The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has supplied over 3.39 lakh units of animal vaccines to Kenya in the first nine months of financial year 2025. This quantum is about 54 per cent more than the numbers supplied to the African nation in 2022-23.
The vaccines supplied have been manufactured by Hyderabad-based Indian Immunologicals Ltd —a wholly owned subsidiary of Anand-based National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). Compared to the 2.2 lakh units of vaccines supplied to Kenya during the financial year 2022-23, ILL has supplied 3.39 lakh units during financial year 2024-25, till December 2024.
During 2023-24, over 2.83 lakh units of vaccines were supplied to the African nation. NDDB had set up IIL in 1982 and today the entity manufactures animal vaccines, human vaccines, nutraceuticals and formulations.
This year, of the 3.39 lakh units of vaccines supplied, 91 per cent has been the animal rabies vaccine Raksharab (3.1 lakh units of vaccines used for immunisation in dogs and other domestic animals against rabies). NDDB has also supplied Megavac-6 (for vaccination against canine distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and leptospirosis in dogs) and Megavac-P (recommended for prophylactic vaccination against canine parvo in dogs) vaccines to Kenya this year. Apart from animal vaccines, 30,000 units of Abhayrab, a rabies vaccine to be used for humans.
Collaboration with Kenya
“When the Kenyan President visited India last year, they wanted our support for improving the productivity of the milch animals. The focus areas involved improving the genomics of the animal, supplying semen and vaccination support. We have started working with Kenya on all these three aspects,” Meenesh Shah, Chairman of NDDB and IIL, told businessline about President William Samoei Ruto’s visit to India in December 2023.
“Right now, an umbrella agreement between Kenya and India is being discussed between the countries which is similar to the one we signed with Sri Lanka. Once the joint declaration is signed, we will initiate all the agreed activities. Some of the activities like giving them semen doses or vaccines have already started,” Shah added.
JV with Sri Lanka delayed
In 2023, a shareholder agreement was signed between NDDB, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) and Sri Lanka-based Cargill for setting up a joint venture entity that will work in the dairy sector in Sri Lanka.
“Due to the recent change in government in Sri Lanka, the operationalisation of the joint-venture company that we formed is getting delayed. Efforts are on to. convince the new government. There is an apprehension that India wants to dump products from India to Sri Lanka,” Shah added.
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