How interested will you be as a livestock farmer knowing that cassava in diverse forms has greater potential as animal feed?
Countries like Ghana characterized by large livestock production have experienced shortcomings in getting quality feed for production enhancement. Hence, there is the need for alternative feed sources like cassava. Over the years, the consumption of maize by livestock has been the most dominant feed in Ghana. This has led to great imports of maize as a result of the local suppliers’ inability to meet the all-year demand from time to time.
The hiked cost of maize leads to a high cost of animal feed production. This however, leads to expensive production of poultry and pig farming. Why go for a costly feed while you could have a cheaper alternative?
Cassava, an equally perfectly partial substitute of maize as a source of feed is yet to be fully exploited by livestock farmers. While processing cassava starch, the residual pulp gained after separation is also used as feed for farming. The residual pulp is often utilized in the wet state (75-80% moisture content) processing factory neighborhood. It can however be dried sometimes before it is sold. This product is regarded as a by-product of the cassava starch industry. This pulp residue represents about 10% of the weight of cassava roots.
Also, complementing cassava flour with a great number of nutrient ingredients can meet balanced food rations for poultry production. Soybean undoubtedly has synergetic and special resources in designing programs with quality nutrition. Soybean can increase the insufficient protein and essential fatty acids in cassava flour. Ultimately, the right measure of cassava flour and whole soybean mixed can meet the needed energy, fatty acids, and protein requirements for layers and broilers.
Livestock feed has a bright future for increased cassava production. Research has in time past revealed Africa’s cassava as a suitable feed which Europe deems as important and cheap for livestock production. Roots and leaves are both useful for livestock farming as food. Cassava is one of the most drought-tolerant crops and can be successfully grown on soils that have little or no agricultural value, and give reasonable yields where many other crops will yield abysmally. Statistically, Nigeria alone produces about 4 million tons of cassava peel-useful as livestock feed annually as a by-product during the processing of cassava roots. Well-balanced cassava flour can eventually be offered as a cheap source of food energy for animals. Interest in Africa’s feeding of animals is increasing with cassava being an additive to animal production.
Effective sensitization of cassava value chain actors must be executed bringing to light the potential and policy measures enabling its use as an animal feed requirement. The widely use of cassava feed in Ghana can reduce the increased cost of feed, ultimately increasing livestock production and creating job opportunities.
Comments are closed.