean Association Board Members from USA, brings into focus the connections between politics, trade and globalisation, particularly within supply chains, economic frameworks, and supply-demand factors.

The first day session opened with welcoming remarks from Mr. Kevin Roepke, Regional Director – South Asia & Sub-Saharan Africa (SAASSA), US Soybean Export Council, who introduced the key themes for conference that included

Ms. Valerie Brown, Regional Agricultural Counselor at USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), who discussed market development in the GCC, emphasizing the collaborative efforts between USSEC and USDA. Mr. Kevin Roepke said “Food inflation squeezes the middle class and erodes disposable income. The easiest way to reduce food inflation and thus improve the standards of the middle class is to lean into trade. Through trade, we can make healthier food more affordable and available to the middle class of South Asia.”

Mr. Jim Sutter, the dynamic CEO of USSEC, shared insights into the soy industry’s growth and USSEC’s commitment to sustainable solutions in nutrition. emphasized how trade is an integral channel to provide food and nutrition security, Mr. Sutter highlighting its key benefit of moving goods from point of surplus to point of deficit.
While trade helps maximize income in producing countries it provides consuming countries with availability of competitively priced products. He discussed the power of comparative advantage citing the example of Costa Rica. While Costa Rica specializes in producing bananas and coffee, the U.S. specializes in soybeans and corn. Through trade, these countries mutually benefit from high quality and competitively priced products.

Mr. Jim Sutter, CEO, USSEC presented a Special Appreciation to Mr. Kevin Roepke, Regional Director – South Asia & Sub-Saharan Africa (SAASSA).

Mr. Lance Rezac, USSEC Chair, provided a perspective on how U.S. farmers are meeting the demand for food while remaining environmentally responsible. Mr. Lance Rezac, said U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) focuses on differentiating, elevating preference, and attaining market access for the use of U.S. Soy for human consumption, aquaculture, and livestock feed in 80+ countries internationally. USSEC members represent the soy supply chain including U.S. Soy farmers, processors, commodity shippers, merchandisers, allied agribusinesses, and agricultural organizations. USSEC is funded by the U.S. soybean checkoff, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service matching funds, and industry.

In a session on “US Soy Policy Needs Post-Election,” Daryl Cates, Chairman, American Soybean Association (ASA), highlighted the priorities for U.S. soy in Congress’s lame duck session. He emphasized the value of Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) funding and the potential impact of future free trade agreements (FTAs) on U.S. soybean exports.

The keynote presentation was by Mr. James Fry, Glenauk Economis. A standout keynote fireside chat, “Electing to Trade,” featured former USDA Secretary Dan Glickman in conversation with Kevin Roepke, exploring how trade policies could evolve following global elections. The first day morning session concluded with the panel “Pakistan Two Years On,” sponsored by the South Dakota Soybean Checkoff, where Zain Mahmood and Shahzad Ali Khan shared advancements and partnerships in Pakistan’s agricultural sector. CRUSHCON Dubai and HUNGERCON Dubai continue to bring insightful dialogues, networking, and fresh perspectives toward a sustainable future.

The afternoon sessions of CRUSHCON Dubai continued to delve into the intricacies of global trade and its implications, with a focus on geopolitics, market dynamics, and sustainability. The keynote address on Geopolitical Economics featured Ms. Trinh Nguyen, Senior Economist for Emerging Asia at Natixis, who provided insights into the evolving landscape of emerging markets, particularly in Asia. Her perspectives, widely respected across international news platforms, are invaluable for understanding the region’s economic pulse. In the session titled Global Oilseeds Spotlight, David Mielke, Director at Oil World in Germany, addressed the relationship between low corn and soybean prices and their potential to drive a global boom in the livestock and poultry sectors. His analysis brought forward important discussions on supply and demand dynamics in the industry.

Mr. Jaison John, Regional Head of Market Intelligence- South Asia, USSEC spoke on “How Policies Have Distorted Regional Prices for Feed Ingredients” and shed light on the complexities of trade policies that have affected feed ingredient pricing, making previously affordable sources of animal protein some of the most expensive globally. The Freight Sector Spotlight, presented by Mr. Voytek Chelkowski from Seamind Blue Ocean, highlighted the impact of freight volatility on margins. He emphasized the importance of understanding FOB versus C&F purchase decisions within the current geopolitical climate.

