Disclaimer: This is a 6-year-old interview with Dr Genda Lal
Jain, managing director of Venco Research and Breeding Farms, which was
published by Cobb Vantress in its newsletter.
Bright
prospects for growth of chicken industry in India
Breeding
for Local Market
Cobb’s
Indian partner Venkateshwara Hatcheries Group is unique in developing its own
breeds which have achieved great success in the Indian market. Cobb Focus asked
Dr Genda Lal Jain, managing director of Venco Research and Breeding Farms,
about the breeding program and how this has met the challenge of local market.
What are your targets in breeding
broilers for the Indian market?
Dr Jain:
The main objective of our breeding program is to develop our product in the same
environment and husbandry conditions in which the farmers and breeders are
keeping their birds. All the pedigree birds are reared in open-sided houses
exposed to vagaries of nature and on similar husbandry practices, feed and
feeding practices as adopted by Indian broiler farmers. Almost 98 percent of
the broilers and about 85 percent of the breeders are kept in open-sided houses
in India. Major emphasis in the breeding program is given to feed efficiency,
livability and growth rate.
How important
is breeder performance?
Dr Jain:
India has been traditionally a chick selling market for several years. However,
now the things are changing. Almost half the broilers are reared by the
breeders in an integrated setup using contract farming. This makes both breeder
and broiler performance equally important.
How important is broiler growth and
feed efficiency, and using what type of feed?
Dr Jain:
Typically in India the broilers are marketed at the weight of 1.8 to 2.2 kg (4
to 4.9 lb) in different parts of the country. This growth is generally achieved
in 35-40 days of age. With the rise in the feed prices, the feed efficiency has
become the most important trait for the customers. In fact, the breed decision
is largely based on the feed efficiency of the product and Vencobb has the best
feed efficiency compared to Ross 308, AA Plus and Hubbard, which are sold in
the Indian market. The broiler diets typically used in India would have energy
levels of about 3000 Kcal with about 20-22% protein depending on the prices of
the ingredients.
How important is meat yield?
Dr Jain:
With the vast majority of chickens marketed live, there is no concept of white
meat and dark meat. Birds are sold on live weight basis and freshly dressed at
the shop. Consumers in India choose birds with a blooming breast rather for
meat yield. Meat yield is just perception of the consumer based on the bird’s
appearance. However, in processing sector where chicken meat is sold to
institutions and fast food outlets, meat yield is important.
What is the extent of your research
activities?
Dr Jain:
Venco has a full-fledged pedigree program with certain product lines and other
experimental lines. All major product lines are on fast-track program feeding
the pipeline every eight weeks. All major traits of economic importance for the
Indian market are measured and evaluated, with the emphasis placed on different
traits in the selection program according to market requirements. Currently
Venco is marketing three products. Vencobb100 is known for its high chick
numbers and reasonably good feed efficiency. Vencobb400 has reasonably good
breast meat yield and feed conversion besides excellent breeder performance.
Vencobb400Y has highest breast meat yield and better feed conversion along with
excellent breeder performance. Currently Vencobb400Y is the most popular
product in India due to its all-round performance.
How much are genomics featuring today
and in near future?
Dr Jain:
Currently we are not working on genomics. In future, we may take this up with
the help from Cobb.
How are chickens mainly sold - whole,
parts, processed, fresh or frozen?
Dr Jain: Almost 96 percent of broilers produced in
India are sold as live and fresh dressed as whole. About 2 percent is sold as
frozen either as whole chicken or parts as cut-ups. Another 2 percent is
further processed as deboned meat for QSR’s like McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut,
Dominos and Subway.
How important is a chicken in typical
Indian diet?
Dr Jain: India is a country with multiple languages
and culture with different food habits across the nation. Chicken is not an
integral part of the typical Indian diet. Approximately 25 percent of the
population is strictly vegetarian not consuming any type of meat or eggs. Those
who are non-vegetarian also don’t eat meat every day. Depending on their
purchasing power, some would eat once or twice a week and others may eat once
or twice a month. Beef is not normally marketed in India except the buffalo
meat. Mutton has become very expensive due to a paucity of grazing land. Pork
is not normally consumed in India. Therefore, chicken is the only and cheap
alternative for meat eaters. In fact, QSRs like McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominos
and Subway primarily use only chicken in their products, which will help to
give chicken very bright prospects for growth in the Indian market.
‘Total support’ for Indian poultry
industry
Venco is a joint venture between Cobb and
Venkateshwara Hatcheries Group, the largest poultry conglomerate in Asia
involved in all activities of the industry. Venco was established in 1980 and
imported pure lines the following year to start a breeding program with the
help of Cobb. The VH group has activities ranging from broiler and layer
breeding, production and processing to vaccine production, feed manufacturing,
soya extraction, incubator and poultry equipment manufacturing, vitamin and
mineral supplements, and SPF Egg production. The VH group’s motto is ‘Total
Poultry Support.’
The group has grown several fold in recent years to
become a leader in most of the poultry sectors in India. Vencobb products enjoy
more than 75 percent of the broiler market share and the BV300-layer breed more
than 85 percent of the layer market in India - despite competition in both
sectors from all major international breeds through grandparent distributors.
The VH group has benefited from a breeding program
developing products specifically for the Indian market by adopting the latest
technology and from creating state-of-the-art facilities in all fields, with
highly qualified, technically sound people.
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