RECENT DEVELOPMENT ON THE PROCESSING AND UTILISATION OF COMPLETE FEED BASED ON OIL PALM FRONDS (OPF) FOR RUMINANT FEEDING IN MALAYSIA

摘要

Oil palm frond (OPF) is one of the main agricultural by-products from the oil palm industry which has been given emphasis lately as a source of roughages for ruminant livestock. This paper outlines the technology of OPF processing, covering pre and in-factory operations with emphasis on in-field collection and transportation of OPF, pre and post drying as well as the manufacturing processes into finished products. Some challenges in the production of OPF pellet and cube will be discussed. In the production of cube-feeds, grinding process is avoided before mixing with other conventional ingredients. Compared to pellet, cube is bigger in size, coarse in texture and therefore is less compact for efficient ruminant consumption. Results of a feeding trial comparing milk yield responses of Sahiwal-Friesian cows fed total mixed rations (TMR) based on 30% OPF, either as silage (TMR-S) or in the form of cubes (TMC), showed that TMC was superior to TMR-S in daily milk yield (11.0 vs. 7.0 litres/day) and in milk total solids content (11.5 vs. 11.1%). In a separate trial on growing Charokee beef cattle, a rate of growth of 0.58 - 0.71 kg/day was recorded at cube intake of 8.7 kg/day. Significant benefits in term of rate of growth and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) were obtained in feeding experiments using growing goats. The use of OPF as the main fibre source in ruminant rations had markedly reduced the feeding cost between 20 - 30 %. The development of cubed feeds based on OPF opens up tremendous opportunities for intensifying beef cattle production as well as for intensive dairying in the country. Potential of OPF feeds for commercialization is highlighted.