Arno van der Aa, Director of Marketing and Innovation, and Ramakanta Nayak, Managing Director of Asia Pacific share insights into the company’s latest developments.
Can you reveal the strengths on which Orffa is built and how that helps to navigate through today’s landscape?
Arno van der Aa: It is clear that the global livestock industry and feed sectors are at crossroads. Our industry is undergoing significant transformation which is driven by economic, environmental and technological factors. Orffa has always been very agile. We moved along with industry challenges in Europe over the last decades, whilst simultaneously entered new markets in terms of geography (e.g. Latin America, Asia and Africa) as well as animal species (e.g. aquaculture). Key to this success lies in our innovation capabilities, developing and producing feed additives that set new standards in their respective categories, outperforming existing market products. More importantly, we launched additives (e.g. Excential Energy Plus, digestibility enhancer and Excential Selenium4000, novel organic selenium source) that resonated with customer needs and addressed unmet needs in the market.
APAC (Asia Pacific) is a major market for animal feed and livestock production. How does Orffa maintain its competitive edge? Do you tailor your strategies for different regions, or is there a unified global approach?
Ramakanta Nayak: We certainly tailor our approach based on regional differences. This year, we restructured our organization to better address the unique needs of each market. Previously, we had two global business units—one for ingredients and one for specialties. Now, we have three regional business units: Asia, Europe (including the Middle East and Africa), and the Americas. While our core solutions are rooted in science and innovation developed at a global level, each regional business unit operates autonomously and adapts these solutions to local market conditions.
For example, while Europe is focusing on reducing carbon footprints and adjusting nutrition for slower-growing breeds, APAC is centered on helping customers achieve their growth ambitions. The hybrid approach of global standards with local execution, coupled with the flexibility of regional hubs allows us to remain competitive and responsive.
The APAC region has led global growth in livestock production. However, in some developing countries, the poultry and livestock sectors have lagged in adopting the latest innovations. How does Orffa address this?
Ramakanta Nayak: Economic and population growth reveal tremendous opportunities in APAC agriculture. In most countries, already a big transition has taken place from backyard farming towards more professionalized integrated companies. While these large integrators often drive the adoption and co-development of new technologies, the resulting innovations also gradually become accessible to more traditional farming systems. Orffa brings decades of experience from North-Western Europe, where the industry was historically built around family farms. This background has equipped us to work closely with all segments of the value chain—from smallholders to large enterprises—ensuring tailored support and practical innovation. Our role is to bridge the gap by providing solutions that are not only cutting-edge but also scalable and adaptable. Ultimately, our focus is on delivering value that helps all types of farmers meet modern production standards and overcome current challenges.
