Sheep-Palm Oil After Cow-Palm Oil

In 2050 the world's population is estimated to reach 9 billion people. The need for food, especially protein, will also definitely increase. With a human population of 9 billion, protein needs are estimated at 250 million tons per year or 50% more than today's protein production. Insects are strong candidates to achieve the target protein requirement, which can be applied to feed and food. Promotion of protein sources from insects is carried out by a number of countries in Europe. The advantage of insects as a source of protein is mainly because with a smaller amount of feed these insects can produce the same amount of protein as traditional farming. According to the FAO, insects such as crickets need six times less feed than cattle, four times less than sheep, and twice as little as pigs and broilers to produce the same amount of protein.

The types of insects permitted to be bred by the European Commission for this purpose include only 7 species of insects, namely 3 types of crickets, 2 types of caterpillars and 2 types of flies. A number of insect farming companies (insect producers) have also sprung up in Europe and it is estimated that two thirds of these insects are for animal feed and one third for food or human consumption. Protein is one of the important elements in human diet. Islam regulates this food issue, so that only halal food can be consumed by Muslims around the world. And it would be even better is a food group that is halal thayibban. Eating insects such as crickets should be avoided by Muslims and seek better food such as sheep, goats and cows.

In order to meet the protein needs, there are a number of ways that can be done to anticipate the increasing needs. Indonesia is the owner of the largest palm oil plantation in the world with an area of ​​more than 15 million hectares or more than one half of the island of Java and this has great potential if it can be exploited. The integration of cattle farming in palm oil plantations has been widely carried out and this can be optimized by integrating sheep-palm oil plantation also. In fact, the two activities can complement each other because the two activities are not carried out simultaneously in the same palm oil plantation. When palm oil plantations are replanted (plant rejuvenation), then at the age of palm oil trees less than 3.5 years, cows cannot be grazed on that land and the same land can be used for sheep grazing. The replanting (plant rejuvenation) of palm oil plantations is carried out in turns in the palm oil plantation area, so that livestock or sheep grazing also follows suit.

Lamb is halalan thayibban food even used in worship, namely for aqiqah and qurban. The production of sheep-based protein is certainly highly recommended so that in addition to meeting the protein needs in halalab thayibban food, is also to support the practice of worship. With the largest Muslim population in the world and vast oil palm plantation, running sheep farms as a source of protein would certainly be much better. With an area of ​​​​palm oil plantations reaching more than 15 million hectares, the potential for meat production from sheep is also huge.

Utilization of Marginal Land and Former Coal Mines for Ruminant Livestock and Charcoal Briquette Production

Photo is taken from here

The extent of marginal land including critical land and unused land which reaches more than 6 million hectares as well as ex-coal mining land which is estimated to reach 8 million hectares are environmental problems that must be overcome. Turning these lands back into productive land so that apart from preventing a bigger environmental disaster, it also provides other benefits for human life. One solution to this problem is to plant the land with pioneer plants of the leguminoceae group whose roots firmly grip the soil and are in symbiosis with azetobacter so that it fertilizes the soil such as calliandra and gliricidia as well as its leaves as a source of animal feed, flowers for honey production, and the wood for the production of charcoal briquettes. Or in other words, the establishment of the plantation besides having environmental benefits as an effort for conservation and land reclamation along with water conservation, of course, also provides benefits for ruminant livestock or the production of animal feed and the production of charcoal briquettes. Ruminant farms, namely sheep, goats and cattle, are very suitable to be developed using the leaves of the plantation. The combination with charcoal briquettes, namely by using the wood, is an ideal combination or integration. In a number of countries the charcoal briquettes are used as fuel for grilling BBQ from lamb, goat and beef. So in addition to all parts of the tree can be utilized also even the final product of livestock in the form of meat and wood processing so that it becomes charcoal briquettes also meet again. An interesting and unique blend or integration.

