Unlike Honeybees, Why Does the Development of Energy Plantations Get Little Attention from the Goat/Sheep and Cattle Livestock Industry?

Along with the global decarbonization trend, energy plantations are increasingly developing in Indonesia. The creation of these energy plantations has the main purpose of producing biomass fuels such as wood chips and wood pellets. Wood chip production because it is easier and the production equipment is easier and cheaper is usually done before wood pellet production and for more details can be read here. In addition to the use of wood as the main product of energy plantations, by-products that can be produced from energy plantations are animal feed from the use of leaves and honey from honey bee farms. And with the utilization of all parts of the tree (whole tree utilization), the energy plantation-based business is not only more profitable, but can also remain sustainable.

The honey production that can be produced from the development of energy plantations will also be very large, namely tons or even hundreds to thousands of tons in proportion to the area of ​​the energy plantation. Moreover, the plants cultivated are red calliandra whose nectar will produce one of the best quality honey. Regarding the development of the energy plantation, even API (Indonesian Beekeeping Association) responded optimistically to the development of the energy plantation, because in the next 5 years it is targeted that honey production will increase by 300% so that the import of tens of thousands of tons of honey from China can be reduced and even be sufficient, more details read here. In addition to honey, several derivative products will also be produced from honey bee farming, namely royal jelly, bee pollen, bee wax and bee venom which also have many benefits. The motto "Gertakanlah" namely the Bee Feed Planting Movement is very much in line with the development of this energy plantation.

But this condition is different from the world of animal husbandry, especially ruminant livestock, namely goats/sheep and cattle. In fact, Indonesia's meat needs are also very large, most of which are still met by imports. Unlike beekeeping which is responsive to the development of the global decarbonization trend, namely more specifically with the energy plantation, the world or livestock industry players have not responded to this, even though the production of feed from this energy plantation will also be very large. Even the main element of animal feed from red calliandra leaves is protein and protein is the most expensive element of animal feed nutrition. In addition, with this livestock, it is also possible for integration to occur as in the diagram above. Integration will provide optimal benefits and production becomes efficient, thus providing even greater benefits.

Ruminant Farming and Post-Mining Reclamation

To fertilize post-mining soil, organic matter or compost is important and much needed. Land or post-mining land is damaged with a very low fertility level so it needs to be processed (treatment) first before it can be planted. The choice of plants depends on the purpose of using the post-mining land, whether for agriculture, forestry or others. Planting fast growing trees and short rotation coppice i.e. legume group trees is the best option. In addition to the ability to survive, its deep roots are also able to withstand erosion and the ability to symbiotic with azetobacter so that it binds nitrogen in root nodules so that it fertilizes the soil. And furthermore, the legume tree can be used as a source of animal feed (the leaves), bioenergy (the wood) and honey (the flowers).

The creation of livestock and their supporters such as forage plantations is like an ammunition factory to reclaim the post-mining land. The wider and faster the target time for reclaiming the land, the larger the farm required. Ruminant farms with thousands or even tens of thousands of livestock can be made with this purpose. Although the main objective is to produce compost for post-mining land reclamation, the indirect benefits from the farm are no less large. Even from the farm business can get big financial benefits. The main and common problem faced by mining entrepreneurs is that they are reluctant to do reclamation because it costs a lot and does not provide financial benefits. But when the reclamation activity does not reduce the company's finances even provide large profit, of course it will be a different story. The volume of mining carried out should also be proportional to the repair or post-mining reclamation.

To maximize the reclamation, biochar needs to be used. The use of biochar will make compost in post-mining land not easily lost after being washed by rain, maintain soil moisture because biochar is able to hold water (water holding capacity), raise soil pH so that soil microbial activity is more optimal and more nutrients are absorbed by plants, and biochar also will become a home or colony for soil microbes so that it will further fertilize the soil. Meanwhile, in terms of climate change mitigation, the use of biochar in the soil will also store carbon (carbon sequestration) for a very long time, up to hundreds of years. Carbon credits with a carbon sink mechanism as part of the CCS (carbon capture and storage) application can also be obtained. The carbon trading market is predicted to get bigger as global awareness of climate change and biochar as one of the solutions are also increasingly being applied, discussed and paid attention to by the earth's population.

The extent of post-mining land that reaches millions of hectares, the high demand for domestic meat as well as the export market, and the large amount of biomass waste that can be converted into biochar, post-mining reclamation should be a priority for mining entrepreneurs moreover, the reclamation activity does not reduce the company's profit but instead gives more profits. If this can be done, the environmental damage caused by mining can be minimized. Indeed, humans need various products that come from the mining to make their lives easier, but also not to the point that on the other hand the mining business actually damages the environment which will lead to disasters in the future.

Beef Cattle Fattening (Feedlot) Based on Energy Plantation

The photo taken from here

Indonesia has the advantage of intensively fattening cattle. A number of factors such as the availability of agricultural wastes, agro-industrial wastes, forestry wastes and low labor costs, support these advantages. In addition to the price of seed cow, the feed factor is indeed the next determining factor. With these advantages, Indonesia can focus on fattening beef cattle. If this is done, it is not impossible for meat self-sufficiency or at least meat imports to be reduced. The increasing import of buffalo meat from India should be gradually reduced, in line with the readiness of the domestic beef cattle fattening industry. It takes time and effort is not simple, obviously but must be done.

