The 240,000 ton feed mill, situated in Tra Noc Industrial Zone, Can Tho province, will supply pangasius farmers in the Mekong Delta.
De Heus currently has 90 production sites in more than 20 countries covering poultry, pigs, ruminants and aqua species.
It has been ramping up its investment in the Vietnam market, which it entered in late 2008. In November 2021 it acquired Masan's feed business MNS Feed, which covers thirteen animal feed mills and one premix plant, with a total combined production capacity of nearly 4m tonnes.
It is now targeting the growing aquaculture market in the country, which reached 4.9m tons in 2022. It has been predicted to exhibit a CAGR of 1.8% between 2023 to 2028 (IMARC Group - Vietnam Aquaculture Market: Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2023-2028).
Vietnam is ranked as the world’s fourth largest aquaculture producer, behind China, Indonesia, and India. It is recognised as a major player in the seafood industry, in both aquaculture and open ocean fishing with a coastline of 3,260 kilometres and an Economic Exclusion Zone of 1 million square kilometres.
"Vietnam is positioned well to become one of the world’s most important sources of aquatic proteins"
According to IMARC the main seafood in the country include shrimp, pangasius, tuna and marine fish, with shrimp, currently accounting for around 50% of the total export turnover of the country.
De Heus said the strategic location of this new mill near the river port provides “outstanding advantages” for transporting raw materials to the plant and finished products to farmers. Its bulk feed transportation system allows it to transport aqua feed products from feed mill to farms by river.
Mr. Koen De Heus, CEO of De Heus Animal Nutrition said: “Vietnam is positioned well to become one of the world’s most important sources of aquatic proteins. We are committed to keep developing our strategic position in Vietnam together with our local and international partners.”
He added: “We strongly believe white fish products are among the most healthy, delicious and sustainable animal protein products. Therefore, as De Heus we actively keep investing in building our capabilities in this sector, especially in Asia and Africa.”
Mr. Johan van den Ban, CEO of De Heus Vietnam, added: “Through our innovative nutritional solutions and thorough understanding of both local and international markets, we are constantly striving to help advance the Vietnamese fish farmers to develop successfully and sustainably.”
De Heus Animal Nutrition has continued on the expansion trail. It held the ground-breaking ceremony for its new plant in Njeru, near Jinja, in Uganda in June which has the capability of producing 50,000 metric tonnes of fish feed for the East African market.
