Expert proffers solution to cassava glut

IN order to quickly address the current cassava glut in Oyo State, a major stakeholder in the poultry industry in Nigeria, Chief Emmanuel Ogunnaike, has suggested that cassava can be used as a substitute to produce livestock feeds.

He made the suggestion while speaking with the Tribune Online  on Wednesday while reacting to a report of cassava glut being recorded across Oyo State.

Ogunnaike said:”If that report is anything to go by, I will advise that they convert cassava to flour or chips, thereafter, they can use it for livestock feed production.

“When we talk of cassava for livestock feed, it is very good. It can be used as a substitute for maize and by that it will even encourage cassava growers to produce more without the fear of recording glut.”

While responding to question on how effective and profitable is cassava as feed for livestock compared to maize, Ogunnaike stated that: “It all depends on the cost of production. If the cost of production when cassava is being used commensurate with that of maize what it entails is a small amendment.

“Like maize now, it contains about 34 to 80 calorie per kilogram, while cassava contains about 2,800 calorie per kilogram. In such a situation, to increase the energy level you are going to include palm oil or any oil such as soybean oil in order to increase the energy level.

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“When we talk of cassava, it is with little or no protein  All you need to do is to jack up your protein source in the area of soybean or fish meal. When you balance it up it will give you the same result. As I have said earlier, it all depends on the cost of producing cassava feed.”

He concluded that livestock farmers should embrace cassava feeds to encourage cassava growers saying that it possible. “Cattle, sheep and goat can take cassava to some extent. When we talk of pig production, you can use cassava as 100 per cent source of energy on pigs then for commercial egg producers they can easily use cassava as a substitute to maize, commercial broiler birds producers can also use cassava as a substitute to maize.

“Only the breeder birds require 100 per cent of grains but you need to move closer to those that have been using it to get information on what the process