INDIA TAKES HISTORICAL DECISION TO IMPORT GM SOYAMEAL

www .benisonmedia.com INDUSTRY NEWS

In a first, India is all set to import 1.2 mn tonne of genetically modified soyameal, used as livestock feed, after the environment ministry and DGFT cleared the air on the GM issue, an official said

In a first, India is all set to import 12 lakh tonne of genetically modified soyameal, used as livestock feed, after the environment ministry and DGFT cleared the air on the GM issue, a senior Animal Husbandry and Dairying Ministry official said on 16th August.

Meanwhile, the food ministry -- after taking a call on this issue in a review meeting on prices and availability of essential commodities -- asked the DGFT and other concerned departments to immediately facilitate the import of 12 lakh tonne of soyameal.

The imports are necessary as skyrocketing prices of soyameal have made the livestock feed costlier, affecting farmers associated with the poultry, dairy and aqua industry.

Soyameal is a protein-rich solid leftover raw material after extracting oil from soyabean seed, the new crop of which is expected to arrive from October.

"Currently, there is no ban on import of soyameal, including GM soyameal. However, the industry wanted clarification on the GM issue before placing the orders," the official told PTI.

The environment ministry clarified on August 6 that since the de-oiled cake per se

obtained after crushing GM soyabean does not contain any living modified organism, it has no objection to import of soya cake or meal from an environmental

angle, he said.

The official said there are

three types of GM foods, one with Genetically Modified Organism (GMO), second with Living Modified Organism (LMO) and third with Non-Living Modified Organism (NLMO).

"The soyameal is NLMO. The Environment Ministry has said it has no impact on human and animal health as

well as on the environment," he added.

Further, the clarification was sought from the food safety regulator FSSAI, which said "it regulates food and not feed. And it does not have

any objection," he said.

Even the Directorate General

of Foreign Trade (DGFT) -- a nodal body that administers imports and exports -- said GM soyameal is not in a 'restricted category' and therefore has no concern if

imports take place, the official added.

Asked if imports have begun, the official said, "GM soyameal is not in a restricted category, still we got clarification from concerned departments. Traders have started placing orders."

Other interested parties are thinking that import of GM soyabean seed has been allowed, but it is not, he said.

The official said the industry has estimated import of 12 lakh tonne of soyameal to meet the domestic

shortages till the new crop arrives from October

onwards.

The imports could take place from countries like

Argentina, Europe and the US, he added.

Seeking clarity, Solvent Extractors Association of

India (SEA) Executive Director B V Mehta said, "It is better DGFT clarifies

publicly that GM soyameal (with NLMO)isallowedso thattraderscanenterinto

contractswithoutfearof

gettingtheirshipmentsstuck. "

He also blamed speculators for the rise in prices of soyameal. In the last few months, the domestic price of soyameal has increased from Rs 45,000 per tonne to Rs 80,000 per tonne on August 13, almost close to the level of soyabean price of Rs 87,000 per tonne.

All India Poultry Breeders Association Secretary and Indian Broiler Group Director GulrezAlam said, "We are importing."

Earlier, India was not required to import soyameal as it had enough supplies and had price parity. But now there is an abnormal

situationasthedomesticprices ofsoyamealareatparorhigher thansoyabean,hesaid. According to the agriculture ministry's fourth advance estimate, soyabean production is pegged to be higher at 12.89 million tonne for the 2020-21 crop year (July-June) as against 11.22 million tonne in the previous

year.

Industry experts said that if the government estimates are correct, then there should not be any shortages.

Meanwhile, the country's soyameal exports are on and about 17 lakh tonne has

been shipped since October 2020. The annual domestic

demand of soyameal is 60 lakh tonne, according to the SEA.

www .benisonmedia.com ARTICLE

MAKING INDIAN DAIRYING MORE ECONOMICAL

by Cornext Agri Products

Indiaisacountryofrichculture,whereanimalhusbandryisconsideredas the art of rearing animals, and livestock is more of family livelihood. But as commercialization takes place, especially for milk-yielding animals, it is more important than ever to see if dairy animals (cattle and buffaloes) are fed as per their nutritional requirements.

Itisaknownfactthatbyandlarge,dairyfarmersinIndiafaceahugescarcity of green fodder for feeding their animals. With the reducing area of pasture, the problem is becoming more prominent. The health of milk producing animal and the quality of produced milk is largely dependent on the quality of the fodder given to the animal. But the seasonal variation in crops along with its unavailability throughout the year, makes it difficult for farmers to maintain the uniformity in feed. With increasing cost of quality fodder, a dairy farmer with very less or no land holdings finds dairy farming unprofitable and many of them opt out of the business. However, with the newer technology of ready-made baled silage, the animals could get greens during most part of the year which would result in economic milk production.