A significant moment came with the SUSS Logo Signing, where Nepal joined the initiative for sustainability, welcoming five companies into the fold, including Valley Group (NP), Kosmo Feed Mills (SL), Adamjee Lukmanjee (SL) and Nel Farms (SL),. Presenting this initiative were Ms. Deeba Giannoulis, Dr. Pawan Kumar and Dr. Athula Mahagamage.

The afternoon concluded with a keynote address on US Soy’s Commitment to Global Nutrition Security, showcasing the dedication of senior USSEC leadership to enhancing global nutrition.

Recognizing Pioneers Making an Impact in South Asia’s Protein Value Chain Each year, through its HungerCon event powered by Right to Protein, USSEC recognizes and celebrates outstanding contributors to the protein value space in South Asia.

Ms. Deeba Giannoulis, Regional Head of Corporate Affairs-SAASSA, reflected on the origins of HungerCON and the legacy of past winners who have paved the way for advancing the discourse on nutritional security. This year’s esteemed ‘HungerCon Award’ was awarded to Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in India for her pioneering work in integrating science into health policymaking. Other notable nominations included Mr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor, University of Agriculture in Faisalabad, Pakistan and Mrs. Vibha Ahuja, Chief General Manager, Biotech Consortium India Limited from India.

The second day of CRUSHCON Dubai 2024 brought forward insightful discussions and innovative solutions aimed at advancing sustainability and global nutrition. Ms. Deeba Giannoulis, Regional Head of Corporate Affairs-SAASSA, introduced the Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol, showing how companies can integrate this framework to promote sustainable practices. She spotlighted businesses that have adopted the SUSS logo, signalling their dedication to eco-friendly initiatives within the soy industry.
Ms. Christelle Cordahi, Regional Human Utilization & Nutrition Consultant at USSEC, presented on the importance of incorporating diverse protein sources, both animal and plant-based, to support a balanced diet. Her insights underscored the essential role of soy in overall health.

Ms. Tori Sorensen, Chair of the SEC Global Advisory Panel, shared the impressive growth and influence of the Soy Excellence Center (SEC) worldwide, which have significantly contributed to knowledge sharing and training in the soy sector. By providing free, accessible and comprehensive training options, Soy Excellence Center empowers professionals to stay updated with the latest trends and innovations in their fields. Soy Excellence Center courses adds tremendous value to industry workforce engaged in the protein value chain.

Ms. Tori Sorensen, Chair of the SEC Global Advisory Panel, presented the ceremonial SEC lapel pin to Mr. Ricky Thaper, Regional Advisory Council (RAC) Member Soy Excellence Center-India.

Dr. Tom D’Alfonso, Director of Animal & Aquaculture at USSEC, highlighted the value of optimizing feed nutrient profiles, stressing that not all soy is created equal. He described how U.S. soybean meal is tailored to maximize nutritional benefits for poultry, fish, and shrimp. In an insightful session, Will McNair, Global Head of Human Utilization at USSEC, discussed the complexities of soybean oil processing. He explained how factors such as damage, maturity, and moisture levels significantly affect the quality of soy oil, emphasizing how U.S. soybeans lead in optimizing refinery operations.

The day concluded with a wrap-up by Mr. Kevin Roepke, summarizing key outcomes and insights from the sessions. He emphasized the collaborative spirit of the conference and its potential to drive positive change in the agriculture and nutrition sectors. Mr. Daryl Cates, Chairman, American Soybean Association, offered a vote of thanks, expressing gratitude to all participants and speakers for their valuable contributions and commitment to advancing global nutrition security.

The CRUSHCON Dubai 2024 has truly set the stage for dynamic and impactful discussions. These conferences are a testament to the dedication of global leaders and experts in the fields of agriculture, nutrition, and sustainability. By bringing together thought leaders, industry professionals, and innovators, the events are fostering meaningful dialogue that is shaping the future of food systems.
The focus on sustainable practices and solutions demonstrates a strong commitment to addressing global challenges, ensuring a healthier and more secure future for all. It’s inspiring to witness how these platforms continue to empower collaboration and inspire change on such a significant scale.

By Dr. Shiva Kumar, Director – Technical, TN South Asia

Poultry derived food products are the most important animal protein sources globally. India is the third-largest egg producer and the fourth-largest chicken producer in the world. Poultry meat and eggs are the most important animal protein sources available, and a significant increase is forecasted in demand.

But there is also a significant number of challenges facing the Indian poultry and allied industries with respect to sustainable production of poultry meat and eggs where market demands, and consumer needs will put more constraints on the production systems and methods. These challenges are dynamic and diverse, and solutions and opportunities will require development of appropriate technology, using and advancing our knowledge base.

