eFeed is an animal nutrition and health startup manufacturing innovative products for livestock.
Dairy is India’s largest agricultural commodity. The industry is a critical part of Indian agriculture and a major source of livelihood for over 60% of all rural households. Despite holding the top spot in global cattle population and dairy production, milk yield per animal in India is below average. Annually, Indian smallholders spend over USD 30 billion on cattle nutrition and health, but there is no significant year-on-year improvement in animal health and farmer incomes. The future growth of India’s dairy industry depends on enhancing yield. Moreover, with less than 4% of arable land under fodder cultivation, the deepening impact of climate change is threatening cattle nutrition.
What exactly is eFeed offering?
eFeed has developed nutritional supplements for livestock that can improve overall cattle health and increase milk yield. eFeed’s digital nutrition mobile app provides customized ration balancing, factoring in the location of the cattle and available raw materials for feeding. The application also connects veterinary doctors to cattle farmers for easy access to medical services.
How effective is eFeed’s approach?
Based out of Pune, eFeed was founded in 2021 to disrupt the USD 30 billion Indian animal nutrition and health industry. The startup began operations during the pandemic when farmers were facing a steep rise in compound feed prices due to sharp increases in the price of raw materials. The real challenge for dairy farmers, however, is their lack of knowledge about cattle nutrition. To date, eFeed has built a network of three lakh farmers and has launched multiple products to improve lactation, solve infertility, and enhance the general health/immunity of cattle.
What about eFeed was compelling for Omnivore?
India’s massive livestock population is a strain on the availability of quality feed and forage. Reliance on low-quality feed has led to poor cattle health, with milk output well below genetic potential, both in terms of quality and quantity. Dairies in India pay farmers for fat and solids-non-fat (SNF) levels in milk, and the volume of milk is just a multiplier. Thus, poor quality & quantity of milk yield adversely impacts farmer incomes and further translates to low purchasing power to invest in innovative solutions.
Cattle health & productivity are a function of cattle breed, nutrition (diet), and day-to-day management. Lack of awareness among farmers about accurate daily nutrition requirements is the biggest challenge. To date, Indian farmers rely heavily on compound feed, medicines, and vaccines as the foundation for a healthy and productive animal. Even progressive farmers struggle to understand cattle nutrition requirements and have scant access to credible information and quality supplements. eFeed is solving this widespread misconception by creating a range of science-backed and cost-effective supplements.
What’s next for eFeed?
eFeed will use this round to strengthen its R&D efforts, launch a wider range of feed supplements, and expand its network of farmers. By improving nutrition, eFeed products have also proven effective in reducing methane emissions from cattle, and the startup will soon foray into generating carbon credits for dairy farmers.
Omnivore’s mission is to make Indian agriculture and food systems more profitable, sustainable, resilient, and climate-proof. While we are active investors in digital platforms and tech-enabled marketplaces, we believe some of the most important innovations for Indian farmers will come from the agrifood life sciences (ALFS) ecosystem. We are thrilled to welcome eFeed to our portfolio and support eFeed’s bold vision for revolutionizing animal nutrition and health in India
