June 4, 2008
Kiotech to commercialise Aquatice in Southeast Asia upon successful trials
With the successful completion of a seven-month trial on catfishes in Southern Thailand, Kiotech International is now ready to take its product - Aquatice to market.
Aquatice is Kiotech's product to enhance the rate of growth and feed conversion in catfish (Clarias sp.).
The trail is one of a number of Aquatice trials being carried out on a range of fish species in South East Asia and the first on catfish. The Aquatice treated ponds delivered double the number of large catfish, which command a premium price in the market and a significantly higher total yield and marked improvement in the feed conversion ratio compared with the control ponds, the company said.
The catfish from the Aquatice treated ponds generated revenues over 30 percent greater than the catfish from the control ponds. Kiotech has recently agreed to work with Bayer HealthCare in Vietnam, where 70 percent of Southeast Asia's catfishes are farmed.
The company has already completed a series of tests on other species over the past 18 months.
The company said it would conduct further trials with additional species but current results already show enough evidence to convince the company to commercialise the product for those species they tested.
Kiotech is currently negotiating with distributors of the product, particulary in south-east Asia and is seeking approval from governments in South East Asia.
Kiotech International plc supplies high-performance, natural feed additives to enhance health, growth and sustainability in aquaculture and agriculture.