It has been three years since Aviagen^® Group and Rocío Group signed a strategic agreement for a joint venture, under which Avicola del Norte (Avinor), a Rocío Group company, became an Aviagen subsidiary under the name Aviagen Peru. The new business has helped Aviagen realize its vision to further expand its Latin American reach and maximize value for customers there. Aviagen Peru has become an important and strategic supply base for Latin America, producing 1.5 million Parent Stock (PS) chicks per year, and securing the supply of quality Ross^® 308 AP breeding stock to producers throughout Peru, South America and beyond.

Aviagen and Rocío Group celebrate by reflecting on the recent expansion projects that will help fulfil the joint strategy of promoting the success of Peruvian farmers and the sustainability of the production chain.

“Peru is among the largest chicken meat producers in Latin America, and is a country with the largest per-capita consumption of chicken meat. The joint venture and our strong relationship with Rocío Group are important to Aviagen’s Latin American strategy for continued development to help our customers feed their local communities with an affordable and sustainable protein for now and into the future,� said Aviagen Latin America President Ivan Pupo Lauandos.

For Rafael Quevedo Flores, founder of Grupo Rocío, the relationship between the two companies has promoted the growth of Peruvian poultry farming. “Thanks to an alliance based on shared values and innovation, we are promoting sustainable poultry farming in Peru, benefiting both producers and consumers.”

Robust development in Peru

Due to the success of this partnership and thriving market for quality Ross^® 308 AP birds in the Peruvian and South American poultry market, in February Aviagen announced plans to boost production, securing the supply of high-generation breeding stock to producers. The US $12 million investment will include a farm expansion, a new hatchery and a diagnostics laboratory.

Located in a biosecure location on the north coast of the country, Malvinas 2 farm will be further developed to add 12 modern, environmentally controlled poultry houses, while increasing the production capacity of the existing rearing houses. When the project is complete by end of 2022, the farm’s current capacity will be doubled to 3 million high-generation broiler breeders per year.

Aviagen Peru has also started construction on a new hatchery, with 24 single-stage machines that will have a capacity of 3 million PS per year. Furthermore, plans are underway for a new health monitoring and diagnostics laboratory that applies leading-edge immunology, molecular technology and bacteriological culture techniques.

For César Muro, General Manager of Aviagen Peru, Aviagen’s projects and investment in Peru demonstrate confidence in the future. “Due to a history in poultry farming, excellent climatic conditions and experience in logistics, Peru is an ideal production base for Ross birds. Likewise, the popularity of the Ross 308 AP continues to soar, as more and more poultry producers come to benefit from the bird’s reproductive performance, robustness, feed efficiency and environmental hardiness.â€