PROTEIN SOURCES FOR THE ANIMAL FEED INDUSTRY (2024)

Andy C.L. Safaloah
Senior Lecturer in Monogastricnu*trition, Department of Animal Science,
University of Malawi; Bunda Collegeof Agriculture
Lilongwe, Malawi

This paper outlines the current status of livestockproduction, protein supplies and the animal feed industry in Malawi. Livestockproduction in Malawi is primarily subsistent where the majority of animals andpoultry are kept under the extensive free-range system of management with littleor no supplementation. Large-scale commercial livestock and poultry enterprisesare few in number and are primarily the intensive type where the use ofconcentrates and/or protein feed ingredients is common. Available feed resourcesare either of animal (fishmeal, meat and bone meal) or plant origin (soybeanmeal, sunflower meal, cottonseed cake and groundnut cake). Neglected orunderutilized protein sources include pigeon peas, cowpeas and chickpeas. Someprotein sources used in the animal feed industry are imported from neighbouringcountries. Most protein sources are incorporated in compounded feed forintensive poultry, pig, beef cattle and dairy production. The animal feedmanufacturing industry is generally small with two main feed manufacturerssupplemented by on-farm feed mixing. There is urgent need to explore theutilization of unconventional feedstuffs in order to increase the proteinresource base and so improve livestock productivity.

INTRODUCTION

Livestock production is an integral part of agriculturalproduction in Malawi. Compared to crop production, livestock constitute arelatively small sub sector in Malawi’s agriculture. The livestock sectoris typically a low-input-low-output management system with over half a millionsmallholder families (Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation [MoAI], 1999).Higher outputs of livestock production are experienced by a relatively smallnumber of large-scale intensive commercial livestock/poultry enterprises, mostof which are located in the urban and periurban areas of Blantyre, Lilongwe andMzuzu cities. Intensive production enterprises include broiler and layerproduction, beef cattle feedlots and pig and dairy production. These form themajor outlets for protein sources.

Major constraints to livestock production include lack ofimproved breeds, lack of cheap quality feed, a weak livestock extension system,lack of appropriate managerial skills, lack of appropriate technology and weaklivestock veterinary services. Of these, lack of good quality feed at affordableprices is the major problem. With low productivity, the livestock sectorcontributes less than its potential to national economic and agriculturalgrowth.

In an attempt to facilitate the sustainable development of thelivestock sub sector in Malawi and to respond to current national developmentobjectives, the Malawi Government developed a National Livestock Master Plan in1999 (MoAI, 1999). The plan includes a coherent strategic framework of desiredpolicies, institutional reforms, legislative adjustment and investmentprogrammes. Encouragingly, the plan recognizes the functional link between thecrop and livestock sub sectors in relation to the livestock feed base.

LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

Management systems

The livestock sub sector in Malawi primarily comprises smalland large-scale sectors. At the smallholder level, there is little financialinput in terms of housing, use of drugs and supplementary feeding. On the otherhand, large-scale livestock production is intensive in nature and commonly usesconcentrates as sources of protein. The Malawi Government is currentlyencouraging expansion of beef cattle stall feeding and dairy production amongthe estate sector. Expansion and intensification of this sector entailsincreased use of protein sources such as cotton seed cake orurea/molasses/mineral blocks to supplement high quality proteinforage/legumes.

Large-scale intensive monogastric production (poultry andpigs) is mostly influenced by supply of good quality feed at reasonable andaffordable prices.

Small ruminants such as goats and sheep are basically keptunder the free-range system. Indigenous chickens comprise more than 80 percentof the chicken population in Malawi. These are kept under the free-range system.Broiler enterprises range from small units of 200-500 birds and largeenterprises of more than 30 000 birds.

Livestock population/numbers

The national livestock database is particularly weak whencompared with that developed for crops. Estimates of livestock populationsincorporate a large margin of error. Discrepancies have always been seen betweenthe two sources of livestock statistics: the National Statistical Office (NSO)and the Department of Animal Health and Industry-DAHI, (MoAI, 1999). DAHImaintains a record of livestock numbers through annual surveys carried out byVeterinary Assistants scattered throughout the country. The NSO, on the otherhand, conducts periodic surveys of agriculture that include livestock. Thediscrepancies between these two institutions warrant establishment of a propernation-wide livestock monitoring system.

