The Hindu Business Line : US firm in talks to re-launch popular W-36 hen variety

Features
W-36 has a market share of 70 per cent in the US layer market and 30 per cent globally.
The layers gave a high output, while consuming minimum feed.

K.V. Kurmanath

Hyderabad, Nov. 9

Hy-Line International, the US-based leader in the layer hen breeding industry, has initiated talks with a few Indian companies to re-launch the W-36 or the White Leghorn W-36 strain hen popular for its efficient egg laying, in the country.

Huge potential

Mr John A. Greaves, President and Chief Executive Officer, told Business Line that the W-36 hen variety was being offered in India through the Hyderabad-based Systemic Hatcheries. Seeing a huge potential in India, the company had begun talks with some key players to re-launch the brand.

He claimed that W-36 had a market share of 70 per cent in the US layer market and 30 per cent globally. The layers gave a high output, while consuming minimum feed.

Egg consumption

Mr Greaves, who was here early this week to attend the international poultry exhibition, said India had a huge potential in the poultry products consumption.

“The per capita egg consumption in India is at 40. Compared with this, consumption levels in Mexico, China and Japan are beyond 300. If India ate half of this, it would require 400 million more layers — more than the entire US production,” he said.

Asked on the status of the talks with poultry players here, he said the company hoped to finalise agreements shortly.

The company was also planning to bring in small quantities of Hy-Line Brown, the brown egg layer brand in India.

During his visit, Mr Greaves met Mr Mandali Buddhaprasad, the Andhra Pradesh Minister, to press for removal of the ban on import of layer genetic material from the US.

Bird flu fallout

The Union Government had clamped down on the layer genetics following the outbreak of avian influenza last year.

Mr Greaves pointed out that the Indian farmers were not able to get access to the most advanced layer genetics as a fallout.