Cargill opens new cattle supplement plant Maharashtra with an investment of INR 122 cr

MUMBAI, 9 August 2020: In order to address milk productivity in cattle’s across India, Cargill has opened a high-pressure hydrogenation plant in Kurkumbh, Maharashtra to manufacture superior bypass fat, a health and nutrition supplement for dairy cattle.

Built with an investment of INR 122 crore (USD$ 15 million), the plant has an annual capacity of 35000 tons, making it one of the largest facilities to manufacture bypass fats and specialty waxes in the country.

The company said that India has been the largest milk producer in the world for over two decades. However, milk productivity per animal is still low in comparison to the world average. Enhancing milk production has been a priority to grow farm income and global competitiveness of the Indian dairy sector.

The product will be launched and marketed under the global brand Carfe, which is technologically advanced, providing better digestion and more energy to the cattle.

Carfe has proven to substantially improve the quality of nutrition for dairy cattle, resulting in better reproductive health and milk production, translating to improved earnings for farmers.

This product is already available in developed dairy cattle markets worldwide and will now be locally manufactured at Cargill’s new bioindustrial plant in Kurkumbh and made available to dairy farmers and feed manufacturers in India.

Speaking on this development, Cargill Bioindustrial India regional director Keerthy Pethaiyan said, “This launch is in line with our ambitions of continuing to remain the leading supplier and trusted partners for feed millers and farmers in the country. Our long-term experience in bypass fats and specialty waxes, combined with our local insights and this investment will go a long way in demonstrating our commitment to the country, in keeping with our organizational goal of nourishing the world. It also demonstrates our commitment to supporting the local economy with the addition of 50 new manufacturing jobs.”

Cargill’s bioindustrial business has a leading presence in sustainable bio-based products including Distilled Fatty Acids used by the paints, inks and coatings industry in India. In 2016, Cargill set up a plant in Maharashtra at the same location to manufacture FR3 (natural ester dielectric fluid) which is used in transformers.

With this investment, Cargill is further expanding its presence in the bioindustrial sector locally to fuel growth ambitions in the country, while supporting growth opportunities globally.

“India is a key growth market for Cargill and line with our commitment to the country, this marks a continuation of our investment in India. By building upon our operations at this facility, we will increase our regional footprint and enhance our local capabilities to better support the needs of our local customers as well as multi-national customers across the globe,” Cargill Bioindustrial Industrial Segment global managing director Kurtis Miller said.

The company also said that this plant will also manufacture specialty vegetable oil based waxes for industrial application, marketed under the brand name Agri-Pure, which has application in tyre, plastic and candle industry.