The need for red meat, namely lamb, goat and beef in the country itself is still lacking, so it requires an adequate supply. In terms of goat and lamb meat, the need for the Jabodetabek (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi) area alone has not been met, so it is supplied alternately from East Java, Central Java and Lampung alternately. In addition, according to Aspaqin (Association of Indonesian Aqiqah Entrepreneurs) there has been an imbalance in the supply of sheep and goats due to the large number of female productive sheep and goats being slaughtered. This condition causes the sustainability of the supply of sheep and goats to be disrupted. According to data from Aspaqin that they collected, 63% of female sheep and goats were slaughtered from a total of 331,693 slaughtered tails. Of course there are still many who are not recorded because there are still many aqiqah entrepreneurs who are not members of the Aspaqin. In addition, there are also many stalls for eating goat dishes, such as satay stalls which still slaughter productive sheep and female goats. Aspaqin continues to strive for education and socialization to improve these conditions, including a proposal to provide punishment for the slaughter of these productive females.

Meanwhile, in the beef cattle sector, Indonesia has the advantage of fattening cattle (feedlot). With the availability of a lot of agricultural wastes and agro-industrial wastes in Indonesia, this business is very competitive, even indonesia is the best. Moreover, this is by creating a plantation that is specifically designed for the feed source by utilizing land that can be said to be unproductive at first. By only taking about 100-120 days, the fattening was successful or completed, although in general, breeder or seed cattle are generally still imported from Australia. Australia, especially northern Australia is the center of the seed cattle. With the vast grazing area there, the cost of producing feeder cattle is very competitive and cannot be done well in Indonesia. Although there are a number of discourses to produce seed cattle in eastern Indonesia and palm oil plantations, the facts are still not or are still very minimal. In addition, according to Gapuspindo (Indonesian Beef Cattle Farmers Association), the domestic demand for beef has not been met or there is still a shortage of around 60% and this shortage is filled by imports of buffalo meat from India. Buffalo meat from India actually has to be sold cheaper than beef, but in fact it is the same as beef. This condition is getting worse, especially in the period leading up to the Eid al-Fitr holiday with lots of illegal meat circulating, such as wild boar meat.

Charcoal briquettes are a product of wood processing from the plantation. The production of charcoal briquettes using wood raw materials must also be managed properly so that it can be sustainable. The important thing to note is that the harvest of wood for the production of charcoal briquettes should not exceed the production of wood from the plantation itself, for example the need for wood for the production of briquettes is 1000 tons / month, the speed of wood production from the plantation is at least the same as the wood harvested every month. Charcoal briquette production techniques are also available in 2 options or routes such as the scheme below. However, route 1, which is briquetting before carbonization, is more in demand because the quality of the briquettes produced is better. In this route, the wood biomass raw material has been downsized so that the particle size is suitable for the production of the briquettes and the dryness level has also been adjusted and then briquetted or pressed in a briquette machine without using additional adhesive. The briquette product is then carbonized so that it becomes the final product in the form of charcoal briquettes or commonly known as sawdust charcoal briquette.

 

Photo is taken from here

In addition to domestic consumption, sheep and goats are also export commodities to a number of countries. Information obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture's Pusdatin (Centre of datas and informations) that Indonesian sheep and goats have been exported, among others, to Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Basically, the choice to do sheep and goat export business is the choice of the breeders or farmers  themself and the specifications for the export market are also different for local needs. If the local market generally uses sheep and goats weighing 25-35 kg per head, the export market generally requires a weight above 35 kg per head. For example, for a large market for sheep and goats, Saudi Arabia, especially during the hajj season, reaches around 2 million heads or a quarter of the country's needs, which means it reaches 8 million heads per year.

And lastly, basically the need for food, especially animal protein and more specifically from ruminants sheep, goats and cattle will continue to increase along with the increase in the population itself. The world population is estimated to reach 10 billion in 2050 or 1.3 times today and Indonesia's population will reach 319 million in 2045 or 1.2 times from today. Another thing that deserves attention is Indonesia's demographic bonus. The demographic bonus with the dominance of the productive young generation should be a separate strength for the Indonesian nation if it is supported and directed properly. This sector is certainly one solution. With the vast land area in Indonesia that can be used for this business, God willing, it will overcome various important problems today such as food security, preventing environmental damage, creating jobs, improving living standards, improving food quality and so on.     