Sustainable poultry farming is based on three pillars: environmentally sound, socially responsible, and economically viable. For all these pillars, innovation will be key and hence, advances in animal nutrition will play an important role, where we have concrete challenges in economical optimization of the value chain and meeting product quality demands, whilst safeguarding animal wellbeing and human health.

Trouw Nutrition is an organisation that deeply cares about building a more sustainable future – both for our industry and for consumers. We are committed to transform science into actionable, practical nutrition and farm management solutions to help customers produce quality poultry meat and eggs. We support food producers with the technology that puts advice and data at their fingertips.

Feeding the Future is the essence of Trouw Nutrition (a Nutreco company), expressing the challenge to double food production while halving the carbon footprint. Our ambition is to contribute meeting the rising global demand with growing number of world population in a sustainable manner. The Trouw Nutrition way focuses on innovation, quality, sustainability, and integrated solutions.

Our solutions are built on four solid pillars. Each one contributes to help our customers adding more value to their business in a sustainable and a safe way.

Trouw Nutrition is built on a strong commitment to transform science into actionable, practical nutrition and farm management solutions. We focus on our four innovation pillars that deliver sustainability benefits to animals, farms, and the environment:

Early Life Nutrition:
Birds are confronted with various stressful events during their life, especially in critical transition periods such as hatch and transport. Provision of nutrition and water during the immediate post-hatch period and during transit from hatchery to farm has shown promising effects on broiler performance and health in the first days and weeks of life (Bergoug et al., 2013; Published results, Trouw Nutrition 2016). Early life interventions do not per se result in higher market weights or improved feed efficiency in each flock, but it will contribute to more stable and consistent performance and a reduced risk of birds developing health problems.

Health Life:
Animal Nutrition is an important part of the solution to help to contain Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). Adequate animal nutrition (well-balanced and well-formulated feed) combined with good hygiene practices on farms and proper housing are key in promoting animal health and welfare. A balanced diet of compound feed supported by specialty feed ingredients/additives meets the animal’s physiological requirements and maintains the balance of the gut flora. Poultry Gut health is in fact a key factor in keeping birds healthy and resilient to stressors, such as heat or pathogens.

Trouw Nutrition Poultry Gut Health Solution, integrates Farm, Feed and Health approach.

Feed​ – Premixes, Young Animal Feed (ChickCare, NutriOpt, feed formulation advice including Intellibond C,
Feed safety: Fysal/Fylax/Toxo
Farm​ – Advice on farm management​ and biosecurity​, Selko pH (drinking water) with dosing systems
Health​ – Selko pH (water) + Selacid (feed), Gut health evaluation​

Water and feed acidification will contribute to maintaining a stable microbiota in poultry. The efficacy of organic and inorganic acids can be further enhanced by inclusion of medium chain fatty acids or other natural antimicrobial compounds that exert a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity at relative neutral pH ranges.

Precision Nutrition:
From an economical point of view, we need in general to meet nutrient requirements of the birds in the most efficient and economical way and assure that animals are in good health to exploit their potential.

Efficient use of resources e.g. feed ingredients will benefit environmentally sound production. In this respect, use and conversion of co-products from the food and biofuel industry to highly animal nutrition products is contributing to sustainable production as well. One of the challenges in our industry is to be flexible with our raw material usage to manage higher use of low-quality ingredients and anticipate on fluctuations in raw material prices, whilst at the same time we need to have grip on variation in raw material quality and assure that the feed delivers the same high performance.

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) is a rapid technique to evaluate the nutrient profile of feed ingredients. A more advanced precision nutrition system such as NutriOpt from Trouw Nutrition has incorporated NIRS, with its extensive nutrient databases.

NutriOpt is an integrated nutritional precision-feeding tool from Trouw Nutrition, which enables the poultry farmer or grower or feed miller to optimize both feed costs and production results to maximize financial benefits in the value chain. It consists of several key elements that complement and support one another in optimizing animal nutrition, performance and associated costs through precise real-time analysis, modelling and calculation.

To offer real-time feed analysis, Trouw Nutrition has introduced the NutriOpt On-site Adviser (NOA). This innovative solution reveals the real nutritional value of your feed ingredients and helps to improve performance and profitability. Powered by our comprehensive NutriOpt database, the NutriOpt On-site Adviser provides with accurate analytical results to make better-informed choices.

