Mumbai, Maharashtra, March 10, 2010 - The VH Group (Venkateshwara Hatcheries) is entering Europe with a state of the art poultry vaccine manufacturing facility in the Canton of Jura in Switzerland, the first Indian company to do so.

Working with the economic promotion agency, BaselArea, the VH Group was able to find an appropriate site in Bassecourt, in the Canton of Jura and to establish the new company in Switzerland within the shortest time possible.

The VH Group (Venkateshwara Hatcheries) is the leading Indian poultry conglomerate based in Pune. Incorporated under the name Venkys Inc., the state of the art manufacturing facility in Bassecourt will provide a major stepping stone for the VH Group to strengthen its position in the European market.

One of the main reasons for us to come here is the high quality standard related to Switzerland, says Mr. B. Venkateshwara Rao, Managing Director of the VH Group. Thanks to the uncomplicated and efficient collaboration by all the partners of BaselArea, we were able to quickly find an appropriate site and to establish the company here.

Provided that the approval process goes according to plan, the new production facility in Bassecourt should become operational by the end of 2011, providing up to 50 job opportunities in the region in the initial year of operation. The VH Group will produce poultry vaccines for the European, Asian and other regulated markets in Bassecourt, Switzerland.

I am pleased to welcome the VH Group to the Basel area., says Dr. Franz A. Saladin, CEO of BaselArea. The strong life sciences industry here provides an ideal home for this modern facility and we look forward to a continued collaboration with Venkys.

Notes to Editor

VH Group

Established in 1971, the VH Group (Venkateshwara Hatcheries) is a fully integrated poultry company in India, with a turnover of approx. USD 700 million. It provides complete poultry solutions from basic breeding to providing ready-to-eat chicken and processed egg variants. VH markets its products through the Venkys brand. The Group has 26 registered companies in India and is expanding its global footprint to various locations including Bangladesh, Vietnam and other countries of the Middle East and Africa. The vaccine plant project was developed under the leadership of Chairperson Mrs. Anuradh Jitendra Desai and Jt Directors Mr. Jitendra Desai, Mr. B. Venkateshwara Rao and Mr. B. Balaji Rao. The project will be under the technical guidance of Dr. Venugopal Nair, Head of Avian Infectious Diseases Programme, Institute for Animal Health UK and Dr. Vergil Davis, USA. For more information please see

BaselArea

BaselArea is the economic promotion agency for the region of Basel. Supported by the Cantons of Basel Stadt, Baselland and Jura, BaselArea promotes the region as a business destination and supports companies to get off to the best start in the Basel area. Their services are free of charge. For more information