Press release
28th March 2024
1 year after Kersia’s visit to China with Emmanuel Macron, we are again participating in the Presidential delegation to Brazil from 25th to 27th March 2024
Almost a year after being part of the group of companies accompanying the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, to China in April 2023, the Kersia Group, world expert in solutions for biosecurity and food safety, has been selected by Business France to join the economic delegation during the Presidential visit to Brazil. A timely opportunity for Kersia who have been established in Brazil for 20 years and for whom the country represents strong growth potential.
Supported by the Business France teams, Sébastien Bossard, CEO of the Kersia Group and Paulo Alves, Director of Kersia Brazil, will attend numerous meetings enhanced by the visibility offered by the President’s visit. A crucial visit from a development perspective, with the ambition to multiply by three the turnover achieved by Kersia Brazil over the next five years.
Meetings to make progress on speeding up the product authorisations necessary for the health security of the food chain.
Kersia Brazil, established in Laejado within the important dairy basin of the Rio Grande do Sul, consists of two production sites, one dedicated to solutions for rearing productive livestock (75% of turnover comes from dairy farms), the other intended for agro-industry (25% of turnover). Brazil is one of the largest producers and exporters of agricultural and farming products with prospects for growth over the next ten years. Internationally, the Kersia Group has 38 industrial sites to ensure that our products are manufactured as close as possible to our customers in accordance with regulations in the country where they are located.
For Sébastien Bossard, the proximity of production and sales is an essential part of the service offered by Kersia. “We are the only company with the ability to carry out audits on farms so that we can offer the most relevant solutions and guarantee follow-up.” The other reason for establishing a local base is the commitment to CSR undertakings on our carbon footprint by avoiding the transport of goods as far as possible. But in Brazil this expectation faces a considerable challenge, that of the time taken for product authorisations.
“In theory, in the field of biosecurity and food safety, the time taken for authorisations ranges from 2 to 5 years. In Brazil, this time is doubled. So solutions found at any given moment may prove unsuitable for developments in the targeted contamination 10 years later! This runs counter to the necessary reactivity in our business when faced with the development of zoonotic infections. The quality and effectiveness of our offer means that we need to be constantly vigilant, constantly adapting and innovating.”
Before the visit the Business France teams, coordinating with the agricultural advisers based within the French Embassy in Brazil, have prepared for a meeting in the coming weeks with the government health authorities based in Brasília in order to work on improving this situation which restricts the opportunities for adaptation and innovation of the formulas and, more broadly, for development of the Group’s business activities. “This round-table discussion will enable us to talk through the problems of food security and see how Kersia, which is a local stakeholder, can assist a state like Brazil in combatting or effectively preventing the occurrence of health risks in the food chain.”
Farm visits to project the development of Kersia towards new market segments and regions.
Kersia is continuing to grow in the dairy sector, but in other regions where we are increasingly developing, such as the regions of the North and North East. Where Kersia has an advantage is in being able to adapt to any form of farming from family farms to very large operations. Kersia also intends to develop in the Poultry sector where the needs are great, with migrating birds, potentially carriers of the avian flu virus, presenting a serious risk to Brazil’s poultry farms. Kersia has a unique offer in this respect, tried and tested in numerous countries where the Group has a presence, bringing together solutions for prevention, disinfection and protection of livestock buildings.
Continuing the business in the dairy segment and diversifying to other types of production implies a geographic expansion of the trading area towards the regions of Central and Northern Brazil. Several business meetings with the agri-food industries have been organised during our stay: With the support of Business France, Kersia is preparing in particular for our presence at the Agrishow Trade Fair (from 29th April in Ribeirão Preto, state of Sao Paulo), one of the largest trade fairs in the world for agricultural technology, so that we can make contact with the agricultural world in this region and open doors there.
A prospecting approach to agro-food businesses
The 3rd axis of Kersia’s development plans in Brazil, after speeding up the regulatory product authorisation times and agricultural and geographic diversification, is an increase in our activities in the agro-industry business. The advantage Kersia has in Brazil is that we offer high-performance products in terms of health effectiveness, as well as economic benefits thanks to the savings made in consumption of water and energy.
Kersia hopes to continue our growth in the milk processing sector (25% of turnover) and to engage in parallel in two other segments of the food industry: meat processing and beverages (brewing and drinks) as well as food preparations.
Several business meetings with the agro-food industries have been organised during our stay.
Press contact
Agence Rivacom
Fanny Régnier
+33 6 76 20 61 14