The deal was signed at the recent VIV Asia exhibition and Al-Noor Chicks will receive their first import of Indian River Grandparents (GP) in July 2011 for use within their own operation and also sales to the open market. Their annual intake is contracted at 10,000 Indian River GPs but the company has plans in place to grow the business and invest in new facilities.

Located in the city of Faisalabad, near Islamabad, Al-Noor is one of the leading poultry breeding companies in Pakistan. The company is part of the Noor Group of Companies, which was established in 1972, and is a highly-respected, progressive and successful business in Pakistan, consisting of Al-Noor Chicks, with a broiler breeder and a layer division, and Noor Feed Industries. Al-Noor are well-known for their entrepreneurial achievements, having been the first company in Pakistan to import GPs.

Bill Souther, VP Asia, said: "We are very pleased to welcome Al-Noor to the Aviagen family and the Indian River brand. We are delighted to have Al-Noor as a partner in Pakistan and are confident that the combination of Al-Noor’s business acumen and the excellent performance traits of Indian River will be a recipe for success for the Pakistani poultry industry, which is a dynamic and vital part of the country's agriculture and economy. Indian River and Aviagen are proud to be a link in that chain of success and we are confident that the business association between Al Noor and Indian River will have a strong impact not only in the country but the whole of South Asia."

Niaz Rasool, CEO of Al-Noor Chicks, commented: "It was a great pleasure working with the Indian River team to complete this very significant contract between Al-Noor Chicks and Aviagen here in Bangkok. We have come a long way since we started our first discussions regarding a GP partnership in September 2010. Indian River is a well-respected and popular product in the region, backed by the genetics and unrivalled customer service of Aviagen. For all these reasons, Indian River will be ideally suited to the Pakistani market and will be a welcome addition to the country's growing broiler industry – I believe the special relationship between Indian River and Al-Noor Chicks will last for years to come."

Fred Kao, Business Manager for Indian River, added: "Indian River GP sales have risen by over 30 per cent over the last 12 months and we are really pleased to have a company of Al-Noor's calibre joining this growing network of Indian River GP customers. Al-Noor's facilities are excellent, the company's commitment to biosecurity is second-to-none and their business strategy is dynamic and progressive. All this means they are an excellent partner for us. We will do everything in our power to support them with dedicated customer service, specialist support and a series of events to introduce Indian River to the Pakistani market."