Tripartite agreement to develop aquaculture feed formulations for rearing barramundi fish at commercial scale.

March 30, 2020

2 Min Read
Louis Dreyfus partners on aquaculture feed research
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Louis Dreyfus Co. (LDC) announced a research partnership with Barramundi Asia and Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) to develop optimal aquaculture feed formulations for the rearing of barramundi fish on a commercial scale.

The tripartite agreement is the first collaboration to result from the memorandum of understanding between LDC and the Temasek Lifesciences Accelerator (TLA) signed in November 2019 to support the commercialization of promising technologies for the advancement of agri-food innovation in the region, the announcement said.

The agreement also strengthens LDC’s participation as a shareholder in Barramundi Asia, following Barramundi Asia’s recent merger with Allegro Aqua, in which LDC held a 30% stake.

Thomas Couteaudier, head of LDC’s South & Southeast Asia Region, said, “In line with LDC’s growth ambitions to pursue downstream diversification and food innovation through strategic partnerships, we are pleased to embark on this venture with Barramundi Asia and TLL, which builds upon our strong relationship with both partners. Leveraging LDC’s commercial and logistics expertise and presence across the global food, feed and ingredients value chain, we look forward to contributing to the realization of innovative and sustainable solutions to help meet rapidly growing consumer demand for fish protein as a healthy meat alternative.”

TLL and TLA chief executive officer Peter Chia added, “We hope to harness our collective knowledge in fish biology, behavior and nutrition to develop the next generation of precision fish feed that will address the twin goals of better feed conversion ratios and environmental sustainability, giving consumers a readily available and nutritious source of fish proteins. We believe that through this partnership, we will be able to significantly enhance the economic equation of fish farming through better genetics, improved feed, logistics and optimized farming protocols to help pave the way for barramundi to become the species of choice for the tropics.”

The research program will involve developing and testing new formulations that deliver benefits, including improved feed efficiency, strengthened immunity and the practice of sustainable aquaculture through the use of sustainably produced and healthier ingredients.

“As a company that operates Singapore’s and Australia’s largest ocean farms, and considering our planned expansion into a 6,600-[hectare] site in Brunei, the strategic benefits of improving our feed conversion ratios and utilization of more environmentally friendly feed cannot be overstated. This tripartite endeavor is a major win and a step forward for Barramundi aquaculture globally,” Barramundi Asia CEO Andreas von Scholten said.

TLL will lead the research and development component of the program, with Barramundi Asia providing access to its aquaculture farms and nurseries for real-world trials and LDC contributing to research funding and supporting the implementation of trials, the announcement said.

LDC is a leading merchant and processor of agricultural goods. Structured as a matrix organization of six geographical regions and 10 platforms, LDC is active in more than 100 countries and employs approximately 18,000 people globally.

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