Latest series of BIOMIN Mycotoxin Academy held in Nepal, creating strong imprints
Following the series of successful BIOMIN Mycotoxin Academies in India and Myanmar, innovative animal nutrition company BIOMIN expanded this knowledge transfer initiative to Nepal, where over 150 delegates participated in two more academies.
11 March 2019 – Having gained a reputation for imparting knowledge and awareness on mycotoxin risk management, the much recognized BIOMIN Mycotoxin Academy was rolled out in Nepal in February this year with the first event held at Chitwan on February 12. This was closely followed by another event held at Kathmandu the next day.
The BIOMIN Mycotoxin Academies, which facilitates knowledge transfer between BIOMIN experts and stakeholders stands testimony to the commitment by the innovative feed additive company in creating awareness on mycotoxin risk management and also by providing innovative and sustainable solutions to help the farmers.
Dr. Justin Tan, Regional Technical & Marketing Director, BIOMIN Asia-Pacific took lead in the Academies and presented on ‘Mycotoxin Risk Management in Animal Production.’ His technical session was interspersed with information like prevalence of mycotoxins detected in Nepal, and the regional and global trends.
The session was sharply divided into three sections, Mycotoxin Occurrence, Effects of Mycotoxins and Mycotoxin Risk Management. “Digestive disorders, carcinogenicity, impairment of the reproductive system, neurotoxicity and hepatotoxicity are some of the main effects caused by mycotoxins such as Aflatoxin, Zearalenone, ergot alkaloids, Trichothecenes, Fumonisins and Ochratoxin A,” he elaborated.
Quoting leading research publications, Dr. Justin Tan pointed out that even at low concentrations mycotoxins cause immune suppression. “And all of these effects will ultimately lead to a decrease in animal performance which will be directly reflected in economic losses for the livestock industry,” he said.
According to him, the most effective strategy against mycotoxins is to adopt a three-pronged strategy of mycotoxin control, namely biotransformation, adsorption and bioprotection, which is the science behind Mycofix® product line from BIOMIN.
It may be noted that the Mycofix® is an unique combination of patented specific enzymes and biological components that deactivates mycotoxins in contaminated feed into non-toxic, environmentally-safe metabolites.
Dr. Gangga Widyanugraha, Regional Technical Sales Manager-Poultry, BIOMIN Asia-Pacific in his presentation on ‘Feed Testing and Necropsy- Challenges in Nepal’ highlighted the prevalence of mycotoxins in Nepal from the field postmortem analyses he conducted in the country.
“The best action plan I would recommend is Mycofix® for breeder and layer feed, broiler pre-starter feed as well as broiler grower/finisher feed,” he said and added that this EU authorized product from BIOMIN is at the forefront of mycotoxin risk management.
Apart from the technical sessions, Edward Manchester, Regional Director, BIOMIN Asia-Pacific explained the audience about the core values of BIOMIN, which is Pioneers-Partners-Performers. “Mycotoxin Risk Management and Gut Performance Management are our two pillars,” he said and added that R&D is one of the cornerstones of BIOMIN.
Earlier Dr. Sujit Kulkarni, Managing Director, BIOMIN India in his welcome address explained about how the BIOMIN Mycotoxin Academies benefited hundreds of farmers and industry leaders in India.
Keerthivasan Chandrasekar, Digital Marketing Executive, BIOMIN India in his presentation explained about the digital initiatives taken by BIOMIN and how farmers can get benefited by following the company’s social media pages and subscribing to newsletters.
Kampoj Badal, Managing Director of Big “B” Vet Trading, supply chain partner for BIOMIN in Nepal in his vote of thanks thanked BIOMIN for organizing Mycotoxin Academies in Nepal and pointed out that this shows the company’s commitment for Nepal feed and livestock industry. He also thanked the attendees for their overwhelming response.