Cassava As Animal Feed Alternative

[pioneer]

Agriculture experts will tap cassava as alternative to yellow corn as animal feed, to boost cassava production in the country and ease the burden caused by rising cost of animal feeds in the local swine and poultry industry.

Intensified cassava production is being geared as main option for animal feed, aside from human food use and fuel (bioethanol), under action projects in the Philippine Agriculture 2020, an initiative of the scientific community that seeks to ensure the country's food security and sustainability by 2020.

Emil Javier, National Academy of Science and Technology (DOST-NAST) president, said that cassava shall be included in the One Town, One Product (OTOP) program by the government, to boost cassava poduction, even in the regional level.

Javier said that animal feeds is a big factor in sustaining growth in animal-raising industry, particularly swine and poulty industry.

"This is the rationale for combining swine, poultry and yellow corn into a single industry cluster, he said.

Yellowcorn is traditionally used as feeds, but as demands for pork, chicken and eggs rise to an unprecedented level, the swine and poultry industry must find accessible options to animal raising.

Multimillion food producer San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has been successful in substituting cassava for yellow corn in animal feed, he said. - PNA