Source: State of India's Livelihood report 2015

BaledSilage–Anadvanced technology

Silage,ratherthepreserved greenfodder,canresolvemost oftheissuesof dairy farmers and help them in making dairy farming a more profitable business. Silage (or Ensilage) is a natural preservation and fortification of green forage such as Maize, Moringa, Bajra, Wheat, Jowar Berseem and Hybrid grass, after harvesting the greens when its moisture level is around 30-35%. These forage plants are chopped and stored in an anaerobic condition in order to fortify the fermentation process. Sometimes an inoculum is also added to improve the quality of fermentation. This process is also called ensiling. A fully fermented silage is in golden brown color with sweet smell and sufficient moisture, and can be stored for 12 months which is a good way to ensure uniform feed for cattle for the whole year. Manytraditionalsilagemaking practicessuchaspits,bunkers andbagscome with their

Table 1. Comparison of bunker, bags & bales Feature Bunker Bags Bales

Preparation time High Medium ü Low Compaction Low Low ü High Dry Matter Loss High Medium ü Low Seepage High Medium ü Low Anaerobic Condition Low Low ü High

'Ready-to-Use'time Long Medium üEarly Mold Growth High High ü Low

Density of Silage Low Medium ü High Spoilage High High ü Low Palatability Low Medium ü High Quality Low Low ü High Animal Performance Low Low ü High

Safety Low Medium ü High

own inherent disadvantages. The most advanced Baled Silage technology is now becoming more popular across the world, especially in the tropical countries. Silage baling process uses advanced compaction technologies to create anaerobic conditions inside the bales and it also hastens the process of fermentation. Also, the quality of baled silage is superior to any other traditionally made silage.

FeaturesofBestquality Silage

1. Thecolorisgoldenbrown 2. Compactionordensity mustbeatleast600 kg/m3 3. Moisturewhilebaling ofshort-chainfatty acids, which in turn might lower the ruminal pH. A ruminal pH < 5.8 for a certain period can lead to subacute ruminal acidosis. Keeping the ruminal pH within the physiological range is important for microorganisms colonizing the rumen. Those microorganisms metabolize feed protein via ammonia or amino acids to microbial protein, which is then available for the host. Microbial efficiency is limited by the availability and balance of nitrogen and energy, the latter is mostly provided as starch. This imbalance in pH leads to lesser digestibility in animals which badly effects the animal health. If some amount of concentrates is replaced with silage, it will result in a better cost benefit.

shouldbebetween 65%and75% 4. Choppinglengthmustbe lessthan2cm.

BenefitsofBaledSilage(ex: MaizeSilage)

· Highnutritionwithhigh digestibility · Increaseinmilk production · Highershelf-life · Improvedhealthin animals · Higherprofitabilityfor dairyfarmers

Economicsofcornsilage

Followingtablehelpsto understandhow6kgcorn silageismoreeconomicaland nutritious than any of alternatives.

Feedingofmoreconcentrates canleadtohigherproduction

Table 2. Costs benefit analysis Nutritional Corn 6kg Corn Conc. 2 kg of Values Silage Silage Feed Conc. Feed

Dry matter(%) 33 1.65 89 1.36 Crude Protein (%) 8.5 0.14025 18 0.2448 Ether Extract (%) 3 0.0495 2.5 0.034 Crude fiber (%) 35 0.5775 12 0.1632 TDN (%) 70 1.155 65 0.884 COST (INR) 7/kg 42 25/kg 50

Dairyanimalsandtheirnutritional requirements

Farmersusuallyfeedthecattlewithcrop residues,asthemajorroughage,or the residues from the food processing factories. Being lower in the nutritional values, these residues may not provide optimum nutrition. For increase in production of milk, farmers prefer to mix huge quantities of concentrate in the feed which results in imbalanced feed which causes lower rumen pH and change in the fermentation pattern which can lead to acidosis. On the other hand, the silage contains dry matter, green matter, moisture, fibre and protein in a balanced ratio. It is easy for dairying animal to easily absorb the nutrition, and keep its system clean and healthy. A healthy animal will produce better quality and quantity of milk along with other health benefits.

Anopportunity

MakingGoodQualitySilagerequires scientificunderstandingoftheprocesses involved. Bailed Silage using the technology can definitely revolutionise the Indian dairy farming industry.

Forfurtherinformation,pleaseconnectwiththeauthorsat info@cornext.in

www .benisonmedia.com R&D

This litchi seeds-based fish feed is also less expensive for the farmers thus cutting down their costs & increasing the profit margin.

