Sri Lanka Animal Nutrition Association inaugurated

 SLAAN inauguration

• Drives industry advancement

Sri Lanka’s industry marked a new chapter with the launch of the Sri Lanka Association of Animal Nutrition (SLAAN) at an event hosted in collaboration with the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) in Kandy earlier this month. 

“We established the SLAAN as a professional body dedicated to advancing the livestock industry through science, innovation and sustainability,” added SLAAN Founder President S.M. Rohitha Samarakoon.  

“With partners such as the USSEC, we remain committed to supporting the sector’s evolving needs through technical collaboration, knowledge sharing and sustainable growth initiatives.” 

Sri Lanka’s growing poultry sector is playing a pivotal role in strengthening the nation’s food and nutrition security. Fuelled by high-quality feed ingredients, the animal feed industry produces approximately 1.3 million metric tonnes of feed annually. Poultry remains the largest customer of this feed, meeting its demand through the US soybean meal imports, which are up 30 percent year-over-year.

In 2025, Sri Lanka ranked as the largest market for containerised US soybean meal, importing 255,000 metric tonnes. This demonstrates Sri Lanka’s strategic sourcing as a lever for industry growth. 

Containerised US soybean meal shipments remain the industry’s preferred choice, offering greater procurement flexibility and ease of handling specific quantities. 

“As South Asia’s largest market for US soybean meal, U.S. Soy is proud to support Sri Lanka’s industry through high-quality and sustainable feed ingredients,” added USSEC Executive Director Kevin Roepke.

Sri Lanka’s industry has continued to show resilience even amid disruptions. Prioritising long-term value in feed ingredients such as U.S. Soy, has strengthened the industry’s supply chain while boosting animal performance. Sri Lankan customers benefit from U.S. Soy’s advantages of its ‘4Ds’, including naturally sun-dried, lower damage, higher digestibility and deforestation-free production. These traits improve animal outcomes while increasing profit potential.

“As nutritionists, we are committed to using the highest quality raw materials to harness the best for our feed millers and farmers and through our partnership with U.S. Soy, we are strengthening performance, reliability and long-term growth,” added SLAAN Advisor and Lanka Poultry Forum President Ajith Weerasinghe. 

Feed made from U.S. soybean meal also requires fewer synthetic amino acids, making it a more cost-effective and reliable option, especially in times of trade disruption.

With sustainability integration taking priority across Sri Lanka’s agriculture and feed value chain, U.S. Soy, verified under the U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP), allows the users to meet customer and regulatory requirements. 

To date, 16 Sri Lankan poultry producers and feed millers have also signed licences to feature the Sustainable U.S. Soy or Fed with Sustainable U.S. Soy labels on their packaging, signalling a strong shift toward sustainable sourcing. To feature the label, qualifying companies must purchase more than 60 percent of SSAP-verified U.S. Soy.