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www.benisonmedia.com  INTERVIEW                                            Think Grain Think Feed - Volume 11 | Issue 12 | Oct 2025  excellent logistics   consumption, and     are expanding, while                                   www.benisonmedia.com

                                                                                                                                Think Grain Think Feed - Volume 11 | Issue 12 | Oct 2025
            De Heus Brings Global Expertise

                                                                                                                               connectivity, and a large base
                                                                                                                                                                                     South houses integrated
                                                                                                                                                         government initiatives
                                                                                                                                                                                     large-scale farms. Feed is
                                                                                                                                                         supporting dairy, poultry,
            to Indian Livestock
                                                                                                                               of dairy and poultry farmers
                                                                                                                                                                                     largely price-driven,
                                                                                                                                                         and aquaculture sectors are
                                                                                                                               open to innovation. Our
                                                                                                                               investment in Rajpura
                                                                                                                               reinforces our commitment to  commercial feed, while feed
                                                                                                                                                                                     basemix, and pelleted
                                                                                                                               localizing production,    fueling demand for          focused on concentrates,
                                                                                                                                                         quality and efficiency are
                                                                                                                                                                                     rearing feed.
                                               With a rich heritage spanning more   progress of the agricultural sector and    sourcing raw materials    becoming key differentiators.
                                               than three centuries, Royal De Heus has   improve food security by supporting                                                       Dairy / Ruminants:
                                               grown into one of the world's most   independent farmers worldwide.             domestically, and creating   Overall Trends:        ·   Dairy (CAGR 8.6%) –
                                               respected names in animal nutrition.                                            jobs within the regional   ·   India has the largest and   Medium and large farms
                                                                                 Today, De Heus operates over 100              economy.
                                               Headquartered in the Netherlands, this                                                                      one of the fastest-growing   are the main users of
                                                                                 production facilities in more than 20
                                               family-owned company operates over a                                            The new facility allows us to   populations in the world.   commercial feed,
                                                                                 countries, employing 13,000 people
                                               hundred production sites across                                                 deliver high-quality,       Combined with low but     particularly in North and
                                                                                 and producing over 13.5 million tons of
                                               twenty countries, supplying feed,                                               customized nutrition faster   increasing per-capita   West India. Increasing milk
                                                                                 feed annually. Our products are
                                               premixes, and nutritional solutions to                                          and more efficiently to     consumption, this drives   prices and focus on yield,
                                                                                 distributed across 75 countries,
                                               farmers in seventy-five markets.                                                farmers across North        strong local demand.      fertility, and animal health
                                                                                 supporting farmers in poultry,
                                               Guided by a commitment to quality,                                              India—one of the most     ·   Feed adoption varies by   are driving compound
                                                                                 ruminant, swine, and aquaculture
                                               innovation, and sustainable growth,                                             attractive multi-species    species: high in poultry,   feed adoption.
                                                                                 sectors.
                                               De Heus has steadily expanded its                                               markets in the country. The   medium in aquaculture   Smallholder farms
                                                                                 De Heus India represents an important         region's population—about
                                               global footprint—including a strategic                                                                      and ruminants, and low in   dominate but are
                                                                                 chapter in this global story. We began        350 million in 2019 and
                                               focus on Asia.                                                                                              swine.                    gradually transitioning to
                                                                                 operations here in 2017 with a small          growing at a CAGR of
                                               In an exclusive interaction with Think                                                                    ·   The country is a net    commercial feed usage.
                                                                                 rented plant in Rajpura, Punjab, and          roughly two
                                               Grain Think Feed, Rutger Oudejans,                                                                          exporter of animal         Ruminants – With a very
                                                                                 have steadily expanded—through toll-          percent—represents a vast
                                               Managing Director, De Heus India,                                                                           protein—especially      large cattle and buffalo
                                                                                 milling partnerships in Assam and             and diverse consumer base.
