During an event held between Vietnamese and Norwegian fishery firms, experts advised that the fisheries sector in Việt Nam should use more seafood by-products such as bones, heads and skin to add value to the industry. Trần Đình Luân, deputy general director of the Directorate of Fisheries, said that the country’s high-quality seafood was exported to many countries, but that Marine Rest Raw Materials could be used to make other products such as animal feeds, thus yielding more profits and reducing the need for discharge of waste.

Global investment firm Permira and Grobest have announced that a new joint venture company backed by Permira funds will acquire 50% of the shares of Grobest, and will become the sole corporate shareholder of Grobest after closing. The investment in Grobest is the result of Permira’s continued thematic focus on the food value chain and specifically on aquaculture. “We are very pleased to partner with the pioneering team at Grobest, a real R&D leader in advanced aquatic functional feed and health products in Asia, and work closely with them to unlock the company’s full potential on the global journey ahead."

Alltech has officially opened its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Pune, India. The Pune facility was designed to cater not only to the local market but to South Asia and Southeast Asia, Australia and Europe as well. The plant spans a total area of 132,000 square feet and employs 50 full-time team members. The facility features modern scientific technology and utilizes advanced quality systems. With a production capacity of 25,000 tons per year, it is the largest organic trace mineral plant in Asia.

Nutriad has announced the appointment of Mr. Goud Dhanunjaya as Regional Sales Manager Aquaculture for the Indian sub-continent (ISC). The move is part of the continuous strategic expansion of Nutriad into the rapidly developing aquaculture market, aiming to have experienced local staff in key markets.

Evonik is inviting feed and feed additive producers to utilize a new state-of-the-art feed mill in Vietnam, which was designed to produce pelleted trial feeds. The feed mill, a scientific collaboration between Evonik and Nong Lam University, is dedicated to research trials and provides a valuable resource to foster technological advancement of a more sustainable feed industry in the country. “The feed mill is also open to other companies that wish to test their products. Evonik alone will not be able to provide all of the solutions. We have, to a certain extent, specialized and concentrated on probiotics while other companies specialize in organic acids and alternative products. These need to be tested, compared and checked, and this is why we are looking for partners.”

The acquisition represents De Heus’ entry in the Indonesian animal feed market.

A state-of-the-art feed mill for production of pelleted trial feeds has opened at Nong Lam University, Vietnam, as part of a scientific collaboration with Evonik. The facility will produce mash feed for research trials and is designed for handling various small batches, while minimizing cross-contamination. As well as providing a basis for better research, the feed mill will also be an important teaching resource. “The collaboration with Evonik will put us at the forefront of animal nutrition research in Vietnam. The company’s global R&D expertise complements our existing capabilities, and together we can drive more innovative solutions for the future.”

Nutriad has set forth plans to increase its market share in China. In addition to recently upgrading its local production facilities and investing in people, product development and quality systems, the company participated at VIV China in Nanjing to interact with customers, distributors and key opinion leaders. “Not only because of the size of the market, but also because of the challenges Chinese producers face, we are confident that we can accelerate our growth in China with the practical solutions we offer and the local technical support available through our direct interaction with customers as well as via our extensive distributor network.”

BASF has released Natuphos® E, a new generation phytase which helps aquaculture animals, pigs, and poultry better utilize phosphorous and other key nutrients. BASF will be launching the product in Vietnam, and BIOMIN Vietnam will be responsible for the distribution in the country.