FEED MILL A POSSIBILITY
By: Asenati Taugasolo Semu
Does the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries have the capacity to initiate the resurrection of a Feed Mill to cater for Samoa’s Livestock stakeholders?
The possibilities are excellent, is the feedback from Assistant Chief Executive heading MAF’s Livestock Division, Aiolupo Tony Aiolupo.
His confidence is boosted with the recent successful breakthrough in processing a chicken feed in Samoa with local agricultural crops used as the main ingredients.
Aiolupo notes that today, they have completed Phase One of the Chicken Feed Production Technology project at Nuu under the umbrella of the Samoa-China Agricultural Technical Aid Project (SCATAP).
“We can now produce chicken feed in Samoa,” said Aiolupo.
“We have tested it with the Ministry of Agriculture and the SCATAP programme chickens and the results are successful. But we need to develop the chicken feed into the pellet form as this is the most preferred and efficient form of the feed.
“The chicken can easily consume the pellet feed and it can also be stored for a long period of time.”
Aiolupo said our local chickens are fed with desiccated coconut which is quite expensive for some farmers and also with leftover food.
“The production of chicken feed in Samoa will greatly assist our two local poultry farms and our farmers.
“In the final stages, once we have perfected the chicken feed prototype we will take the next step to attract interest of the private sector for a partnership arrangement for commercialization.”
Aiolupo said the programme go in line with one of the Strategy of the Development of Samoa Key Outcomes: Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity Increased, to increased food, nutrition and income security with enhanced agribusiness partnerships and promotion of commercial value chains to increase and sustain agriculture and fisheries productivity.
“The Ministry of Agriculture is monitoring challenges that arises from time to time in any livestock project to ensure we have affordable and enough feed for our livestock such as sheep, pigs, cattle and chicken.
“Government’s assistant programmes focus on finding ways to help our farmers with enough and appropriate feed for their livestock, like this time with producing chicken feed.”
Aiolupo said up to $45 million is spent on the importation of chicken meat every year, and this is about 70% of the country’s total meat consumption per year.
The ACEO also said with our local chicken or Moa Samoa, it takes up to six months to grow before the meat is ready and good for consumption.
“Compared to the imported chicken meat that takes only about six weeks to grow and ready for consumption.”
The difference according to Aiolupo, is that the imported chicken have feed standards according to the requirement of nutrients for chickens.
“Government is also looking at implementing programmes through the Ministry of Agriculture to further develop the number of chickens in our local poultry farms. The focus is to help minimize the import of chicken meat, and this is a long term dream, because there are many factors to consider because it mainly involves the private sector.
“We have two local chicken egg laying businesses, with the estimated flock of about 200,000 chickens. The eggs are sold to our local retail and wholesale stores, but the chicken feed are all imported.
“And this is the challenge we are battling with, to minimize the import of chicken feed.”
Aiolupo said they are working together with the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (SROS) to conduct research and tests on our local plants to process chicken feed to help our farmers.
He said many tree crops are grown under the SCATAP programme at Nuu.
SCATAP is a bilateral cooperation project between the Samoa and Chinese Governments to implement projects since 2010 that include the bringing in of 25 agricultural experts from China; establishment of a demonstration farm and providing agricultural trainings for local farmers and people.
SCATAP team leader and senior agronomist, Jim Liu told Savali news that the project have been here since 2010.
Liu said the main problem for the local chicken farms is the feed shortage.
“Most farmers in Samoa do not get high quality feed chicken. They use fruits, cocoanuts or left overs to feed their chickens,” said Liu.
Liu said the main challenge are the ingredients to process and produce chicken feed.
Some of the ingredients include corn, soybean, cassava tube, brewery grain and fish meal.
“We don’t have much land for field crops. We do not produce corn, we do not produce soybean we don’t produce syrup crops or oil seed crops, therefore most of the ingredients needed for the formula feed of production is not available from the local markets.”
Liu said the price of imported chicken feed is unaffordable by most farmers in Samoa.
“In order to solve this problem, with support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, we have been trying to develop a formula feed and raise free range chickens for more than two years.”
Liu said if the production of chicken feed elevates to the commercial level, farmers will be able to feed more chickens with a lower price.
“Therefore, if we can develop this feed and produce at a larger scale it could bring additional benefits for the local farmers because we grow some feed crops like cassava, mulberry, and even maybe we can grow some corns and soybeans on our demonstration farm here at Nuu.
“On this demonstration farm, we can grow all those, we can grow corn, soybean cassava, mulberry, they are all used for the ingredients.”
Liu said cassava can be easily grown in poor soil conditions and the yield is quite high.
“It is quite good energy feed. For the proteins we have to import some fish meal. Currently mainly from eastern Samoa (American Samoa). Also we can produce some soybean as a source of protein.”
Liu said some of the ingredient are available on the local market such as brewer’s grain from the two beer factories in the country.
When the commercialization of the product will materialize is uncertain at the moment because of the COVID 19 lockdown that prevents the shipment of equipment and ingredients according to Liu.
Owner of the Frankie poultry farm at Tanumalala, Pitovaomanaia Mayday Laung Hing welcomed the establishment of a local feed mill.
“Having a local feed mill is a great idea to supply our own feeds for both layers and broilers. Fiji is a very good example not withstanding all raw materials imported to manufacture their feeds. “They still manage to produce their own feeds competitively compared to NZ imported feeds.”
Pitovaomanaia also said in 1984 the Government of Samoa did establish a feed mill at Vaitele where the Big Bear shop is now located. The feed mill failed for many reasons.
“One, totally relying on growing local maize and the raw materials never become available.
“Two, there were no commercial farms to create demand to buy feeds in order for feed mills to stay commercially viable.
“Three, it should be a private sector to establish a feed mill which will fully rely on imported raw materials to manufacture all types of feeds.”
Pitovaomanaia said Frankie’s chicken farm is producing enough eggs for the local market.
“Hopefully we can start to export our eggs when things starts to open up.”
With COVID 19 impacts, Pitovaomanaia said:
“From a positive point of view, it was very lucky that the COVID 19 hits Samoa when we already have the Sunshine farm and the Tanumapua farm to supply our own eggs otherwise Samoa would have no eggs available on the market or our consumers would be facing price hikes for eggs.
“Sunshine farm existence helped to drive the egg prices down. At one time during the Corona virus for the first time a dozen of egg was selling at $3.50.This is a good thing for Samoa.”
On another note, Pitovaomanaia said Government needs to support private sector who are putting a lot of risk into this kind of projects, offering incentives that will encourage private sectors to do their part. “I also acknowledge the Government through Investment Committee for their support on our project which Samoa is now benefit. “
Tanumapua Chicken Farm manager, Leota Laumata Pelesa said they produce 350 boxes of eggs a day (15 dozen in one box).
He said they have started exporting eggs to Rarotonga and they hope to attract more demands from overseas.
“We don’t have to rely on imported eggs. I think we have enough supply for our people.”
Leota said they had slaughtered approximately 20,000 chickens during the COVID 19 lockdown and sold them at Farmer Joe supermarkets.