INNOVATION MAY CUT FISH FEED COSTS BY 25%

Indiaistheworld'ssecond largestproducerofbothlitchi andfish.Pisciculturegetsa fillipasscientistsfromthe CollegeofFisheriesin Muzaffarpur,Biharfindwaysto makefishfeedwithlitchi seeds,whichwillbringdown theexpensesforthe fish farmer.

Whilepiscicultureisalucrative enterprise,thefishfarmers havetoinvestagreatdealin fishfeedthatisexpensive. However,scientistsfromthe CollegeofFisheriesatDholi, Muzaffarpur(thatcomes underDrRajendraPrasad CentralAgricultural University, Samastipur, Bihar) have come up with a unique solution — use litchi seeds, which are a waste, to make fish feed.

Thislitchiseeds-basedfish feedisalsolessexpensivefor thefarmersthuscuttingdown theircostsandincreasingthe profitmargin.

“Alongwithlitchicultivation, Biharisalsoknownforfish cultivation,andwehavebeen workingfortwoyearstofind cheaperalternativestofish feedinordertohelpthe farmersandhavefinallybeen successful, ”ShivendraKumar, associateprofessor of the College of Fisheries, Muzaffarpur, told Gaon Connection. The fisheries college is based in Muzaffarpur, which is Bihar's litchi belt, and has the country's highest yield of litchis.

“Alongwiththelitchiseeds,we addwheat,maize,soybean, mustardandthehuskof paddy, ”ShivendraKumar explained. “Tenpercentofthe feedismadeupoflitchiseeds andtherestmakeupthe balanceamount.Onecanalso addupto20percentofthe waste litchi seeds,” he added.

LitchicultivationinBihar

AccordingtoBengaluru-based IndianInstituteofHorticultural Research,Indiaisthesecond largestgroweroflitchiinthe world,afterChina.InIndia, 83,000hectaresoflandis underlitchicultivation.Ofthis nearly35,000hectaresarein Bihar. Muzaffarpur alone accounts for 11,000 hectares of litchi orchards.

Theotherstateswherelitchiis cultivatedwidelyincludeUttar Pradesh,Uttarakhand,Punjab, HimachalPradeshandWest Bengal.

Meanwhile,Indiaisalsothe secondlargestfishproducing countryintheworldandranks secondinaquaculture productionaswellasinland fisheries.In2018-19,the country'sfishproductionwas 13.7milliontonnes,withthe contributionof9.5million tonnes by the inland sector and 4.1 million tonnes contributed by the marine sector. In 2017-18, India exported 1.37 million tonnes of fish, worth over INR 45,000 crore.

“Litchisareplentifulinour stateandwewerelookingto findwaystousethewasteof thefruit,theseed, productively.Underthe leadershipofRCSrivastav,the vicechancellorofthe university,wecouldfindthat alternative, ”ShivendraKumar said.

Forthepastfourorfiveyears thestatehasbeenmaking litchijuicewheretheseedsare removedduringthe processing,whichbecamethe mainelementofthefishfeed, thescientistexplained.Onan experimentalbasis,the researcherstriedoutthelitchibased feed with the fishes in the college pond and the results were satisfactory, he said.

AccordingtoShivendraKumar, iffishfarmersinthecountry usedthisfishfeedwiththe litchiseeds,itwouldbring downtheirexpensesby20-25 percent.

“Whilethefishinthecollege pondaredoingwellwiththe feed,wehavenowdistributed thefeedtoseveralfish farmers, ”theassociate professorsaid. “Webelieve usingthisfishfeedforayear willreducetheirexpenditure ontheregularfishfeed by twenty to twenty-five per cent and we will ask them after a year to find out if it did indeed,” he said.

Thequalityofthefishfeedis directlyproportionaltothe productionofthefish.While fishfarmerscultivategood breeds,theydonotpay adequateattentiontothefeed theygivethefish,andthat defeatsthepurpose,Shivendra Kumarpointedout.

www .benisonmedia.com ARTICLE

DIETARY ACTIVATED CLAYS: AN APPROACH TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF AFLATOXIN

Rajendra Moorthy, Prateek Shukla and Nabila Fatima, Kemin Industries South Asia

Introduction

With adoption of intensive farming practices, the usage of compound feed has increased in dairy industry. Cereal grains and oil cakes are the major ingredients commonly used in a compound feed. These ingredients can be contaminated with fungal organisms during any stage of their growth, harvesting, storage or after processing. Recent changes in the climatic conditions have also favored fungal colonization and mycotoxin contamination of agricultural crops and products. Under tropical conditions, fungal species like Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium are commonly known to infest feed raw materials and produce mycotoxins like aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin, trichothecenes, citrinin, zearalenone, etc.

