April 1, 2019
DSM Asia Pacific: Speaking the diverse language of customers
Across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, there is still much room to optimise animal production. In addition, many markets are still growing, the human population is rising, and it is consuming more protein. Fidelis Fru, Senior Director, Marketing, Nutritional Solutions and Innovation Sales, DSM Animal Nutrition and Health, APAC, highlighted these growing opportunities in an interview with eFeedLink at VIV Asia 2019.
Dr. Fru shared further insights on where he sees differing opportunities across the APAC region: "In India & Bangladesh the market is witnessing strong CFE growth. So both markets offer us huge opportunities, depending on whether you are talking in terms of absolute volume, or growth rate. In Thailand, where there is generally an overcapacity of animal-derived food production, with exports contributing significantly to growth, a different strategy is required. In Japan special market characteristics are seen. So, whether it is in regard to per capita income growth, or level of market industrialisation, there are still many opportunities for science and technology to optimise animal production."
Accordingly, DSM would find local solutions together with their customers, and staff are required to "speak the language of customers". "For example, when finding a solution for a broiler producer, our staff would be familiar with broiler nutrition, husbandry, and the entire process of poultry production, and would convert our recipe of nutrients and additives into a tailored solution for the customer," Dr. Fru illustrates.
Similarly, with antibiotic reduction or elimination continuing as a hot topic in the industry, Dr. Fru adds, "AGPs have had been a simple solution to a complex problem. Understandably, their replacement would require our staff to look at all areas concerned with nutrition, biosecurity and farm management. Together with the customer, we will find an appropriate solution. Very progressively, we have been expanding our range of eubiotic solutions."
Most recently in 2018, DSM and Novozymes launched the world's first 'gut-cleaning' enzyme BalanciusTM for broilers.
More on poultry
Related to the subject of antibiotic reduction or elimination is the discussion on gastrointestinal functionality. "At DSM, there are two pillars to how we address issues relating to gastrointestinal functionality. One is ensuring the effective digestion of nutrients. Two is assessing how the customer can utilise nutrients in the feed in order to feed their birds more effectively, thereby addressing cost pressure issues and sustainability," points out Santiago Ramirez, Regional Marketing - Poultry.
Indeed, DSM has noted that recent volatility in raw material prices in the APAC region has resulted in cost pressure issues for customers, and Dr. Ramirez explains how DSM is helping.
"When customers purchase a certain raw material, corn, for example, DSM studies the variation in nutrient profile, and working with various stakeholders, we provide a complete solution matching a technical assessment of the nutrition in the material, with a better ROI on what they purchase," he says.
David Zhu, Regional Technical Manager (Enzymes), cites a specific example for corn. "We continue to study how the cell wall is broken down and how starch can be better digested by enzymes. For fast-growing broilers, we still see room for improvement from the current digestibility of 85-88%. DSM continues to conduct trials worldwide as well as in the APAC region to show how improvements in metabolisable energy and broiler performance could be made," Dr. Zhu elaborates.
Dr. Ramirez adds: "We've also realised that for many alternative raw materials in the APAC region, not much information is available to customers. We use science and technology to understand how feed millers and farmers can use those raw materials more effectively to achieve better performance at the farm level. Science is at the core of the DSM alliance with Novozymes, where we together find specific solutions for specific raw materials to extract the most nutritional value we can get for our customers."
A recent development, specific for the South Asian region, shares Dr. Zhu, is RONOZYME® VAX. "VAX is developed specifically for poultry diets in South Asia, considering the local raw materials available. For broilers, VAX maximises energy utilisation, whilst for layers its use results in fewer dirty eggs and better FCR."
