CARGILL Philippines Inc. (Cargill) is set to roll out by end-2019 its digital nutrition platforms to aid feed millers and livestock raisers to improve their farm management by reducing their production costs and maximizing their output.
Cargill, through its Provimi brand, unveiled on Wednesday its digital nutrition solutions portfolio that aims “to help animal feed producers and livestock farmers improve performance and increase farm productivity.”
The digital nutrition solutions include TechBro Flex and Pork MAX, which are both multifactorial predictive softwares that could estimate the total cost of production of raisers in order to attain their specific production goals and requirements.
“This can help our customers to better source their raw materials right. [For example] the [software] would screen all suppliers of soybeans and the customer [could] go with the highest protein digestible,” Maxime Hilbert, Strategic Marketing and Technology director of Cargill Premix & Nutrition Southeast Asia, said in a news briefing on September 5.
“[These digital solutions] would allow them to maximize profit with every US dollar they invest,” Hilbert added.
The softwares have three easy steps: first, the user would input his farm details, such as bird parameters, including breed and feed form, as well as nutritional and economic performance data. After which, the software would create scenarios to meet the farmer’s economic objectives.
Last, the farmer-user would just choose the best possible scenario to improve his farm and business.
Cargill Premix & Nutrition Country Director Generoso Rene M. Romo Jr. said digital solutions offered by the company would not be commercially sold, but instead would be bundled with Cargill products.
“As a business entity we also have to earn,” Romo said. “There is a business partnership to have these tools. You have to buy something from us [first]. It’s a business collaboration between animal producer and feed miller, a company which is [Cargill] Provimi Philippines,” Romo added.
Hilbert estimated feed millers could reduce their production costs by $0.5 to $10 per metric ton of feed produced. As for broiler raisers, they could save five cents to 10 cents per chicken, Hilbert said.
“If you multiply that with the thousands of birds [they have], then that’s big money,” he said.
Romo said having such tool at hand would allow feed millers and animal raisers to cushion the impact of rising costs of raw materials today to their businesses. Romo is cognizant the digital softwares could face some resistance from industry players at first.
“Embracing the idea of digital nutrition is a challenge in the market. But then, with the rising input costs, if you do not adapt with this kind of technology—wherein you can have a more precise measurement of raw materials needed—you will have problem,” he said.
“You would be buying very expensive raw materials. The predictive modeling tools would really help producers to be more efficient due to higher costs nowadays,” he added.
The Cargill officials said the two digital solutions would be available in the Philippines within 12 to 18 months, with the TechBro Flex being rolled-out first followed by Pork MAX.