• Ynsect raised 160 mln euros, in talks for a lot more
• Seeks to expand output at flagship factory, new projects
• Business will close Dutch production unit, reduce 73 jobs
• Investors ask for concentrate on pet meals, human meals and plants

PARIS, April 16 (Reuters) – French insect-primarily based components maker Ynsect will refocus its tactic on higher-margin markets like pet meals, shut a production plant and reduce jobs right after raising 160 million euros ($177 million) from investors, its chief executive stated.

The corporation, which is in talks for added funding, will use the cash to finance expansion of its flagship vertical insect farm in Amiens in northern France, the world’s biggest, and for new projects, Antoine Hubert told Reuters in an interview.

Farmed bugs, such as mealworms, are ground down to make proteins for aquaculture, livestock, pet meals, fertilisers and human nutrition. They are thought of a lot more environmentally friendly proteins mainly because they demand much less land and water than crops and emit fewer greenhouse gases.

But the technologies is expensive, generating the meal far a lot more high priced than its plant-primarily based options.

“In an atmosphere exactly where there is inflation on power and raw components but also on the expense of capital and debt, we can not afford to invest loads of sources in markets which are the least remunerative (animal feed), even though you have other markets exactly where there is a lot of demand, very good returns and greater margins,” Hubert stated, referring to pet meals, human nutrition and fertilisers.

Ynsect will close its Dutch production plant, acquired by way of the takeover of Protifarm in 2021, which rears a various variety of bug, even though maintaining analysis activities. This will lead to 35 job cuts.

In addition the corporation will reduce 38 jobs in France, out of a total of about 360 individuals, Hubert stated.

Ynsect, which announced agreements in December to create insect ingredient production internet sites in the United States and Mexico, has signed sales bargains for 180 million euros more than 3 years and is in talks for an added 1 billion euros, of which a lot more than half is for pet meals, he also stated.

In its newest round of fund raising in 2020 Ynsect brought in a lot more than 315 million euros, of which about 175 million euros was capital and the rest in debt and subsidies.

($1 = .9051 euros)

Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide Editing by Sharon Singleton

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