The CEO of Russian company Biotrof, the first in the country to develop and sell feed additives, has said he believes that the animal products, feed, and feed additives markets in Russia will develop further in the coming years, All About Feed reports.
In an interview with the news outlet, Biotrof’s CEO Georgy Laptev said, however, he believes that the country needs to move faster in phasing out antibiotics from the production process.
“While European countries already have years of experience in phasing out in-feed antibiotics, Russia is only at the beginning. Russian producers understand the need to reduce antibiotics and see the benefits of producing antibiotic free (which is also reflected in higher prices for their products), but are also afraid that it can possibly lead to increased use of medicinal antibiotics,” Laptev said.
Biotrof develops, produces and sells a wide range of feed additives and feed conservation products. The company, located in St Petersburg, is focused on innovation and looking into new market niches, and with that becoming an important player on the market of feed additives in Russia and neighboring countries.
The CEO added that Russian farmers face many difficulties, with expensive feed being one of the obstacles.
“Russian farmers face many difficulties. If I would list them, it would be a long story. One of the main problems is expensive grains. This is directly reflected in the price of compound feed. But the problem is that farmers cannot easily increase the prices of the meat and eggs. In some cases, this has resulted in bankruptcy of big poultry enterprises,” Poltev said.
