Stockfeed potential

AS a national agriculturalist, I would like to further elaborate on the article in The National on Aug 30 about the potential for PNG to develop its stockfeed industry.
The National Agriculture Research Institute (Nari) had outlined the strategy for import substitution and self-reliance on stockfeed as raised by Deputy Prime Minister Charles Abel and Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Benny Allen.
PNG is a peripheral economy that needs to adopt and embrace science, research and technology to achieve the Government’s development plans on self-reliance and import substitution on stockfeed and meat production.
Research, science and technology developed by Nari on feed formulation using locally available ingredients can be adopted.
Feed ingredients like oil palm kernel meal is an alternative to imported stockfeeds.
PNG has enough ingredients from its developing oil palm industry in West New Britain.
Articles by Dr Pikah Kohun in The National (Dec 17, 2013, and Dec 15, 2015) that the quantity of palm kernel meal will increase with the planned extension of the oil palm development is a reality. Today there is surplus palm kernel meal in West New Britain.
NBPOL and Hargy Oil Palm companies are producing excessive fresh fruit bunches.
Newly developed plantations in Silovite and Navo (Bialla) are harvesting more fruit bunches.
Since 2012, the oil palm companies have invested over K42 million in oil mill processing plants at the Wara Stone, Silovite and Navo oil mills.
From the crude palm oil and kernel palm oil extracted, palm kernel meal is produced as a by-product.
The oil products are exported but the kernel meal can be used as base ingredient for low-cost stockfeed.
A pre-feasibility study by the Department of Commerce, Trade and Industry in 2016 showed that an aggregated volume of 43,500 tonnes, or K74 million worth, is available in WNB annually.
That is expected to increase with new developments.
Apart from palm kernel meal, other by-products like beef offal, rice bran and fish meal, which are available in the province, are unaccounted and underutilised.
Other necessary ingredients like sorghum, soy bean and cassava can be grown as the province is known for its fertile volcanic soil and a climate good for growing.
The production of stockfeed using local feed ingredients is technically, practically and economically achievable as presented by Nari scientist Micheal Dom at the University of Papua New Guinea’s science, research and technology symposium in 2014.
Nari had done enough study into the potential of producing feed from locally available agro-industrial by-products.
Companies like NBPOL, Hargy Oil Palm, Trukai and fish canneries are producing a massive amount of industrial by-products.
The challenge is for the Department of Agriculture and Livestock and hosting provincial governments to collaborate with Department of Commerce, Trade and Industry to make a joint submission to the Government under SME and PIP programmes to establish a stockfeed mill in West New Britain.
Self-reliance and import replacement on stockfeed will be achieved and there is potential for the country to export feed and poultry products.

Fidellis Moroyagl
Kumbango Plantation
Kimbe