Market Trends of India DDGS Feed Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the India DDGS Feed Market according to our research experts:
Rising Awareness of Health Benefits Offered by the DDGS Feed
Distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) are the nutrient-rich co-product of dry-milled ethanol production that is largely produced from corn and wheat and supplied as livestock feed as an energy and protein supplement. It is considered a 'middle protein carrier' with crude protein content between soybean meal and corn. According to the USDA, one metric ton of DDGS is equivalent to 1.22 metric ton of feed consisting of corn and soybean meal. Hence, this states that the DDGS is the best substitute for the rather expensive sources of energy (corn), protein (soybean), and phosphorus (mono-or dicalcium phosphate) used in animal feed. Furthermore, due to the high content of insoluble fiber, DDGS has a positive influence on digestion and lowers the pH in the digestive system, resulting in the reduction of the pathogen population and diminishing the occurrence of diarrhea in young animals.
Over the years, many scientific researchers have demonstrated that DDGS is an excellent, all-natural, low-cost source of energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals and is an especially superior source of bypass protein for ruminants. This has increased their demand for animal feed. DDGS is considered a good source of protein and fiber for cattle, fish, and poultry animals. Owing to the health benefits offered by the feed including the DDGS, it is gaining popularity among farm owners in India.
Rising Demand for Poultry
India is among the major producers of poultry meat in the world. Over the years, there has been an increase in the average income and growth in the urban population that has boosted the poultry demand in the country. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the consumption of poultry meat in India in 2021 was roughly more than four million metric ton, up from the previous year. The rising poultry consumption in the country coupled with the high prices of grains and meals is boosting the inclusion of DDGS in poultry diets.
DDGS inclusion has taken its place more recently in India. Its inclusion in poultry feed is proving multi-beneficial in terms of improving animal health, animal performance, and food product quality. Further in poultry production, feed account for 65-70% of total production cost. In India, there is a huge gap between the demand and availability of poultry feed, and hence the industry stakeholders are is seeking new affordable feed ingredients. DDGS is coproduced after the extraction of ethanol from fermented grains. The non-fermentable components of the grains which are rich in nutrients like protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals are recovered in a highly concentrated form as DDGS. Hence, this presents a viable and cost-effective alternative in supplementing both protein as well as energy to the feed industry.
DDGS has been recognized as an important source of energy, protein, water-soluble vitamins, and minerals for poultry. Additionally, several studies have indicated that the inclusion of DDGS in diets improved the growth rate and feed conversion, and also increased fertility and hatchability in poultry. Companies such as Prodigy Foods, a manufacturer and supplier of poultry animal feed aims to manufacture high nutrition and high quality Rice DDGS or Corn DDGS for livestock industry.
These factors are boosting the inclusion of DDGS in poultry diets. Hence, the rising DDGS consumption in poultry is driven by its health benefits and rising demand from the poultry industry as an alternative to the costly feed grains.