Modern Ruminant Livestock Paradigm: Reducing Methane Production and Increasing Feed Efficiency

The gases in the atmosphere that can capture the sun's heat are called greenhouse gases (GHG). Which includes greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, among others, are carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen dioxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and freon (SF6, HFC and PFC). Methane gas (CH4) is a dangerous gas for the earth's atmosphere and one of the greenhouse gas groups above because of the destructive power of methane gas 21 times carbon dioxide (CO2). This requires efforts to prevent methane gas and reduce its production. An example is the use of POME waste or palm oil mill effluent for biogas production. In this way, methane occurring in the open air (aerobic) will be avoided (methane avoidance scenario) and will not be released into the atmosphere with the biogas unit. The livestock sector also has the potential to produce, namely the group of ruminant farms or ruminant animals. The methane is produced in the ruminant's rumen as part of the digestion process. It is estimated that the contribution of methane from ruminant livestock is dominant and of course it needs to be reduced. The production of methane gas (CH4) besides being an environmental problem also causes a lot of energy loss in livestock. And it turns out that there is a process of reducing methane production which simultaneously improves health and increases body weight and milk production.

Large ruminant farms should be more aware of this condition and have a greater incentive to reduce methane production. Biochar is a feed supplement that can be used for the above purposes. The use of 1-3% biochar from dry feed ingredients has been shown to significantly increase body weight gain in beef cattle, as well as milk production in dairy cows. Experiments in Australia on beef cattle for 2 months have given a weight gain of 10% compared to those who do not use biochar. As for dairy cows, it has provided a profit of $ 70,000 per year. For more details, read here. Meanwhile, the reduction in methane gas emissions is estimated at 29% from the use of biochar. Once paddle 2-3 islands, so the saying goes.

Another effect of using biochar as a feed additive is that livestock manure becomes denser and less smelly. Biochar can also be used alone to deal with the smell and viscosity of livestock manure, so that the cage becomes cleaner and does not smell strong. In addition, if the manure is used for production, the biogas production will also increase, for more details, please read here. The composted digestate will also produce better organic fertilizer (compost) because of the additional biochar.

The quality of biochar is also very important, especially for animal feed supplements. Meat and milk are livestock production to meet human food needs, so that it will also affect humans in the end. The quality of biochar is determined by the raw materials used and the production process carried out. This indicates that not all biochar has the same quality, for example biochar from agricultural wastes with high ash content with traditional processes, with wood biomass raw materials with a small ash content and modern processes, of course the results are different, for example using the same modern technology will have different results. The differences mainly lie in their physical chemistry properties.

Biochar production should also be designed according to its objectives, for example the biochar feed supplement above must use selected biomass raw materials and modern processes so that the quality is stable and maintained. Meanwhile, the reference for biochar quality can be OMRI, USDA or IBI. World feed livestock associations or organizations such as FEFAC, IFIF and AFIA are currently very concerned about safety and sustainability, so this can be in line with biochar as a feed additive. Biochar as a feed additive, especially dairy cattle, has been accepted by almost all European Union countries. Meanwhile, for purposes such as reducing odors and the dilution of impurities, biochar is produced from any biomass and even by using simple technology (low tech).

