CLFMA Symposium Focuses on Feed Security, AI and Animal Agriculture
The second day of the Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers Association of India’s 67th National Symposium was held at The Leela Mumbai under the theme “Animal Agriculture – The Backbone of Sustainable Development”. Policymakers, industry executives, scientists, farmers and representatives of national industry associations attended sessions on feed, technology, animal health, trade and farmer development.
CLFMA chairman Divya Kumar Gulati opened the programme. Sunil Kataria, chief executive and managing director of Godrej Agrovet, gave the theme presentation, which addressed changes in animal-agriculture value chains and discussions on efficiency and sustainability.
A policy roundtable considered cooperation between the government and the animal-agriculture sector. The session was moderated by Manisha Gupta, editor for commodities and currencies at CNBC, and included Varsha Joshi and Dr Muthukumarasamy B, both from the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying; BS Yadav, former managing director of Godrej Agrovet; Suresh Rayudu Chitturi, vice-chairman and managing director of Srinivasa Farms; and Daljeet Singh, president of the Progressive Dairy Farmers Association. The participants discussed productivity, farmer skills, market connections and resilience across India’s animal-agriculture value chain.
Artificial intelligence was addressed in a presentation by Bhaskar. The session examined the use of AI and data-based systems for productivity, operational decisions and efficiency on farms and elsewhere in animal-agriculture value chains. Feed availability was also a central subject. CLFMA called for stronger domestic supplies of maize and soybean, which compete with demand from other industries.
The symposium put poultry feed demand at about 30m tonnes, with annual requirements rising by roughly 3m-3.5m tonnes. Maize represents approximately 55% of poultry feed. Speakers also discussed crop productivity, dependable ingredient supplies, stronger farm-level capabilities and more efficient value chains.
Kevin Roepke, executive director for MENASA at the US Soybean Export Council, spoke about feed materials, trade and the animal-agriculture chain. A panel titled “One Nation, One Voice” brought together representatives of poultry, aquaculture and related industries to discuss coordinated policy advocacy covering feed availability, exports, infrastructure, technology and farmer development. Dr Saurabh Shekhar addressed developments in pet care and the segment’s place in the wider animal-related economy.
Another session linked animal agriculture with global food security and included representatives of government, scientific institutions, poultry organisations and livestock businesses. The discussion covered animal health, feed quality, genetics, research, farmer capacity and productivity. CLFMA also identified veterinary capacity as a priority and discussed possible greater private-sector involvement in veterinary education in response to shortages of trained professionals. The programme addressed the growth of enterprise-led livestock farming and recognised sector contributions: Jagbir Singh Dhull received the CLFMA Lifetime Achievement Award, while gold medals went to Dr Abhishek Venkat for poultry, Dr Mehnaaz Qayoom for dairy and Shreya Awasthi for aquaculture. CLFMA also launched its Souvenir 2026 and Survey Report 2026–2030.
