NEWS ▶▶▶
Brazil forecasts a new record for grain production Ducks used to combat locust plague in Pakistan
Brazilian grain production is about to reach a re- cord 250.87 million tonnes for the season 2019/20200, i.e. 9 million tonnes (3.5%) more than was harvested in 2018/19. According to a Conab (Brazil’s National Supply Company) sur- vey, this result is based on a sown area of 65.45 million hectares, representing an increase of 2.3 million hectares (3.6%) compared to the previous harvest. Average productivity is 4.05 tonnes per hectare, the third highest level in history (it was 4.027 tonnes in 2016/2017 sea- son, when the highest level was recorded). The two main crops cultivated in Brazil (soybean and maize) might nevertheless achieve new highs. Soybean already has a record production of 122.34 million tonnes, 4.7% more than in the 2018/19 harvest (116.87 million tonnes). Maize is likely to reach 102.61 million tonnes (an in- crease of around 1% compared to 101.64 mil- lion tonnes in 2018/19) with a sown area of 18.5 million hectares. These data refer to the 9th survey (of 12 in total) and include almost the entire Brazilian first crop and the second in pro- gress. Brazil has up to three crops of maize per
Soybean harvesting in Pirassununga, São Paulo State, Brazil
year due its special climate. “The first crop is ful- ly harvested while we are in the process of har- vesting the second crop and we are finalising planting the third crop,” according to Conab. To illustrate this, these three maize harvests should deliver 25.84 million tonnes, 75.42 million tonnes and 1.35 million tonnes, respectively. In other words, it will be necessary to carefully ob- serve production performance in the next three months, during the growth period of the third crop, in order to finalise the numbers.
EU compound feed production expected to decrease
Industrial compound feed production is expect- ed to decrease in 2020, partly due to COVID-19 measures and outbreaks of animal disease, ac- cording to FEFAC. FEFAC (the European Com- pound Feed Manufacturers’ Federation) expects cattle feed production to decrease by 4.1% in the EU. This is due to the fact that production has been affected by the closure of many busi- nesses in the hotel/restaurant/catering sector and the consequent lower levels of demand for meat and dairy products. Farmers have started to reduce milk production, by cutting back on compound feeding. In addition, stricter environ- mental regulations are creating pressures on livestock herds,” states FEFAC. The poultry sector also reacted to the Covid-19 measures by reducing production, resulting in a significant fall in demand for poultry feed. Ac- cording to FEFAC, EU poultry feed production is expected to decrease by 5.2%, ending the up- ward trend over the past decade. The federation explains that this negative trend is not only
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driven by the immediate impact of Covid-19, but also by other factors, such as ongoing im- ports of poultry products into the EU from third countries, which are currently causing oversup- ply, and new outbreaks of avian influenza not only in Central and South-Eastern Europe (Po- land, Hungary and Rumania) but also in Ireland. The production of pig feed in the EU-27 is, ac- cording to FEFAC, expected to decrease by 2.3% this year compared to 2019, in line with the general downward trend observed over the past few years. “Although several countries are still impacted by African Swine Fever outbreaks (Poland, Hungary and Rumania, Bulgaria), other countries (which are still “ASF-free”) benefit from continued export opportunities for pigs, mainly to Asian countries due to their recovery from ASF and delays in rebuilding their own pig herds.” As a result, total compound feed production is expected to decrease in 2020 by between -3% and-6%.
▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 28, No. 6, 2020
China intends to send 100,000 ducks to Paki- stan to help tackle swarms of locusts. A chick- en can eat about 70 locusts a day, but a duck can eat three times as many. Swarms of locusts have caused unprecedent- ed devastation to crops and livelihoods in East Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Scientists are taking the opportunity to use locusts as chick- en feed, but ducks may also offer a clever way of combatting the plague. Ducks are “biological weapons,” according to senior researcher with the Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lu Lizhi, adding that ducks are fairly easy to manage as they tend to stay in groups. A trial involving ducks is taking place in China before they are deployed; there is, how- ever, already a precedent for this: in 2000, China shipped 30,000 ducks from Zhejiang province to Xinjiang to tackle an infestation of locusts.
DSM tp acquire Biomin and Romer Labs
Chemical company and feed additives produc- er DSM will acquire Austria-based Erber Group, which is the holding company for its specialty animal nutrition and health businesses, Biomin and Romer Labs. The total transaction has an enterprise value of € 980 million. In a press re- lease, DSM announced its intention to purchase the Biomin and Romer Labs. These specialise mainly in mycotoxin risk management, gut health performance management, and food and feed safety diagnostic solutions, which ex- pand DSM’s range of higher value-add specialty solutions. The company wrote: “The acquisition of Erber Group strengthens DSM’s expertise and reputation as a leading provider of animal health and nutrition solutions for farm produc- tivity and sustainability, with an emphasis on emissions reduction, feed consumption effi- ciency, and better use of water and land.” Only the business divisions Sanphar and EFB, which represent 7% of Erber Group’s total sales, are not included in the transaction.
PHOTO: DANIEL AZEVEDO
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