Research institute begins livestock feed production from cassava skin

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has embarked on the production of fortified livestock feed from cassava skin, Tunde Amole, the country representative of the institute, has said.

Amole noted that High-Quality Cassava Peel (HQCP) could substitute maize at certain levels in livestock feed, according to monitored reports.

Rather than the environmental degradation caused by the wastage generated from the processing of cassava, Amole believes Nigeria can convert this into livestock feed.

“One of the basic challenges of livestock production is the feed. So we have the technology of transforming the cassava peel, which is a waste, to an ingredient that could be beefed up, that could be fortified to replace maize. Cassava is one of the major products we have in Nigeria,” he explained.

Nigeria produces about 54 million metric tonnes of cassava, making it the world biggest producer of the crop.

Over the years, the federal government has expended about $16 billion on the import of maize, mostly for domestic livestock feeding.

With the application of HQCP, the ILRI country representative forecasts that food prices will drop on cheaper feed costs, adding that farmers and herdsmen clashes could also be contained

with the availability of low-cost feed for their herds.

The project implantation under Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) is an AfDB-sponsored project for African Agricultural Transformation through technologies.

Fourteen different organisations are involved in this project.

The initiative, according to Amole, is primarily designed for the south west: Benue and Edo inclusive, due to the large volume of cassava produced in the areas.