January 3, 2008

Vietnam develops hybrid grass to resolve cattle feed shortfall

Vietnamese dairy experts have developed a hybrid grass that is deemed to resolve the country's imminent dairy feed shortage.

According to the director of the National Agriculture Extension Centre Tong Duy Khiem, the VA-06 grass can be grown on infertile ground and can weather tough climate conditions. Apart from being nutritious and productive, this new variety is also resistant to a high number of pests.

Khiem said one hectare of land can produce between 40 and 50 tonnes of VA-06, double than the popular elephant grass.

Rising prices of animal feed, already up by 30 percent last year, means the livestock industry now has to rely on growing grass. Fresh grass is especially important for the dairy industry as the quality of the plant defines the taste of animal¡¯s milk.

Livestock Breeding Department deputy director Hoang Kim Giao said the country has scant pastures to feed more than 11.5 million grass-eating cattle.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has set a target to expand grass growing areas to 290,000 hectares by 2010 and 500,000 hectares by 2020.

The ministry has also urged provinces to grow grass alongside cattle raising to feed their animals.