It is clear from Table 1 that chickens are the most commontype of stock kept. The MoAI (1999) reported that there were 61 200 pigs, 1 583200 broiler chickens, 187 800 layers and 27 500 cattle (both dairy and beef)kept under intensive production systems.

TABLE 1
Estimates of numbers for different types oflivestock kept in Malawi.

Source: Department of Animal health and Industry,2000

PROTEIN FEED SUPPLIES/SOURCES

Information on availability of protein sources and theirutilization in Malawi is scarce and the pattern of their use not fully known.This is mainly due to lack of funds and adequate expertise with which to conductappropriate studies to determine the available feed resource base. There is alsoa lack of adequate and reliable laboratory facilities for chemical analyses todetermine the nutrient composition of feedstuffs for feeding trials. Similarly,there is limited expertise in animal nutrition with only seven animalnutritionists at national level.

Rapid expansion and intensification of livestock production,especially poultry, have led to a sharp increase in requirements forconcentrates. As a result there has been an increase in the requirements for thesupply of protein sources.

Protein feed sources in Malawi are either of plant or animalorigin. The commonly available type of animal protein is fishmeal. Fishmeal isproduced from a mixture of fish remnants, non-gradeable fish and/or broken fishpieces. Fishmeal is currently sold at US$0.46/kg compared with US$0.25 for fullfat soybean meal. Assuming crude protein content of 60 percent for fishmeal and38 percent for full fat soybean meal, proteins from these sources cost US$0.77and US$0.66 per kg respectively. Fishmeal is also imported from other countriessuch as South Africa and Chile.

Fishmeal is generally expensive and its use in animal feed islimited. It is a major source of protein for humans. The major source of fish isLake Malawi with lesser quantities being supplied by small rivers.

Use of animal by-products from processing plants/slaughterhouses such as meat and bone meal is limited due to low supply. One otherpotential protein source that goes to waste is that from the two majorhatcheries. This is primarily due to lack of appropriate processingfacilities.

Oilseed meals and grain legumes form the bulk of plant proteinused in livestock feeds used by the animal industry. The main source of plantprotein used in Malawi is soybean meal, most of which is the full fat type. Thisis due to the fact that there are very few plants processing oil from soybean inMalawi. Other plant protein sources include sunflower cake, cottonseed cake andgroundnut cake. There is apparently very little use of legumes such as pigeonpeas, cowpeas, and chickpeas. Traditional and unconventional plant proteinsources are presented in Table 2. The Table indicates that the yield fromlegumes is low, probably due to poor husbandry practices. With proper managementand use of the correct inputs, yields could be greatly improved.

Production of grain legumes in Malawi for the past fiveseasons is presented in Table 3. These are the legumes currently being evaluatedby the Animal Science Department of the University of Malawi. Plant proteinsources are fed directly or after on farm feed mixing as complete feeds, wheremaize meal is the main basal ingredient. Oil seed meals and legumes normallycomprise 15-30 percent of the livestock diets.

TABLE 2
Commonly used and potential plant proteinsources available in Malawi

Source: Guide to Agricultural Production InMalawi: 1994/95, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation

TABLE 3
Production of soybeans, cowpeas and pigeon peasfrom 1996-2001

Source: Ministry of Agriculture and IrrigationDepartment, 2001

Soybean meal is used most extensively as a source of protein,especially in poultry diets. In general, soybean meal accounts for more than 70percent of the protein source used in compound feeds for poultry and otherlivestock. Use of other legumes such as beans, pigeon peas, groundnut meal andcowpeas is limited due to a number of factors such as:

• their importanceas sources of cheap plant protein for human consumption;

• lack of processingfacilities;

• high cost of transport fromareas of production to the location of feed mills;

• the unattractive price thatfarmers receive from the sale of these products to the animal feedindustry;

• Loss of crops to overseasmarkets. Large quantities of pigeon peas are exported to other countries such asIndia, making the legume unavailable for use in Malawi.

