Bangladesh

Soybean Meal

Soybean meal is being used by the country’s growing poultry industry as the main protein source in feed formulations.  Currently, the feed industry uses approximately 400,000 MT soybean meal per annum, 60% of which is imported from India and 40% of which is produced locally by the solvent extraction industry.  However, according to many in the feed industry, the quality of the Indian soybean meal is often not up to the desired standard.  Thus, there is keen interest in sourcing from elsewhere – including from the US – but, with regard to offshore purchases, shipping size and freight rates are major constraints.  In the meantime, City Seed Crushing Industry Ltd started crushing soybeans in January 2005 in the country’s first ever solvent extraction plant in Rupganj, near Dhaka .  This plant has a crushing capacity of 1,000 MT of oilseeds per day.  Feed industry contacts and others have responded favorably to the quality of soybean meal coming out of this plant (branded as TEER™ [arrow]).  Another smaller capacity plant now in operation in Chittagong.  S Alam Group is the owner of this 200 MT per day plant. S Alam has successfully crushed US grown soybean.

Our Program

USSEC/ASA-IM organizes seminars and workshops on the use of good quality soybean meal in both poultry and aquaculture feed formulations.  Management-focused seminars are also organized to promote better running of poultry and aquaculture farms, shrimp hatcheries, etc. ASA-IM is also working with the feed mill industry to introduce extruded floating feed for the aquaculture industry and composite feed for the dairy industry. All of these activities are aimed at developing awareness regarding the quality requirements of feeds and the value of soybean meal as a protein source.  Reputed local and foreign experts are often speakers at these events and, increasingly, local feed and poultry companies are co-sponsors.

With partial funding provided by the USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP), a team of four leading feed millers went to Utah State University, USA in July 2005 to attend a short course on feed milling management and technology (along with participants from India and Pakistan).  Indicative of the kind of awareness USSEC/ASA-IM wishes to extend, this short course is helping participants in identifying – and insisting upon – high quality feed ingredients.  Ultimately, it is hoped that the quality of feed manufactured in Bangladesh will improve along with soybean meal inclusion rates.

USSEC/ASA-IM is currently attempting to organize modest shipments of soybean meal from the US, with the expectation that experience with higher quality US soybean meal will convince feed millers to import US soybean meal through combined shipments.

(updated 07 July 2008)