Aflatoxin: The most notorious mycotoxin

Amongst all mycotoxins, AFB1is the most extensively studied mycotoxin in dairy cattle, as the excretion of aflatoxin M1(AFM1) in dairy milk is a public health concern. Regulatory authorities are trying to control the exposure of aflatoxin in cattle and humans through mandating strict limits on aflatoxin levels in feed and milk. However, according to Kemin's internal survey on AFB1 prevalence, the problem of AFB1 is growing day by day. The survey findings can be summarized as mentioned below:

It was more evident from the prevalence data that,AFB1 is frequently present in the feed and raw materials used for cattle. It is a well-known fact that aflatoxins are potent carcinogens for both cattle as well as human beings. However, various researches also revealed that presence of AFB1 in feed leads to deteriorated feed quality, lower feed palatability and overall lowered animal performance. Acute aflatoxicosis due to consumption of abnormally higher levels of AFB1 causes major signs of liver lesions, leading to congestion and bleeding. Taking cue from these concerns, any incidence of aflatoxicosis in commercial dairy setup can put a serious question mark on the quality and performance of the feed material offered to the animal.

Dietary Mycotoxin Binders: An approach to manage the mycotoxin menace

>80% increase in prevalence of AFB1 since last 10 years

>80% of the contaminated samples have >20 ppb AFB1*

Average level of AFB1 in these samples was 36 ppb

www .benisonmedia.com ARTICLE

Various materials, such as activated clays, yeast cell walls, enzymes etc., are being investigated either alone or in combination to manage the problems associated with mycotoxins in dairy animals. Due to the unique structure and physiology of ruminant's gastrointestinal tract (GIT), it is very essential for any mycotoxin binder to demonstrate its efficacy considering these factors.

Innovation

The latest formulation produced by Kemin contains mixture of activated clays carefully chosen through unique screening techniques. The formulation has also undergone both in vitro and in vivo assessment to determine its efficacy.

Invitro assessment

After careful consideration of different physiological conditions of ruminant's GIT, an invitro triphasic assay has been developed to test the efficacy of the final formulation. It was observed that the above-mentioned activated clay formulation showed a high binding of >99% at adsorption step and very less levels of <2% in the desorption step(Figure 1). These results suggest that, the formulation formed a complex with AFB1 that would be stable across the entire GIT and helps in eliminating the AFB1 from the body, thereby preventing the formation of AFM1.

Figure 1. shows the impact of dietary activated clays on AFB1 after subjecting to invitrotriphasic assay. Mean±SE, n=3.

In vitro triphasic assay demonstrates >97% net binding with AFB1 and activated clays formulation

120 100 80 60 40 20 0

99.06

Adsorption in firs phase AFBI Binding Percentage (%)

97.48

Desorption in second phase Desorption in third phase

Net Binding in Triphasic Condition Figure 2. demonstrates the efficacy of dietary activated clays to control AFM1 in milk

>30% lowered AFM1 in milk has been observed with supplementation of activated clays formulation

0.07

0.06

0.05

0.04

0.06

AFM1 level (ppb)

0.04 0.05

0.03

0.02

0.01

0

Without Supplementation With Supplementation MRL

Invivo assessment

To validate the invitro findings, an invivo trial was conducted using 20 dairy animals in commercial conditions for 60 days. During the trial period, all the animals were fed with the same diet. The diet was analyzed for AFB1 and the levels were found between 28 and 35 ppb. To evaluate the efficacy of activated clay composition and to assess the actual carry-over percentage of AFB1 to AFM1,AFM1 in milk was measured at defined time intervals. The average milk AFM1 level during supplementation of dietary activated clays was observed to be 0.04 ppb, whereas when no supplementation has been given, the average milk AFM1 level was found to be 0.06 ppb(Figure 2). Interestingly, an increase of more than 40% in milk AFM1 levels have been also observed after discontinuation of activated clay supplementation.

The maximum residual level (MRL) of AFM1 in milk is 0.05 ppb according to European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Hence, in this trial supplementation of dietary activated clays helped to control AFM1 in milk under

MRL.

Conclusions

Based on the in vivo and in vitro studies, it can be suggested that dietary activated clays could able to bind AFB1 inside the animal, thereby preventing the formation of AFM1 and its subsequent secretion into the milk. Moreover, dietary activated clays can be an efficient choice to manage the mycotoxin menace in dairy animals under commercial conditions.