Betagro to sell green products

       Betagro Group, one of Thailand's leading food producers and exporters, has enhanced its green profile by forming a partnership to market energy-saving products for the livestock industry in local and export markets.
       B. International and Technology Co,a unit of Betagro, yesterday entered an agreement to exclusively distribute Kooling Max, a liquid product from Earth Concept Co, a Thai manufacturer and distributor of natural cleaning materials.
       Used with a cooling pad in the ventilation system at livestock farms, Kooling Max lowers temperatures, thereby cutting water consumption, electricity bills and animal mortality, said Cherdchai Sinsarng, general manager of B. International and Technology Co.
       "At an experimental test, the capacity would bring down operating costs for chicken by 0.50 baht per kilogramme,or 2% to 3% over about six weeks of raising," he said.
       B. International plans to sell about 20,000 litres of Kooling Max next year to earn about 15 million baht in revenue.
       Although this is a minor contribution to the company's expected revenue of more than 300 million baht this year, B.International sees good prospects for the product from the strong growth in the livestock industry in Thailand and many Asian countries.
       The company plans to tap this growth by distributing the product abroad together with other farm product ranges,such as ventilation controllers, cooling pads and silo weighing scales.
       Many Asian countries have made substantial investments in livestock businesses to meet growing domestic and export demand, said Nopporn Vayuchote, Betagro Group's executive vicepresident.
       Neighbouring countries' many recent investments in raising chicken and swine feature advanced equipment and technologies - especially in Vietnam, where Indonesian investors have set up a giant modern pig farm business, he said.
       Kooling Max will reduce energy use in line with a green marketing concept and conform with international rules on animal welfare, he said.
       The product has been warmly welcomed by big farm operators including Charoen Pokphand Group, and the resulting energy savings would raise the competitiveness of the Thai livestock industry, he said.
       Betagro Group expects its sales this year to increase to 50 billion baht from 45 billion in 2008.
       The company plans to inject about 3 billion baht next year into projects including setting up more Betagro Shop outlets, due to reach 50 stores by the year-end, and new investments in readyto-eat food.