Briquetting of Pineapple Plantation Waste

Pineapple is a fruit that is quite popular throughout the world, this can be seen from the percentage of pineapple fruit production in world fruit production which reaches 8%. Pineapple plants are almost the same as banana trees, that is, after bearing fruit once, the plant dies, and then the production is continued by the saplings for several generations. Or more specifically, pineapple plants produce after 1-2 years of planting and die after fruiting and produce about 70 leaves. The pineapple plants will be dismantled after two or three harvests to be replaced by new plants, which results in increasing pineapple leaf waste. Currently there is almost no utilization of this waste and pineapple leaves also cannot be used for animal feed, so they are only burned or thrown away which also causes environmental pollution. In every hectare of pineapple plantation, the waste produced can reach 3 tons. Large pineapple plantations are usually with an area of  thousands or even tens of thousand of hectares so that the production of this waste is also very much. Handling pineapple leaf waste with an effective and efficient method will certainly provide added value when examined from an economic point of view, so it is necessary to make efforts to handle this waste and briquetting  can be the perfect solution to this problem.

Although both use biomass densification technology, briquetting of pineapple leaves and stems is easier and cheaper than to make pellets. The production of pineapple leaf briquettes can then be used for cooking fuel, industry and even electricity generation. In addition, pineapple leaf briquettes are also used to increase biogas production. There are large pineapple plantation companies that have cattle farming businesses. Cattle farms are chosen mainly because they can use pineapple skin or fruit waste to feed the cows. And because the volume of pineapples produced is also very large, the fruit waste is also large and the cattle farm that is made is also large. The cow manure is usually further processed for biogas production and the digestate of biogas then composted. The compost produced is reused in the pineapple plantation. The briquettes of pineapple leaves and stems added to the substrate or co-digestion will further increase the biogas production significantly. Read here for more details.

With a scenario like the one above, almost all of the biomass waste generated from the pineapple plantation and industry can be utilized optimally. Likewise, the waste from a side business in the form of cattle farming for biogas production. In addition to large pineapple plantation companies, pineapple production centers in Indonesia such as Subang, Pemalang, Prabumulih, Kediri, Blitar, Kubu Raya, Mempawah, Muaro Jambi, Kampar, Central Lampung and Karimun can also develop the above concepts.

Biomass Cofiring, Energy Plantation and Ruminant Animal Husbandry

Biomass cofiring with coal in coal power plants in Indonesia as a PLN (Indonesia electricity state owned company) program to support the use of renewable energy, especially biomass, could be the closest momentum for energy plantations. The program is also an effort to achieve the target of using renewable energy of 23% by 2025, while until now it is still less than 5%. In 2020 the cofiring program has been initiated with a target of 37 coal power plants but in practice 20 coal power plants have been implemented. While in total there are 114 coal power plant units owned by PLN that have the potential for cofiring, spread across 52 locations with a total capacity of 18,154 megawatts (MW) as a target of completion in 2024. The details consist of 13 coal power plant locations in Sumatra, 16 coal poer plant locations in Java, 10 locations in Kalimantan, 4 locations in Bali, NTB and NTT, 6 locations in Sulawesi, and 3 locations in Maluku and Papua. Meanwhile, the cofiring ratio ranges from 1-5% biomass with an estimated biomass requirement of 9-12 million tons per year.

And recently there has also been an agreement between PLN and Perhutani (Indonesia forestry state owned company) and PTPN III (Indonesia agriculture state owned company) to supply biomass for the cofiring program, for further information, please read here. In this case, PLN is the owner of the coal power plants, while Perhutani owns the resources of industrial plantation forest areas both in Java (Perhutani) and outside Java (Inhutani) which can be developed as energy plantations or energy forests. Likewise with PTPN III with its land which can also be used for this energy plantation. Gliricidia sepium and red calliandra (calliandra calotyrsus) are two species of fast-rotating crops that are most likely to be used for these energy plantations. If every 4,000 hectares produces a production of 10,000 tons / month of wood pellets or 120,000 tons / year, at least 400,000 hectares are needed to meet the 1-5% cofiring target which is equivalent to 9-12 million tons per year. The potential of gliricidia leaves or calliandra will also be very abundant. And it should also encourage the growth and development of the ruminant industrial sector. Moreover, if in the future PLN increases its cofiring portion, for example 6-10% or even 20%, of course the energy plantation needed will be very large, as well as the abundant potential of gliricidia leaves or calliandra.

