More than 40 trainees took part in the first scientific workshop organized jointly by the Al Watania Poultry Institute of Technology (WIT) and Cobb-Vantress for the Saudi poultry industry.
During the three-day event Cobb specialists from Europe and Brazil shared their experience with the trainees on poultry breeding, management of broiler breeders and broilers, health and vaccination, ventilation in hot climates and nutrition.
“The participants greatly appreciated the efforts of Cobb,” said Dr Shakeel Ahmad, head of the institute. “They found the training sessions very useful in complementing their poultry knowledge and skills. They would like such training programs and workshops to be conducted regularly to benefit the poultry industry of Saudi Arabia.”
Hosam Amro, Cobb senior technical service manager in the region, stated: “The business partnership between Cobb and the Al Watania Poultry Company, not only in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but in the region, is one of the most solid relationships in the Middle East.
“Since 1998 Cobb has been working closely with Al Watania to provide the best genetics to meet the growing market demand for fresh whole bird birds and cut-up products. Participating in the WIT training programme is another area of business development where Cobb and Al Watania are working closely together to benefit the future of the local industry.”
Matthew Wilson, Cobb technical services director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, added: “WIT is a unique facility not only in the Middle East region but globally, combining both scientific poultry training with practical experience in its training facility.
“It’s an honor for the Cobb technical team to support WIT in training the next generation of poultry specialists. There is no greater contribution you can make to your fellow citizens than providing healthy, affordable and sustainable protein. Cobb is the global leader in poultry genetics while Al Watania is the leading producer of sustainable poultry production in the Middle East, and together our partnership goes from strength to strength.”
Participants at the workshop included trainees from the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture & Water, and the Gassim Veterinary School.
The Al Watania Poultry Institute of Technology was established in 2014 to promote education and skills in the poultry industry in Saudi Arabia, with the first intake of students in 2015. At present more than 120 are receiving training at the institute, which is equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories, hatchery and farms to provide hands-on tuition. Cobb joined hands with WIT in 2016 to provide practical training at its European and US production facilities, and in July the first eight WIT trainees gained first-hand experience there.
Cobb-Vantress, Inc. is a poultry research and development company engaged in the production improvement and sale of broiler breeding stock. Cobb is the world’s oldest pedigree broiler breeding company. Founded in 1916, Cobb has grown into one of the world’s leading suppliers of broiler breeding stock with distribution into over 120 countries. Cobb has contributed to the dynamic efficiency and growth of an industry that has transformed chicken into an economically affordable healthy protein source for many of the over seven billion people in the world.