Import of Seed Cows from Australia, photo from here

Ideally, seed cows are produced domestically, this is because Indonesia has the potential for this in the form of potential grazing areas in eastern Indonesia and palm oil plantations. But the fact is that the implementation is still very minimal or even those who are focused on working in this field do not yet exist. Based on a number of studies that cattle breeding is only effective and efficient in grazing areas. This is what makes Australia superior in the supply of seed cows. The large place and long time in the pasture are obstacles for Indonesia to be independent of seed cow. The export destination of seed cow from Australia is Indonesia and mainly supplied from northern Australia. This type of grass that lives in Australia is also not very suitable for fattening, so exporting it is one of the best options. Meanwhile, cattle fattening (feedlot) in Indonesia only takes 100-120 days with the use of limited cage space. The cattle population in Australia is quite large or almost the same as the total population or the ratio is 1 person to 1 cow, while in Indonesia it is much smaller. Cooperation in supplying seed cows from Australia to be fattened in Indonesia has also been going on for decades. There are efforts to reduce the import of seed cow, but it seems that it will still take a long time.

The development of energy plantation with the main objective of producing wood pellets or biomass fuel, has waste or by-product in the form of leaves. The leaves are very good for cattle feed especially with high protein content. With an area of thousands or even millions of hectares that has been declared, the by-products or leaf waste produced will also be very large, of course. With this alone, if Indonesia wants to focus on fattening, the opportunity to become a leader in the cattle fattening industry in Asia and even the world will be even greater. If that happens, the import of buffalo meat from India and beef from Brazil can be reduced or even stopped altogether. In addition, even when there is excess meat production, meat export is also very possible, including by processing the meat so that it provides greater added value.   

Integration of Cattle Farms and PKO Mills

 

PKO mills or palm kernel oil mills have a greater opportunity to integrate livestock especially cattle in their business fields. This is because in the production of palm kernel oil (PKO) a by-product product in the form of palm kernel cake or palm kernel expeller (PKE) or palm kernel cake (PKC) which can be used to feed the cow. The palm kernel oil mills does not need to sell the PKE but uses it for internal purposes, namely for the cattle farm. The cows will also be better if grazed with additional food in the form of palm kernel cake. For palm oil companies it is certainly not a problem to provide grazing land for several tens or several hundred hectares, because many oil palm plantations reach thousands to tens of thousands of hectares. In addition to cattle farming, sheep farming can also be developed together, because a number of studies have shown that grazing cattle and sheep shows positive results.

PKO mills are far less in number than CPO mills. Many oil palm companies own CPO mills but do not have PKO mills. This is due to, among other things, the low yield of palm kernel oil compared to palm oil (CPO) and the handling of palm kernel oil products is also more difficult than CPO. The PKO mill produces side products in the form of palm oil cake while CPO products do not. The availability of palm oil cake for integration with cattle farming will be an advantage in itself, because feed factors are a vital factor for livestock business. Feed is the highest cost component which reaches around 70% in the livestock business. With the availability of more adequate feed and combined with grazing, cow production by fattening on these farms can be accelerated and optimized. The Indonesian government's plan to import buffalo meat from India as many as 100,000 tons / year must be canceled by provide its own livestock. Circulation of haram meat, namely wild boar meat, which causes public unrest can also be eradicated if sufficient halal meat is available.

Portion of Protein Consumption According to the Qur'an

The meat self-sufficiency program which is the vision of the Indonesian government in the food sector can only be achieved if the government encourages it to be achieved seriously. Promoting livestock and simplifying its marketing distribution channels with various supporting policies will make the program run smoothly. Of course, all people with sound sense will support this positive program if done in a good way, not just rhetoric and imagery. Protein is an essential food source for the human body so that if the needs are not met, it will cause problems. The Qur'an also indicates that the source of protein from large livestock (ruminansia) occupies the largest portion compared to poultry and fish. The source of animal protein from large livestock is revealed in at least 7 verses or 64%, from fish revealed in 3 verses or 27% and from poultry revealed in 1 verse or 9%. So to fulfill the needs of protein, the priority is from large livestock such as cattle.

Wood Pellet Production With Integration of Degraded Land Use For Energy Plantations, Cattle and Biogas Resources

There is a huge demand of wood pellet and on the other hand also the extent of uncultivated land in a number of places in Indonesia potentially be used for energy plantations with an output is wood for raw material of wood pellets. Currently estimated at more than 6 million hectares of unused land in Indonesia. While forage on plants short rotation species such as gliricidae and calliandra be useful as animal feed  of the cows. For every hectare is expected to be a source of cattle feed by approximately 6 tails. If there are 5000 ha of degraded/unused land it will produce around 100,000 tonnes of wet wood as a source of raw material of wood pellets and maintain 30,000 head of cattle. A large number of these cows potential as a source of biogas to meet the energy needs of the business itself.

The roots of the plants short rotation species is able to bind nitrogen that enrich the soil fertility. The root is able to perform a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in the soil, ie Rhizobium spp. Trees provide carbohydrates and energy for rhizobia bacteria, and rhizobia change of atmospheric nitrogen into nitrogen in the soil which can be exploited by tree roots. This process is known as nitrogen fixation, which took place on that form nodules on the roots of trees. Nodule should much, and when it opened in the red or red-pink. If the nodule is green, brown or black, is not binding nodule nitrogen. And plus organic fertilizer from biogas residue so that the land will be fertile and gardens where more can be expected to continue its sustainibility.

Good management supported by a team of professionals will support the future success of your business. Production of wood pellets can be used as first priority , then followed by dairy farms and biogas and organic fertilizer as a supporter. The concept of zero waste, green industry and sustainable implemented in the integration of this business.