The portable NIR scanner and the mobile app enable you to get analytical results of nutrients in raw materials and finished feed onsite. The mobile app connects the handheld scanner to the NutriOpt nutritional database and advice on the nutritional value of the scanned materials. The NutriOpt On-site can be even connected to your decision-making tools for a smooth optimisation process.

NOA can perform convenient analysis without samples leaving your farm, and the poultry farm owner can enjoy a greater control over their animal performance.
In relation to feed safety, mycotoxins are probably one of the most important risk factors that need to be controlled among the Indian poultry Industry. It is also encouraging to note, that rapid diagnostics are now more widespread globally adopted for quality control to take appropriate measures once mycotoxin contamination in raw materials is detected. It is an essential part of feed quality assurance and with the right measures the risks can be mitigated, which will prevent unexpected performance losses and health problems.

Measuring mycotoxin levels in feed can be time-consuming and requires specialised and costly methodology. Trouw Nutrition offers “Mycomaster”, a tool to analyse mycotoxins.

Mycomaster provides rapid, cost-effective, and quantitative mycotoxin analyses of over 40 validated feed raw materials and final feed. And it works on-site, bringing flexibility to testing frequency, in support to Feed quality control, formulation decisions and remediation strategies.

Tackling the challenges:
The importance of using a holistic approach to enable successful conversion of feed into high quality poultry protein in a sustainable way is evident for the Indian poultry producers. These high producing birds must be able to consume, digest, absorb and convert sufficient nutrients to meet their genetic potential, and do this consistently from flock to flock. To do this successfully and achieve high consistent production with acceptable risk will require increased use of existing technology and expanding our knowledge and information network. At Trouw Nutrition, we have the tools to support the challenges faced by the poultry producers to make better choices to support the production chain. For a complete overview of our tools and services, please contact your nearest Trouw Nutrition expert/representative.

For further information, kindly write to us at customercareindia@trouwnutrition.com
or visit our website: www.trouwnutrition.in

To sustain growth in the poultry sector, the government must ensure supplies of feed ingredients at reasonable prices which should be ensured through liberalizing imports and augmenting production.

Livestock rearing is one of the most important economic activities in the rural areas contributing significantly to the economy. Livestock sector, although half the size of crops, plays a crucial role in driving the agricultural gross value added (GVA) growth. This sector is contributing to the economy in a big way considering the higher rate of growth of the sector in comparison to the agriculture sector.

Presently, the GVA of the livestock sector has recorded an annual growth rate of around 6% at constant prices. The growth of the sector is more than the crop sector growth rate which was 1.65% annually. Its contribution to the Indian agriculture and economy is increasing steadily with a share of 30.47% in agriculture and allied sector GVA and 4.75% in the country’s total GVA.

According to basic animal husbandry statistics, 2023, out of the total meat production of 9.77 million ton (MT) in 2022-23, the share of poultry meat was 4.99 MT, contributing 51% of total output. The growth of poultry meat production has increased by 4.52% over previous year. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, India ranks 8th in the world in terms of meat production. The poultry sector in India is valued at more than $28 billion in 2021-22, according to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)’s vision document – 2047 for Indian poultry sector released recently. Over the years, the poultry sector in the country has witnessed a remarkable growth, with chicken meat growing at an annual growth rate of 8% in the last 15 years – 2006-2021-22, the report stated.

With rising disposable income and population, the demand for poultry products including chicken meat and eggs has been on rise. The sector has capitalized on this opportunity and expanded its production capability to meet the growing consumer demand. This significant transformation in the poultry sector has been attributed to the commercial poultry industry which accounts for 85% of the total poultry production and 15% is contributed by backyard poultry. The sector has witnessed a shift from the traditional backyard poultry models to a model production technique including integrated farming systems, contracting farming and value chain integration.

As the share of meat and egg eating population has increased by 6% during 2015 – 2021, the national family health survey -V, 2021, the demand for poultry and products is set to increase further. Currently, the per capita consumption of poultry products in the country (94 eggs per annum and chicken meat consumption is 4.2 kg per annum) is very low as compared to the Indian Council for Media Research (ICMR) recommended consumption level of 180 eggs and 10.8/kg poultry meat per person per annum. There is a need to bridge the gap between availability and requirements couples with large scale awareness campaigns.

