Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corp has reached agreement to take a 60% stake in Dutch feed additive distributor Orffa International Holding. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Orffa sells a large number of feed additives, including Japanese products, to 60 countries worldwide. Its biggest market is Europe, which has a highly developed animal husbandry industry that prioritizes environmental protection and safety – a focus that Marubeni expects will become standard throughout the world in the future.

The Tokyo-headquartered group, which employs 100 people and is also present in the Americas, Middle East and Asia, said it will support the global expansion of Orffa’s business model, particularly in the Asian market, by using Marubeni’s network of agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries fields.

According to Marubeni, the current global feed additives market, estimated to be worth $20 billion currently, is forecast to continue growing at 4-5% per year as protein demand increases as a result of rising populations in emerging countries and a preference for high-quality products in developed countries.

The Japanese player has a focus on life sciences and said it aims to further expand its business in functional food materials, cosmetic raw materials and other areas that are closely aligned to the feed additives markets.