Until recently, not much had been done on the chemical andfeeding properties and utilization of these plant proteins by livestock inMalawi. The University of Malawi is currently embarking on the chemical analysisand characterization of national protein feed resources. Current studies showthat proper processing is required before legumes such as soybeans, cowpeas andpigeon peas can be incorporated in animal diets. Simoongwe (1998) reported thatroasting legumes can decrease the content of trypsin inhibitor (TI) in suchcrops as soybeans (Table 4).

TABLE 4
Effect of roasting on trypsin inhibition ofsoybeans, pigeon peas and cowpeas

Source: Simoongwe, 1998

Although advocated for use in poultry diets for a long time,Phaseolus beans are rarely used in livestock feeds. Edje (1975) reportedthat Phaseolus beans contain 22 percent crude protein, 57 percentcarbohydrates and a low fibre content of 4 percent. On the other hand, Mwangwela(2000) reported that the crude protein of Phaseolus beans ranged from 17percent to 20 percent depending on variety used. The potential use of beans as aprotein source in the animal feed industry needs to be explored. The TI contentof beans could be improved by boiling or germinating the seeds. Kalimbira (2000)reported that boiling soybeans reduced trypsin inhibition from 30.2 percent to3.5 percent. Germinating the seeds was also reported to reduce inhibition from27.2 to 3.7 percent.

THE FEED INDUSTRY

The compound feed industry in Malawi is small with both bigand small scale feed millers. The animal feed industry produces concentrates forboth on-farm feed mixing and complete feeds. Due to lack of data on chemicalcomposition of available feed ingredients, the majority of feed compounders relyon composition tables for feed formulation. These tables are produced in othercountries. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that most feed millers donot have laboratory facilities for analysis of the nutrient content of theiringredients.

Feed mills in Malawi are mainly used for grinding, dosing andmixing feeds from cereals and oil seed meals. Recently, the pelleted feed hasbeen introduced in Malawi. The animal feed industry compounds more feed formonogastric animals (pigs and poultry) than for ruminants.

Protein sources used by the feed industry are either boughtfrom within the country or imported from the neighbouring countries of Zimbabwe,Zambia or South Africa. The proportion of protein used in the diets variesaccording to the relative price of the available protein sources such aslegumes, fish meal and milling by-products. Production of compound feed inMalawi has grown substantially and almost in parallel with an increase inintensive livestock production systems. This has seen an increase in theemergence of feed manufacturing companies. Most feed mills are concentrated inthe urban areas of Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu where these is a large number ofpig and poultry enterprises.

Prices of feed from these manufacturing companies tend to varydepending on their source of ingredients and where they are located. Farmers inthe countryside face significantly higher costs of feed than those withintowns.

Due to the high cost of purchasing compounded feed, somefarmers have resorted to on farm feed mixing. These farmers grow their ownlegumes as sources of feed, or import concentrates which they use for mixingwith maize meal. This trend has seen an increase in the production of legumessuch as soybeans.

The feed industry in Malawi is not without problems. Technicalconstraints include:

• low and unreliablesupply of feed ingredients, especially protein sources;

• lack of laboratory facilitiesfor chemical analysis of ingredients;

• frequent interruptions inpower supply;

• inconsistent and sometimessubstandard feed quality;

• lack of trained feedtechnologists;

• lack of appropriate feedprocessing equipment;

• lack of spare parts formaintenance of equipment which is imported from other countries. The need foradapted equipment that can easily be maintained using local resources becomesobvious.

Lack of appropriate feed ingredients is aggravated bypersistent incidences of drought or floods that have affected the country overthe past three years. Where there is a limited availability of protein sourcesand other ingredients, quality is often compromised. Samples of broiler starterfeed from one small scale feed manufacturer which was analyzed at the AnimalNutrition Laboratory at Bunda College had a crude protein content of 14.6percent, which is too low for broiler starter diets. When contacted, lack ofadequate protein sources was implicated. Under such circ*mstances, the farmerbecomes the victim.