                                               discusses the company's legacy, its new                                                                     shrimp, buffalo meat, and   population, there is strong
                                                                                 Maharashtra, and now our own                  While North India's GDP per
                                               Rajpura facility, the evolving Indian feed                                                                  some poultry            potential for feed adoption,
                                                                                 greenfield factory in Rajpura. India's        capita (around USD 1,480) is
                                               market, and how De Heus is shaping                                                                          products—which provides   especially among medium-to-
                                                                                 growing population, rising protein            slightly lower than the
                                               the future of sustainable livestock                                                                         additional growth       large farms. North and West
                                                                                 demand, and government focus on               national average, it includes
                                               production in the country.                                                                                  opportunities.          India lead in commercial feed
                                                                                 modernizing agriculture align                 both high-income states like
                                               Could you briefly introduce De Heus   perfectly with our long-term vision of    Punjab and lower-income   ·   Regions differ in growth   usage due to larger farm sizes
                                               and its global footprint, and how De   enabling sustainable, efficient          states like Uttar Pradesh. This   potential: the North and   and organized dairy
                                               Heus India fits into the company's   livestock farming.                         diversity makes it a balanced   East offer high     operations.
                                               broader vision?                                                                                             addressable markets due   Swine:
                                                                                 What were the key drivers behind De           and dynamic market for
                                               De Heus is a family-owned company   Heus India's decision to expand with        livestock feed. The region   to medium-to-large farms,   ·   CAGR 1.7% – Smallest
                                               with a legacy that traces back more   a new manufacturing facility in           also holds some of India's   while the South and West   sector, with most pigs fed
                                               than 300 years to our milling roots in   Rajpura?                               largest populations of dairy   are more mature but    on starter feed and hotel
                                                   the Netherlands. Over the                                                   cows, broilers, and layers,   stable markets.         waste. North and East
                                                                                 India is at the heart of De Heus' global
                                                     centuries, we have evolved                                                offering immense potential   Poultry:                 show slightly higher feed
                                                                                 growth strategy. It is the world's most
                                                      from a local miller into a fully                                         for growth across multiple                            adoption. Growth comes
                                                                                 populous nation and one of the fastest-                                 ·   Broilers (CAGR 4.7%) –
                                                       integrated global animal                                                species.                                              from gradual conversion
                                                                                 growing major economies, with GDP                                         India is the 5th largest
                                                        nutrition group—offering                                                                                                     to commercial feed.
                                                                                 growth expected around 6.9 percent in         How do you assess the       chicken producer. North
                                                        compound feed, premixes,                                                                                                   Aquaculture:
                                                                                 2025. The country is already the eighth-      current scope and potential   and East are key
                                                        concentrates, and feed
                                                                                 largest animal feed market globally,          of the Indian livestock and   addressable markets, while   ·   CAGR 7.9% – Driven by
                                                         specialties for a wide
                                                                                 and the total feed demand is                  poultry feed market? Which   the South and West are   rising shrimp and fish
                                                         range of species.
                                                                                 forecasted to grow at a 6.3 percent           trends are most significant   more integrated and     consumption. East and
                                                          What makes De Heus     CAGR to 2030.                                 right now?                  mature. Growth is driven   South coasts dominate
                                                          unique is the                                                                                    by professionalization of   production. Many small
                                                                                 We see enormous potential in India's          The Indian livestock and
                                                          combination of                                                                                   farms and increasing use   and medium farms are still
                                                                                 livestock sector. The factors are             poultry feed market offers
                                                           entrepreneurial agility,                                                                        of commercial feed.       non-users of compound
                                                                                 compelling—an expanding middle                enormous potential, driven by
                                                           short decision lines, and                                                                                                 feed, representing a
                                                                                 class, increasing health and protein          the country's growing     ·   Layers (CAGR 4.4%) – Egg
                                                           deep technical expertise                                                                                                  significant growth
                                                                                 awareness, government support for             population, rising incomes,   consumption per capita is
                                                            that comes with being a                                                                                                  opportunity.
                                                                                 agri-industries, and a young, dynamic         and evolving consumer       about one-third of the
                                                            family-run business.   workforce.                                  preferences toward protein-  global average, leaving   Key Regional Drivers:
            Rutger Oudejans                                  We are driven by a                                                rich diets. Urbanization,   significant room for
                                                              single mission—to   Punjab offers several advantages:                                                                ·   North India is a highly
                                                                                 strong agricultural infrastructure,           increased per-capita        growth. North and East    attractive multi-species
                                                              contribute to the
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