The Covid-19 pandemic is still ongoing with the increase in cases getting bigger in Indonesia and there is no sloping curve yet, even positive cases have penetrated more than 1 million people. It is predicted that this pandemic will become a long-term problem with indications, among others, that new variants are found so that the vaccine that has been prepared is not or less effective and the emergence of a second wave of covid outbreaks even after vaccination has forced cities and even the state to lock down. . How almighty is Allah SWT with all His will, which should further strengthen our iman and taqwa. The prolonged condition of the Covid-19 pandemic makes people afraid and avoids crowds or gatherings including professional activities such as offices and industry. This condition will also encourage the growth of efficient business activities by using various existing technologies.

Technology-based and efficient industrial developments should be the focus of the government to survive and even maintain sustainability in order to maintain the supply of goods needed by the community. Population concentrations in an area must also be reduced and properly distributed. Big cities are becoming less and less attractive. Efficient production units must be increased in number as well as their distribution should be more even. Outskirts, villages and even mountains are increasingly being enjoyed. The closer to nature or natural resource-based businesses, the more they enjoy it along with the distribution of business locations that is more evenly distributed or not accumulated in big cities. More and more world citizens also want a fairer system in regulating their lives.

Ruminants (sheep, goats and cows) farms are a potential business especially supported by the utilization of leaves waste from these energy plantations. The locations for these energy plantations are generally in forest areas which are quite far from urban areas. The leaves of gliricidia or calliandra can be processed into various forms (concentrate, hay, pellets, briquette, etc.) according to request or use. With the use of good technology, the leaves waste can be used optimally so as to support the progress of ruminant farming. The farm will also be very good if it is made near energy plantations as a source of food. To get a complete feed composition, community empowerment can be done.

Complete Feed Production With Integration of Energy Plantations and Community Empowerment

Feed and markets are the two most important things in the world of livestock. Farmers who are able to get safe, nutritious, affordable, adequate and sustainable feed will produce the best quality and quantity. One of the safe categories is not GMO. For more details, you can read it here. It is possible to make these feeds yourself by utilizing the local potential. The expertise to provide feed is of course very important for professional farms. Likewise, broad market access allows the livestock business to be increasingly profitable. The current era of the internet is also very supportive of gaining such broad market access. Social media such as whatsapp groups, telegram, twitter, youtube and so on can be used for this.

To get complete nutrition so that it becomes a complete feed, of course, cannot be obtained from just one source. Malnutrition which results in decreased quality and livestock production will inevitably occur, if the feed nutrition is inadequate. It is possible that the development of an energy plantation or a biomass plantation with leguminoceae plants such as gliricidia and red calliandra is very likely to be integrated with the livestock business. Sheep, goat and cow farms are the best choices for this farming business. It is also hoped that later progress in the renewable energy sector from energy or biomaterial plantations will be in line with the livestock business. While glicidia leaves or calliandra have the main content in the form of protein which can reach 25%, other sources of nutrients such as sources of fiber, vitamins and minerals can be obtained from the environment around the plantation. Communities around the plantation area can be empowered to plant these nutritional complementary crops or take advantage of their various agricultural wastes such as straw, grass and so on. 

The leaves of gliricidia or calliandra as a source of feed are estimated to be a maximum of 30% of the complete feed. With leaf productivity per hectare of around 30 tonnes / wet year or 18 tonnes / dry year. This means that for every 1000 hectares of gliricidia plantation will produce 18,000 tons / year of dry leaves. If a goat / sheep eats 3 kg / day (30% of the total consumption of complete feed), it means that for 1 year 1 sheep / goat consumes about 1 ton of dry leaves or with a volume of 18,000 tons / year means that it can be sufficient for 18,000 sheep / goats for 1 year.