For enhancing efficiency of the poultry sector, several measures are being undertaken to improve genetics and disease resistance breeds of poultry, disease prevention and surveillance, and supply of affordable feed which constitute 65% to 70% of the cost of production of meat remain a challenge. While stating that the domestic poultry industry is likely to grow at a steady pace of 8%-10% in 2023-24, consulting firm ICRA in March this year had stated that earnings of poultry companies are expected to be volatile owing to fluctuations in the raw material or feed costs, especially maize. ICRA has stated that due to rising worldwide demand for Indian maize as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and increased exports from India, maize prices have grown significantly by 32% on a year-on-year (YoY) basis in 2022-23, resulting in increase in average feed price.

Poultry feed mostly consists of maize, Bajra and broken rice (60-65%), soybean meal (30-35%) and nutrients. The mandi prices of maize because of rising demand for industrial use is ruling much above the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs.1962/quintal announced by the government for 2022-23 and Rs.2090/quintal for 2023-24 kharif season. Stating that there has been increasing diversion of maize towards industrial use and ethanol production, “the current growth level of maize and soybean production in the country will be insufficient to meet the demand of the poultry industry.” As the government plans to promote use of maize for ethanol, the poultry industry can face challenges in getting maize for feed.

Several poultry and livestock industry associations including All India Poultry Breeders Association, The Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers Association, Poultry Federation of India, Vets in Poultry, are now Pitching for the government to allow imports of GM maize and soybean because of ‘unprecedented increase’ in prices. Regional Poultry Associations have also urged the central government for reduction in import duty on maize and soybean to deal with feed supplies. The industry feared that the prices of maize would spike in the coming months as the diversion of these raw materials for ethanol production is expected to increase as the government has reduced allocation of sugarcane for biofuel production.

In August 2021, the government had relaxed import rules to allow the first shipment of 1.2 MT of genetically modified (GM) soymeal to support the domestic poultry industry after a record spike in feed prices. Poultry industry has requested that the Government should allow both import and cultivation of GM Soybeans and Maize to fulfill the requirement of these two major feed ingredients. The sustainable supplies of feed ingredients in coming years would be crucial for the growth of the poultry industry.

The Netherlands Business Support Offices (NBSO) in collaboration with the Agriculture Department of the Netherlands Embassy in India organised a pioneering technical session themed “India and The Netherlands – Towards a Sustainable Poultry Sector.” Held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) on November 22, 2023, the event convened esteemed experts and industry leaders to delve into the vital aspects of sustainable poultry practices.

The Show attracted good response from the elite of the Poultry industry with the galaxy of prime speakers in their respective field.The idea of Sustainability, which is a happening word around the world yet with limited and narrowed understanding of the How of it – is indeed a challenge!

The Dean, College of Veterinary Science and A.H., Veterinary University DUVASU Mathura – Prof (Dr.) Pankaj Kumar Shukla – a very popular and well-known figure in the industry – not only with in the government but excellent interaction with the active associations, federations and an excellent bridge between the government policies and the seamless benefits of the knowledge and technology to the private sector ultimately helping the farming community. Dr PK Shukla – made and exhaustive but points with a punch of how the Sustainability objectives in our poultry industry – which is more specific to it was brilliantly explained and shared.

Mr Bouke Hamminga (Director PasReforms) another seasoned traveler of India from the Netherlands threw light on how modern hatching technologies has an significant impact on the sustainable poultry production. There were new concepts that helped accelerate growth and increase profitability.

Mr Edouard Perrault, Director SASSO (Hendrix Genetics) shared his experience of how the genetic innovation and advancements were affecting the life of the rural farmer in the traditional colored bird farming in the tropical countries of Africa, Asia. This seems to have a positive impact on the Indian objective of doubling the farmers income. Easy management of the birds and solving generation of income and also addressing the nutritional requirements.

The Agricultural Counsellor of the Netherlands Embassy Mr. Michiel van Erkel is not a new face in these events over the past so many occasions at Poultry India.
The industry thanks him for offering such a beautiful platform for interaction between the Specialists, Industrialists and the government for the benefit of Poultry Industry. The moderator and the audience expressed their immense happiness and thankfulness for the efforts of Michiel in initiating such an event where his efforts to bind the countries in a useful exchange of idea and partnership for the growth of the industry. There were a good number of Dutch investors, companies and participants who always have appreciated such events.

Mr Selvan Kannan (Value Consultants) conducted the Moderation with seamless flair in ensuring interactions to bring out the best of the speakers and the august audience that were rapt in attention. All prominent media persons were present to partake the message on the latest on the sustainability!

The event concluded grandly with take home points and also gathering with dinner. Mr Rambabu from the NBSO did a good job in organizing this successfully once again as in continuation of several of them in the past.