Can you share your perspective on the current animal protein market in South Asia? What trends are you seeing in terms of growth, consumer preferences, and production?
Dr. Manish: South Asia’s animal protein market is booming, fueled by a burgeoning middle class, rapid urbanization, and a growing preference for protein-rich diets. Poultry reigns supreme, favored for its affordability and cultural acceptance, while convenient processed and ready-to-cook options are capturing the urban palate. Health-conscious consumers are increasingly seeking high-quality, antibiotic-free, and sustainably produced protein sources.
On the production side, the industry is embracing technological advancements, efficient feed management, and sustainable practices that boost productivity and meet surging domestic and export demand. While challenges such as rising feed costs, disease outbreaks and supply chain disruptions persist, the region’s animal protein sector is on the brink of transformative growth and innovation.
How do you prioritize regions within South Asia? Are there specific countries in the region showing the most potential for growth?
Dr. Manish: In South Asia, we prioritize countries based on a multi-faceted assessment. Factors like market size, livestock population growth, production trends (particularly in poultry, dairy, and aquaculture), and evolving consumer demand for protein are evaluated.
India is a key focus due to its massive market size, rapid growth in key sectors, and government initiatives supporting livestock development. Bangladesh presents significant opportunities, driven by the intersection of poultry and aquaculture production. Sri Lanka and Nepal also show promise as they embrace modern farming practices.
Ultimately, we prioritize markets where our innovative feed additives – organic trace minerals, enzymes, protected organic acids, and essential oils – can deliver the greatest impact on productivity, sustainability, and profitability for livestock producers. This involves a thorough evaluation of each country’s economic growth, feed industry development, and regulatory landscape. By collaborating closely with producers, feed millers, and industry stakeholders, we customize our approach to address each market’s unique needs, ensuring mutual growth and success across South Asia
How do you see technology impacting farming and nutrition in South Asia? Are there any specific technological trends or developments that are changing the industry?
Dr. Manish: Technology is reshaping South Asia’s animal farming and nutrition landscape. While IoT and AI adoption is still in its early stages, other impactful solutions are already driving significant advancements.
In animal nutrition, the use of innovative feed additives, such as organic trace minerals, enzymes, protected organic acids, and essential oils, is crucial. These solutions enhance nutrient absorption, support gut health, and minimize environmental impact by reducing nutrient excretion. Advanced feed formulation technologies are optimizing feed efficiency, lowering costs, and improving animal performance.
Genetic advancements and improved breeding programs are boosting productivity, while automation in feed mills is streamlining production and ensuring consistent quality. Furthermore, there’s a growing emphasis on sustainable practices, including reducing the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) through advanced nutritional strategies and by adopting circular farming models.
India’s livestock sector is evolving rapidly, demanding practical, reliable, cost-effective solutions that address local challenges. As the industry continues this path of modernization, technology will be indispensable for driving sustainable growth, ensuring resilience, and meeting the rising demand for animal protein.
You have been serving the Indian industry for more than two decades. Could you please share your observations on market changes?
Dr. Manish: India’s livestock industry has transformed significantly over the past two decades, driven by evolving consumer preferences, technological advancements, and a focus on efficiency and sustainability.
The poultry and dairy sectors have seen rapid growth, with poultry shifting to a more consolidated, integrated system. In contrast, dairy remains dominated by small and mid-sized farms but is gradually modernizing.
Animal nutrition has also evolved, with a shift from traditional feed to performance-driven solutions. Advanced feed additives like the intelligent nutrition solutions in the NOVUS product portfolio are increasingly valued for their ability to support gut health, enhance nutrient absorption and feed efficiency, and help mitigate rising feed costs.
Food safety, antibiotic reduction, and sustainability remain top priorities, with an increasing emphasis on export opportunities. With rising global demand for high-quality, affordable animal protein, India is well-positioned to expand its poultry, dairy, and aquaculture exports.
As the industry becomes more dynamic and competitive, continued consolidation, export growth, and sustainable nutrition solutions will be essential for long-term success.
Dairy is a relatively new business for Novus in India. Could you explain why the company decided to enter this segment now, and what has been the response so far?
Dr. Manish: NOVUS has always been committed to science-driven nutritional solutions that support animal health, well-being and performance so they can meet their full potential. India’s rapidly evolving dairy sector is at a crossroads. Producers are ready to add new technologies and best management practices to their operations. We know we have the expertise that will make a difference in production and profitability.
As the world’s largest milk producer, India’s dairy industry faces challenges like reproduction and production inefficiencies, lameness, and high somatic cell counts, all of which impact profitability. Our solutions specifically address these issues by supporting reproductive performance, hoof health, and milk yield and quality.
