Sweet sorghum may soon become Philippines' livestock feed alternative

The country’s state-run Pampanga Agricultural College (PAC) has been collaborating with the private sector in the pilot use of sweet sorghum to potentially lower feed cost and raise the net income of farmers.

The development of sweet sorghum grains as complementary to corn grains as feed raw material may help raise the Philippines’ poultry and livestock sector’s competitiveness through cost reduction.

The Philippines still significantly imports corn feed and feed wheat, at one million metric tonnes as projected for 2013 by the Philippine Association of Feed Millers.

Bureau of Agricultural Research director Nicomedes P Eleazar said that the government has been conducting research and development on feeds for making the local poultry and livestock industry competitive.

Eleazar said, “We need to do more R&D on feeds since feeds account for a significant amount of our animal growing cost.

“Any competitiveness in cost will have an important impact in raising the standard of living, especially of our small farmers.”

Cost of feeds may account for a significant 50 per cent of the cost of raising poultry and livestock.

Philippines may soon be able to help livestock farmers lower their production costs by introducing sweet sorghum as a cheaper feed alternative

The country’s state-run Pampanga Agricultural College (PAC) is collaborating with the private sector in the pilot use of sweet sorghum to potentially lower feed cost and raise the net income of farmers.