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Friday / March 29. 2024
HomeAgrotech“We have found a sustainable replacement for soyabean in poultry feed by using insect protein”

“We have found a sustainable replacement for soyabean in poultry feed by using insect protein”

Soyabean meal is the dominant protein supplement used in poultry diets. But soybean production brings with it significant sustainability concerns, as it’s associated with destruction of natural grasslands and deforestation. Thus, from a sustainability perspective, replacing soybean meal with an alternative option must be analysed in detail. In conversation with AgroSpectrum, Narendra K Pasuparthy, Chief Farmer, CEO & Founder, Nandu’s shares his opinion on this matter.

What is the way forward for sustainable meat production in India & the related challenges?

India has been one of the early adopters of sustainable meat/poultry farming. The challenge is to get all stakeholders on board and scale up the eco-friendly, innovative practices at the industry level in the world’s second-fastest-growing processed meat and poultry market.  Once the industry starts seeing the economic value to sustainability, it’s possible to take simple but transformative steps – such as investing in solar energy and smart automation – to help reduce the poultry industry’s carbon footprint as well as empower farmers and consumers to make better choices.

Another pressing issue would be the exploitation of land to produce soya for poultry feed. Growing soya is extremely time consuming and resource intensive. 70 percent of the livestock farming costs goes into procuring animal feed, where the price and the quality are highly unstable. Hence, to tackle this issue, soya feed can be replaced with certain kinds of insect protein which is equally nutritious as poultry feed.

How is Nandu’s addressing these challenges?

As a leading hyperlocal, fully-integrated and omnichannel meat brand, Nandu’s has always been a step ahead in adopting sustainable technologies. We started with making our poultry production sustainable by adopting Solar Power. All our farms are powered by electricity generated from solar Photo – Voltaic panels which have been laid on the roof of the poultry house. These panels serve a dual role of forming an insulated roof that also produces electricity. We also generate biogas from poultry litter, thereby capturing methane, a deadly greenhouse gas, that could have escaped into the atmosphere causing global warming.

We have also seen significant value in embracing ecologically and economically sound chicken feed solutions. But the question is, can the Indian poultry industry reduce its dependence on soybean and pave the way for environmental consciousness and responsible consumption? Through our sister concern Feedwerkz, we were able to find a sustainable replacement for soybean in poultry feed. Urban organic food surplus is used to produce insect protein from black soldier fly (BSF) larvae. And the results have been remarkable! By replacing soy protein with insect protein, we not only bring down the cost of production of chicken, but also make a significant impact on the environment.

We also have our innovative eco-friendly packaging for all our home delivery orders, which has been a game changer in smart sustainable solutions that cater to the needs of consumers as well as the planet.

                                                                                                          By Manbeena Chawla

                                                                                                           manbeena.chawla@mmactiv.com

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