To harness this potential, we have reinforced our dairy team by expanding sales and technical services. The response has been highly positive, with dairy producers recognizing the value of our science-backed solutions and our team’s expertise. We remain committed to supporting the industry with innovations that drive efficiency, profitability, and sustainability.
What opportunities or gaps do you see in the South Asian poultry market that
your company is well-positioned to capitalize on?
Dr. Koushik: The South Asian poultry market is growing rapidly, driven by rising protein demand, urbanization, and a gradual shift toward processed meat. However, there are opportunities for the poultry industry to grow further which we at NOVUS are well- positioned to address.
Meat Quality and Food Safety: As the market evolves more towards processing, meat quality and safety have become critical. Many customers face challenges such as poor meat and carcass quality and shelf life. With science-backed solutions like MINTREX® Bis-Chelated Trace Minerals, we are uniquely equipped to help producers improve meat quality, reduce losses, and meet processing standards.
Knowledge Gap in Processing: Many producers are still navigating the transition from live bird sales to processed meat. We provide technical expertise and training to help customers optimize their production systems and improve overall meat quality and productivity.
Sustainability and Cost Efficiency: Feed costs remain a major concern in South Asia. CIBENZA® Enzyme Feed Additives, along with the xylanase enzyme solution from our BioResource International Inc. (BRI) acquisition can help producers optimize feed efficiency while reducing environmental impact—addressing both economic and sustainability goals.
Gut Health and Welfare Management: Gut health challenges like coccidiosis, necrotic enteritis, and issues like footpad dermatitis and compromised skin integrity are prevalent in the region. AVIMATRIX® Feed Solution and NEXT ENHANCE® Feed Solution not only optimize bird’s gut health but also support welfare standards, which are becoming a growing focus for global exporters and consumers.
In summary, we see ourselves as more than a feed additive supplier—we are a reliable partner focused on addressing the region’s unique challenges through research, innovation, and close customer collaboration.
Please explain the concept of Made of More™ and what it means to get ‘more from raw materials.
Dr. Koushik: Made of More™ embodies our commitment to helping our customers achieve greater value, efficiency, and sustainability from their operations through experts around the world and intelligent nutrition solutions that offer more than what many expect from feed additives. It reflects NOVUS’ philosophy of going beyond the basics and unlocking the untapped potential in animal nutrition.
Getting ‘more from raw materials’ involves optimizing feed ingredient nutrition to enhance animal performance and profitability—improving nutrient absorption, feed conversion efficiency, and minimizing waste while supporting animal health and productivity
In short, Made of More™ is about innovation, efficiency, and partnership—delivering solutions that help producers unlock more value from their resources, from raw materials to production systems, while driving long-term sustainability and profitability in the poultry industry.
Managing ingredient variability is a major concern for feed millers and integrators. Novus has been conducting training sessions on this topic. Could you share more details?
Dr. Koushik: Ingredient variability is indeed a critical challenge for feed millers and integrators, particularly in South Asia, where raw material quality fluctuates due to seasonal changes, sourcing practices, and supply chain disruptions. We recognize the impact of variability on feed quality, animal performance, and profitability, which is why we’ve been conducting targeted training sessions to address this issue that include analysis of nutrient composition and quality differences in raw materials like corn, soybean meal, dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), etc. By utilizing advanced testing and analytical tools like near-infrared (NIR) analysis, we help them pinpoint the root causes of variability such as antinutritional factors like trypsin inhibitors in soybean meal and their effects on feed formulation and animal performance.
We also help feed millers with dynamic formulation techniques that account for ingredient variability. With tools like matrix adjustments for enzymes (e.g., CIBENZA® Enzyme Feed Additives) and mineral optimization (e.g., MINTREX® Bis-Chelated Trace Minerals), we demonstrate how to maintain consistent nutrient profiles in feed while optimizing costs.
Through these training sessions, we aim to equip feed millers and integrators with the knowledge to make informed decisions, diversify ingredient sourcing, and enhance overall feed efficiency and profitability.
How do you foresee the role of the poultry industry in South Asia evolving, and how is your company preparing to meet future demands?
Dr. Koushik: South Asia is becoming a key player in global poultry exports. This growth will require adherence to stringent international quality and safety standards. We are committed to supporting producers through technical expertise, meat quality improvement training, and innovative solutions.
At NOVUS, we are prepared to meet these future demands by continuing to invest in research and development, building strong partnerships with our customers, universities, and research agencies, and delivering cutting-edge, sustainable solutions. Our goal is not to just adapt to these changes but to lead the transformation of the South Asian poultry industry toward a more efficient, sustainable, and profitable future.
