De Heus opens feed additive plant in Ukraine

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Ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new facility © De Heus

Koudijs, a subsidiary of Dutch feed group, De Heus, has opened a premix facility in the Lviv region of Ukraine.

The new plant, manufacturing mineral and vitamin supplements, has production capacity of around 20,000 tons on an annual basis.

Koen de Heus, CEO, De Heus Animal Nutrition, said the premix factory, in combination with the elaborate knowledge and services offered by its specialists, would further build on the potential of the Ukrainian market.

Around €7.8m was invested in the build, as per local media reports.

The factory is state-of-the-art. It comprises specialized equipment from the world’s leading companies, automated control systems, an automatic packaging line and robotic technology, according to Ukraine’s ministry of agriculture.

To date, there has been limited activity by international feed manufacturers in terms of factory operations in Ukraine.

Foothold in feed production 

In 2019, De Heus signed a deal to acquire a majority stake in D-Mix in Ukraine, a move that gave it a foothold in feed manufacturing in that country after 10 years of exporting product to Ukraine.

The alliance was to trade as Koudijs Ukraine, and it flagged then that a new premix plant was to get underway, which was originally slated to come on stream last year.

The Dutch player is betting on greater demand for high-quality and effective animal feed in that country.

“The Ukrainian government welcomes foreign investors who contribute additional knowledge and experience in the field of animal feed, livestock farming and farm management,” noted De Heus back in 2019.