Quality Control

As mentioned above, most feed manufacturers lack laboratoryfacilities that can be used to check the quality of their feed. The MalawiBureau of Standards (MBS) is mandated by the Government to ensure that standardsare adhered to. Implementation of feed quality assurance leaves a lot to bedesired. Lack of staff and insufficient financial support from Government havebeen implicated in MBS’s failure to monitor feed millers, operators, feedingredient producers and suppliers. With no strict control measures,adulteration of animal feed, especially protein sources, becomes thenorm.

CURRENT RESEARCH IN PROTEIN SOURCES

Lack of research funds and reliable laboratory facilitieslimit the extent of research on protein sources in Malawi. Currently, the AnimalScience Department of the University of Malawi is involved in the evaluation ofgrain legumes, such as pigeon peas and cowpeas, as potential substitutes forsoybean. Simoongwe (1998) evaluated the use of soybeans, pigeon peas and cowpeasin the diets of local and exotic pigs. One major finding in that study was theneed to process the legumes to remove TI. However, further studies are requiredto determine the inclusion levels that do not compromise performance, sincerates of more than 70 percent proved to be too high. Chisowa (2002) reportedthat the daily weight gains of rabbits within a 12 week growing period were15.6, 14.4 and 10.7 g for soybean, pigeon pea and cowpea supplemented dietsrespectively. Chisowa (2002) also reported that cowpeas contain more tannins(10.75 mg/kg) than soybean (3.25 mg/kg) and pigeon peas (3.75 mg/kg).

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Expansion of intensive livestock production in Malawi hasconcomitantly resulted in an increase in demand for protein sources. The currentprotein resource base cannot meet the additional demand for protein by theanimal feed industry, as manifested by protein imports. In order to ensureincreased productivity of the livestock sector, the following recommendationsare made:

1. Strengthening of animal nutrition researchshould focus on utilization and processing of unconventional protein feedstuffs.This will allow them to be properly evaluated as sources of protein and othernutrients for incorporation in livestock diets. Unconventional protein sourcessuch as cowpeas, chickpeas, pigeon peas, common beans, bambara nuts, cotton seedcake and sesame seeds, should be explored.

2. A protein feed resource data base should be developed toprovide a reference and textbook for the animal feed industry, researchers andstudents of animal nutrition/science and extension workers.

3. Government should promote cultivation and intensificationof plant proteins such as soybeans to increase supply and availability of plantproteins for use by the animal feed industry.

4. Government and associated institutions should developappropriate and cost effective feed processing technologies for both animal andplant protein sources, that can be used by both small and large scale feedcompounders.

5. Investigations should be made to evaluate potentialincorporation of animal waste as protein sources (such as that from the hatcheryindustry). Converting biological waste as animal feed would create a newindustry and market, and would reduce pollution.

6. The Government should also seriously promote investment inoil crop refining companies. This could increase the availability of oilseedmeals which are good protein sources.

7. There should be an increase in institutional capacity forhuman resource development in animal nutrition and feed technology, as well assupport in terms of animal nutrition laboratory facilities for chemicalanalyses.

REFERENCES

Chisowa, D. M. 2002. Comparative evaluation ofperformance of growing rabbits fed Leucaena leucocephala-cereal basaldiet supplemented with legume grains. University of Malawi, Bunda College ofa*griculture. (M.Sc. thesis)

Edje, O. T. 1975. Phaseolus Beans. Agriculture,Report No. BC/CP/95/75, University of Malawi, Bunda College ofa*griculture.

Kalimbira, A. A. 2000.The effect of incorporatinglegumes on quality acceptability of cassava-based complementary foods.University of Malawi, Bunda College of Agriculture. (M.Sc. thesis)

Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MoAI). 1999.National Livestock Development Master Plan. Malawi, Department of Animal Healthand Industry.

Mwangwela, A.M. 2000. Relation of phytic acid andcalcium to culinary characteristics of freshly harvested dry beans. Universityof Malawi, Bunda College of Agriculture. (M.Sc. thesis)

Simoongwe, V. 1998. The performance of large white andlocal Malawian pigs fed rations based on soybeans, cowpeas and pigeon peas.University of Malawi, Bunda College of Agriculture. (M.Sc. thesis)