August 10, 2007

Fiji dairy cow farmers use sugar cane as feed

In a bid to improve and save production costs, a two-year livestock project in Sorokoba Village, Fiji is being set up using sugar cane as feed to dairy cows. This in return helps dairy farmers to yield higher milk and butter-fat content per cow.

Interim Agriculture Minister Jainend Kumar said this project hopes to yield higher milk and butter-fat content per cow as well as optimising the breed's genetic potential.

Animal feed from cane tops is something that has only been practiced in more developed sugar-producing countries and for this project to be initiated in the West, is something that farmers will definitely look forward to, Kumar said.

Farm Estate Enterprises Limited chairman, Surendra Sharma, who is responsible for the project, said it would need a lot of support from farmers in the cane belt areas. The extra costs for the feed will be compensated by the increased milk yield.