Alltech India to expand with crop science, dairy focus.

Animal health products maker Alltech has invested $2 million (Rs.12 crore) to upgrade its Bengaluru production facilities for feed additives, said Aman Sayed, General Manager-South Asia of Alltech Biotechnology.

The company will focus on poultry, dairy and aquaculture to script its growth story in India in the next few years. It has opened a warehouse in Kolkata last year to meet the demands of Eastern India and Nepal, he told Business Line.

Alltech India, which is 10 years into production in the country, offers over 70 customised solutions across species to farmers and feed millers. It helps partners with the latest technologies to reduce costs, a big concern of the Indian feed industry which faces rising cost of raw materials, antibiotic resistance, etc. These include enzymatic technology in animal feed additives and enrichment of eggs and milk with minerals.

The Bengaluru unit with a 14,000 tonnes a year capacity is situated near the electronic city. After the expansion, it will be able to meet demands for the next three years. Similarly, the warehouse opened in Kolkata will take care of the poultry, dairy and aquaculture needs, Sayed said.

With just over 100 employees in South Asia, Alltech registered a 20 per cent growth last year. The company has been successfully using its own psychometric testing strategy in talent spotting, which has led to gains, said Aoife Lyons, global director of education initiatives and adviser for business leaders.

Psychometric testing looks at people’s soft skills such as compassion, team work, creativity and flexibility as opposed to their hard skills, she said.

The year 2012-13 was not very good for the company in India, especially in the dairy sector, due to the dipping global prices. However, with the sector going through consolidation and industry getting more organised, last fiscal had improved. Overall, Alltech India is quite upbeat now on the sector, Sayed said. On product diversification, he said the company is open to bring in beverages and in the long term, beer and spirits with a potential partner.

HBL