Page 19 - Think Grain Think Feed - July 25

www.benisonmedia.com INTERVIEW Think Grain Think Feed - Volume 11 | Issue 9 | July 2025 Think Grain Think Feed - Volume 11 | Issue 9 | July 2025 connectivity, foster academic www.benisonmedia.com

sold directly to key clients,
partnerships, and expand
while our aquaculture range
is distributed across the
CLFMA's national footprint.
coastal belt—from Tamil
As CLFMA Chairman, what
Nadu to West Bengal and
Gujarat.
strengthen the industry?
We entered the feed initiatives have you led to
A key priority has been
supplement segment quite building stronger
early. Back then, hardly engagement between
anyone was familiar with academia and industry. We
probiotic cultures. India was formed a technical
still cultivating its indigenous committee of subject experts
tiger prawn (monodon) and launched a postgraduate
species and producing just essay competition across
around 80,000 tonnes four sectors—dairy, aqua,
annually. It was a niche poultry, andswine. We
market with limited received 148 entries, and
understanding of winners will be recognized at
aquaculture at the time. our upcoming symposium.
How did your association This initiative aims to attract
with CLFMA begin and young talent to the sector,
evolve? which often gets
My association with CLFMA overshadowed by
began in 2012, when I companion animal care.
became the first member to
represent the aquaculture
sector. In the early years, I
mostly observed and learned
from senior members. Later,
during Mr. Bhave's
Raising the Voice of Livestock: manufacturing and chairmanship, I served as
Secretary, during that period
eventually establishing our
CLFMA's Media and Policy Momentum own production facilities. we strengthened ties with
government
This backward integration
enabled us to develop ministries—elevating our
dialogue from assistant
Industry associations play a vital role Engineer and initially ventured into proprietary formulations for commissioner-level officers
in bridging the gap between manufacturing packaging materials for both animal and human to senior officials in the
policymakers and the industry. In this the pharmaceutical industry around health, leading to the Departments of Animal
exclusive coverage, Think Grain Think 1990. While this had some overlap formation of Herbs Health Husbandry and Commerce.
Feed connects with Divya Kumar with the health sector, my entry into Biotech Pvt. Ltd. We also Subsequently, I served as
Gulati, Founder of Nurture Technology aquaculture came in 1997. We were operate a joint venture in Deputy Chairman during Mr.
and Chairman of the CLFMA of India. the first to introduce probiotic culture Bangladesh, manufacturing Neeraj Srivastava's and Mr
He shares his personal journey, how in India, distributing products for the specialized products for Suresh Deora's tenure, where
he's fulfilling the association's US-based Epicore Bio Networks Inc to shrimp hatcheries.
I was responsible for feed
mandate, and the new initiatives shrimp hatcheries and farms. Today, we have a total work
supplement import
bringing the livestock sector into the Over the years, our reach expanded force of more than 100 approvals and liasoning with
national spotlight—especially among into Bangladesh. Around 2004–2005, people and our business the Department of Animal
mainstream media and policymakers. we diversified into the Poultry and spans more than 25 Husbandry and Dairying and
Could you share your personal Ruminantssectors by distributing countries, including also the Department of
Divya Kumar Gulati journey and how you entered this products from Azomite and Desert Southeast Asia, the Middle Fisheries. Last year, I
industry? King, both American companies. By East, Africa, and South assumed the role of
I began my career as an Electronics 2011, we began manufacturing our America. In India, our poultry Chairman with a clear vision
own products—starting with contract and ruminants products are to enhance industry
18 19