Several messages relating to sustainability and decarbonization of animal protein production in Asia have come our way. What is evident is that the biggest seismic shift globally in food trends, is happening in Asia. By 2030, Asians will be spending up to USD 8.4 trillion on food and 55% of the purchase decisions will be guided by conscious behavior related to health and environmental awareness. A key trigger in our industry in the past week has been food inflation. It has raised the heckles of consumers and producers prompting associations and governments to step in with potential solutions to minimize the impact.

Disease and high costs hamper the competitiveness of the Asian shrimp farming industry. Still, it is at a stage where sustainability must be concerned.

In this podcast, Marc Campet shares how functional feed can alleviate disease and environmental challenges at shrimp ponds. He also addresses the savings shrimp producers can realize from using this new feed line.

Marc Campet oversees aquaculture commercial development for Asia at ADM. He has been with the company for 20 years and has been based in Vietnam since 1995. Marc has held various positions from the technical field to R&D, and he currently manages ADM’s aquaculture product portfolio and coordinates innovation in the region.

Climate change, the nudge towards clean energy and environmental awareness are coming together to give livestock agriculture a ‘green moment’ and Asia is in a sweet spot currently, as it grows. As countries learn to live within a Covid-19 endemic state and the livestock industry swings back to life, producers who have survived the crisis are gravitating towards sustainable farming and processing systems, in response to the demands of the growing affluent Asian consumer.

Higher shipping costs and longer delivery times have further fractured supply chains. Ports in Asia are congested amid logistics disruptions, container shortages, stringent checks and Covid-19 infections. Given this situation, some producers have tuned their focus to regional markets.

In this podcast, Rupert Claxton, a consultant discusses:

• Regional market potential in Asia
• Opportunities and challenges of the target markets
• The potential for regional trade
• Strategies to regain market share
• Future situation for the industry

 Rupert Claxton is Meat Director at Gira. He has worked as a strategy consultant in the food sector since joining Gira in 2003, with a high level of specialization in global meat markets, especially in the developing world.

The way poultry meat is purchased and consumed in Asia is changing. Prompted by the pandemic, the shift away from traditional live bird markets has been swift. Consumers are leaning towards convenience, food safety and health. This has led to greater technology adoption in primary processing. In this podcast on how the poultry processing landscape is evolving, Pete van Poorten, Meyn Global Food Processing Technology’s Global Product Manager and Mukanjay Singh, Meyn India’s Director highlight how:

• There is a paradigm shift with wet market purchase being quickly replaced by clean, hygienic, processed retail products. Food safety has taken precedence for consumers.

• The Covid-19 pandemic made both producers and processors realize the volatility of the poultry market. Whether it’s Covid or other avian influenza, stakeholders cannot afford ongoing price fluctuations, thus an efficient processing and storage set up is needed.

• Lockdowns raised labor issues, leading to more demand and adoption of automation to stem acute supply shortage.

• Rapid increase in demand due to population growth is imminent and the best way to move forward is by adopting technology, which can also help control production wastage while offering value to less popular cuts.

Mr van Poorten’s vast background as process technologist and quality manager at meat processing plants makes him an expert in optimizing automation in this sector. Meanwhile, Mr Mukanjay’s broad network in India and Sri Lanka gives him an edge in international management, market access, strategic alliances and business development.

Livestock, feed, and meat producers wait in anticipation as we enter the last quarter of 2021, hoping for a change in the current economic and social situation. Our homepage feature this week, focused on the grave issue of food inflation. This combined with supply chain disruptions, labor crunches and rising feed prices, are fanning concern among producers, of even higher production costs. But amidst these challenges, we see the feed sector in Vietnam morphing to take on a regional supplier role, while a joint venture between De Heus and Janu Putra is on track to develop a safe chicken supply chain and help meet growing broiler PS demand in Indonesia.

Technology development and poultry producers’ need for higher quality day-old chicks have led to changes in the poultry hatchery industry in the region.

In this podcast, Bas Kanters discusses:

• The migration from multi-stage to single-stage incubation systems and factors driving it.
• New post-hatch feeding concept and its benefits.
• Asian market’s response towards the new concept.

Mr Kanters is Sales Director Asia at Royal Pas Reform.

Across the region, we see poultry supply chains contracting and producers readjusting their business models to swing sustainably in the current economic and social environment. While the pig sector was the forerunner due to ASF, our ground-up reports in these past few weeks show similar contractions in feed and meat retail. As lockdowns continue to wreak havoc, we see chicken meat consumption and prices tumbling, and in some instances supply surpassing demand.

Energy costs have steadily increased for livestock farmers across Asia, making this a good time to think about how better design and renewable energy sources can increase efficiencies and save money.

Asian Agribiz spoke to Jaap ten Have, Business Development Sales Manager of Big Dutchman Asia on how animal housing can be made more energy efficient.

This podcast touches on:

• Key areas in which energy efficiency gains can be made
• How better design can improve energy costs
• The ways in which farmers can choose the right renewable energy source that works best for them.

Many things have changed around consumption, production, and marketing of animal protein products in the last two years. When ASF hit the region, the scramble for alternative animal protein reached new levels and we saw investments in poultry and duck production, as well as conversion of some pig farms into duck operations. Companies the likes of Japfa Comfeed, CP Foods, Mavin, Leong Hup and smaller players like Sentra, Go Cong and many more have bucked the evolving consumption trends, focusing on the new-age consumer. They have s pushed forward with novel products, packaging, and digital retail offerings, triggered by the desire for convenience and restrictions imposed by the pandemic.