“Using our industrialised approach coupled with strict biosecurity protocols, we were able to contain the impact of ASF better than many of our industry peers and capitalise on the rebound in livestock prices swiftly,” says Tan, whose business strategy emphasises nimbleness and building up economies of scale relative to its market competitors.
SINGAPORE (Apr 30): Japfa CEO Tan Yong Nang was sanguine when he heard about the Covid-19 outbreak. A 10-year veteran at the Indonesia-based agri-food giant, he was used to preparing for and grappling with diseases that hit the company’s livestock. “Animals get diseases regularly, so we know how to deal with an outbreak when one occurs,” says Tan in an interview with The Edge Singapore.
Last year, Japfa had to grapple with a severe outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) which hurt its pig farms in Vietnam. It suffered an 83.1% drop in profit q-o-q for 2QFY2019 ended June 30, 2019, although there was a recovery in 4QFY2019, thanks to year-end seasonal demand.
