.Feed plays a very important role for farmers because it can support the growth, reproduction, and health of their livestock. On the other hand, poor feeding can cause diseases that can later harm farmers economically.
However, farmers often face a number of problems related to feed, such as availability, quality, and price. In fact, in the last few months, poultry farmers in a number of regions have faced the problem of soaring feed prices, especially those derived from corn, because their availability is decreasing.
The Ministry of Agriculture noted that 35 percent of the availability of poultry feed in Indonesia is still very dependent on imported materials. Sources of imported livestock feed include soybean meal, corn gluten meal, meat and bone meal, and premix.
This problem of availability can actually be overcome by developing livestock feed from local materials. However, until now, the development of local livestock feed in Indonesia that has an energy source equivalent to other feeds has not been optimal.
One example of a local feed material that can be utilized is palm kernel meal. The meal is one of the by-products of palm kernel processing with a content of 45-46 percent of palm kernel. Cake generally contains less than 10 percent water and 60 percent of its nutritional fraction is cellulose, fat, protein, arabinoxylan, glucuronoxylan, and minerals.
Animal feed innovation from palm kernel meal was developed by Professor of Feed Technology at IPB University Nahrowi. He developed Palmofeed, a patented product derived from palm kernel meal that can function as a functional feed ingredient as well as a source of energy and protein for livestock.
Nahrowi said that palm kernel meal production in Indonesia is more than 6 million tons per year and is one of the largest in the world. However, the majority of palm kernel meal is exported abroad for feed ingredients. In fact, Indonesia still often lacks feed for livestock.
“The problem of palm kernel meal not being widely used for poultry, fish, and pig feed in Indonesia is related to quality. Therefore, this animal feed product still needs a touch. Palm kernel meal has great potential to be used as animal feed because of its abundant availability,” he said, Saturday (5/18/2024).
Nahrowi has been carrying out the roadmap for developing animal feed from palm kernel meal for the past ten years. However, at that time, the development was limited to increasing and diversifying palm kernel cake products because of their potential as a source of energy and protein for animals. Meanwhile, Palmofeed was only focused on being developed six years ago.
This long development was partly related to the budget. Until finally Nahrowi focused on developing Palmofeed after receiving a budget from the Business World Cooperation and Reka Creation (Kedaireka) program and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) so that it was possible to establish partnerships with the private sector
Product excellence
The process of improving the basic ingredients makes the Palmofeed product have a number of advantages and quality improvements. Palmofeed already contains fiber that can be used directly by poultry, fish, and pigs. This product is also rich in mannan content and has a higher protein content than bran or corn flour.
In addition, prebiotics in palm kernel meal can inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the digestive tract, such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli. So, Palmofeed can be a source of energy and protein while controlling pathogenic bacteria so that the digestive tract of livestock can be healthier.
PalmOFeed, animal feed from palm kernel meal, as a source of energy and protein.
IPB UNIVERSITY
“In terms of nutrition, after being improved, it is not inferior to other products. However, we cannot replace this product apple to apple. For example, farmers cannot replace soybean meal animal feed with Palmofeed. However, if farmers include Palmofeed in the ration mixture, the use of soybean meal for animal feed can decrease,” he said.
Nahrowi said that currently the use of Palmofeed for ration mixtures has increased threefold. Previously, the use of palm kernel meal for poultry, fish, and pig feed was only 3-5 percent. Now, its use can increase by 10-15 percent.
More economical
In livestock activities, feed plays a very important role because it is the largest cost component, which is around 70 percent of the total production cost. In order to provide maximum production, farmers need high-quality feed at an affordable price.
Palmofeed can be a solution for farmers because it is more economical with a price of around IDR 3,800 per kilogram. Farmers or industries that use Palmofeed are estimated to be able to save a minimum budget of IDR 100 per kilogram of ration.
As an effort to downstream research products, Nahrowi continues to socialize to the palm oil processing industry. One of the industries, namely PT Buana Karya Noveltindo in South Kalimantan, then followed up on this innovation to be mass produced.
Katon prepares palm oil pulp for feed in a cattle fattening and breeding business in Selagai Lingga, Central Lampung Regency, Lampung, December 2022.
“The production of palm kernel cake reaches 1,500-2,000 tons per month. Given the increasing demand, we are trying to open other processing companies in Sumatra, Sulawesi, and other central palm oil areas that also have a lot of livestock activities,” he said.
Also read: Bulletproof Vests from Empty Palm Oil Bunches
IPB University Chancellor Arif Satria, as quoted on the official website of IPB University, stated that Palmofeed as a quality functional feed can increase the productivity of livestock. The results of this research can also be developed for the fisheries sector which often experiences dynamics in operational costs.
According to Arif, the livestock industry in Indonesia will develop rapidly if there is an increase in independence, especially in terms of feed. Ultimately, all these efforts will also help to increase the fulfillment of animal protein needs for the wider community
source ; https://www.kompas.id/baca/humaniora/2024/05/19/pakan-ternak-dari-bungkil-inti-sawit