October 19, 2023
Empowered event spotlights feed additives, digital solutions for Philippine feed sector's challenges
A series of presentations highlighting Cargill's combined feed additives capabilities consisting of Diamond V, Delacon and Provimi were featured in a recent event — called "Empowered: Unlocking Nutrition Solutions for the Feed Industry" — in Manila, the Philippines, on October 4.
The event's agenda was to share about integrated digital applications and feed additive solutions, said Gilles Houdart, global additives business director, in his opening address.
"Our deep expertise in science-based nutrition, combined with our passion to innovate with purpose and our enhanced additives capabilities through acquired businesses and partnerships, will be key to maximising animal production and performance and delivering safe and sustainable food to Filipino consumers," Houdart stated.
To further improve animal health and nutrition in the Philippines and worldwide, the integrated offerings and solutions of Diamond V, Delacon and Provimi provide the biggest science-based feed additives portfolio that better serve customers, he highlighted.
"We believe in delivering the right feed for the right animals at the right time," Houdart remarked. Driven by this aspiration, the team will continue to explore and unlock the full potential of the Microverse™, a notion centred on micro-nutrients and organic matters found within living organisms. These elements are of fundamental importance to animal digestive health.
The featured presentations thus offered contexts in which the utilisation of these solutions would be viable. The first presentation, "Current Challenges in the Philippines Feed Industry," was made by Dr. Benito A. Oliveros, in-country representative of the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC) office in the Philippines.
Dr. Oliveros pointed out the country's yellow corn production is not expected to sufficiently meet the feed industry's needs. Tackling the challenges the Philippines' agriculture industry faces would require government policies favouring long-term solutions. A "sustainable and efficient" production can then be achieved, leading to food security and better welfare of the Filipino farmer, Dr. Oliveros opined.
In the presentation, "Special Soy Protein for Greater Gut Health," Dr. Ji-Hoon Kim, senior technology lead for pork, showed how Provisoy can mitigate the difficulties of a piglet's weaning period. The soy protein uses multiple modes of action to help piglets efficiently digest protein, enabling optimal gut health for better stool quality, uniform growth and improved profitability, Dr. Kim explained.
Clement Soulet, anti-mycotoxin global category lead, shared about Notox's mycotoxin prevalence assessment and other products during the presentation, "Mycotoxin Risk Management for Optimum Animal Performance."
The final presentation, "Digital Transformation for Precise Nutrition and Feed Design," was delivered by Joy Mariquilla, South and Southeast Asia technology and technical services manager.
In her takeaway message, Mariquilla noted that the digital transformation wave has arrived and can empower industry players to revolutionise the creation of "efficient, sustainable feed design" for livestock and poultry. The digitalisation of data, specifically, can support the better management of knowledge towards "precise nutrition" insights.
Most major companies in the Philippines "have their own digital transformation plan," Mariquilla commented when asked by eFeedLink during a Q&A segment about the adoption of modern digital applications by domestic livestock and feed producers. However, the pace of digital transformation appears slower when it comes to animal nutrition.
Arguing for a more realistic view of digital transformation and the importance of data collection, Mariquilla remarked: "Sometimes, people think that by just digitising tools, they are already (on the path of) digital transformation — it's beyond that."
- Terry Tan, eFeedLink