The animal feed innovation must also be carried out so that the conversion of feed to meat product, milk or breed is high, even the feed formulation should be adjusted to the age level of the livestock. Researches to obtain varied feed formulations or recipes, especially those that are adaptive to local potential, are very important. This includes identifying and developing as many feed sources as possible. The more identified feed sources and feed formulations, it is hoped that the livestock business will grow rapidly. Case studies on gliricidia and calliandra leaves have several anti-nutritional substances, so these substances must also be reduced or even completely eliminated so that the feed nutrients are absorbed effectively. Anti-nutritional substances in gliricidia are dicoumerol, HCN (cyanide acid) and nitrates, while red calliandra is an anti-nutritional substance of tannins. 

Production of Gliricidia Leaf Pellets as a Non-GMO and Sustainable Animal Feed Solution

 

Food is a top priority compared to feed and energy. This has a consequence of adequate food for humans before animal feed and energy. When food and energy are prioritized over food, there will be various social unrest. The tortilla riots in Mexico some time ago are an example of how energy is prioritized over food, namely corn is prioritized for bioethanol. Likewise, if feed is prioritized so that food supplies will be disrupted. Soybeans, for example, are a source of food but also a source of feed. The largest soybean production from the United States and Brazil. In a number of countries soybeans are a source of food and feed because the oil is extracted into soybean oil and the meal becomes animal feed, but in Indonesia, soybeans are mainly used for food. Vegetable oil in Indonesia is mainly from palm oil and coconut oil. Even in its history, Indonesian coconut oil was destroyed by the American Soybean Association (ASA) with the negative issue that propagated coconut oil as bad oil on the international vegetable oil market, so that until now coconut oil has not revived.

Indonesian animal feed production also mostly relies on protein sources from soybean and palm oil meal. In fact, because of the great need, it also imports soybean meal (SBM). The more developed the livestock industry, the greater the need for feed. Feed in the livestock industry is one of the key components to its success. Adequacy of feed with good nutrition, safe and affordable is very important for livestock business. As the largest palm oil producer in the world, which ranges from 40 million tonnes / year, the production of palm kernel cake is estimated at more than 6.5 million tonnes / year, if all of these palm kernel cakes are optimized for the domestic feed industry, it would be very good. Likewise coconut cake.

Gliricidia

 Gliricidia leaves are also a source of protein for animal feed, especially ruminants and fisheries. With a protein content of about 20%, gliricidia leaves are very potential as a source of this protein. Moreover, the programs of the feed industry associations are reducing or even eliminating dependence on transgenic raw materials (GMO) such as soybeans and environmental factors in the form of sustainability. With the program of making energy plantationsor biomass plantations which are also increasingly massive for various industries based on renewable and sustainable materials, the production of leaves as a side waste is also increasing. The potential for leaf waste, which is estimated to reach hundreds of thousands of tons, even millions of tons, will be very potential for animal feed, especially reducing feed derived from GMO materials. Environmentally productive efforts like this to meet human needs will further encourage bioeconomics. Halal meat is a very important source of protein for human food, so animal feed production is an integral part of the chain.

The growth rate of the feed industry also varies from country to country. This depends on a number of factors such as a country's food policy, people's purchasing power, availability of raw materials and so on. For example: for countries in Europe, about 20 years ago the average capacity of feed mills in Italy was 11,000 tons / year, while the animal feed industry in the Netherlands has an average capacity of 45,000 tons / year or more than 4 times the feed industry in Italy and has also exceeded the European average capacity today. Currently, the average feed mill in Italy has an average capacity of 29,000 tonnes / year (still about 3 times that of 20 years ago), but at the same time feed mills in the Netherlands already have an average capacity of 140,000 tonnes / year. The majority of animal feed production in the Netherlands is for pig feed, so it would not be suitable for conditions in Indonesia. With majority of Islam in Indonesia, the production of animal feed developed as a top priority is for the halal industry. Based on the potential for raw materials, the potential for land for animal feed production and so on, Indonesia should accelerate its halal industry, one of which is by boosting its animal feed industry. The Netherlands, with its small population and limited land area, is even very strong in developing its research to support the feed industry. We also don't want to lose.