Feed status in Myanmar - Myat Kyaw

Myat Kyaw
Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department
Yangon,
Myanmar

INTRODUCTION

Myanmar is an agricultural country with a net annually sown area of 1 million ha (Tables 1 and 2). Multiple cropping is practised throughout the year. Almost all cultivation is carried out by draught cattle and buffaloes. Traditionally, livestock and poultry farming have been carried out alongside other agricultural activies. With the advent of a market economy, the livestock and other sectors have made significant progress. New technologies, breeds and inputs have been introduced. Livestock and poultry production have increased to meet the requirement of the growing human population (Table 3). As a result, the demand for feed has continued to increase.

TABLE 1
Sown area and output of major crops in Myanmar

TABLE 2
Land utilization in Myanmar

TABLE 3
Animal population census and forecast (Number of animals, million)

LIVESTOCK SECTOR

The Government has laid down policies to encourage the production of locally produced food to meet the nation’s demands. Priorities are given to boost production from the arable and livestock sectors (Table 4). Both foreign and local companies have become involved in livestock and poultry farming activities. Farming has changed from small scale into semi- commercial and commercial systems. Intensive poultry farming has developed not only in the peri urban area but also in rural and remote places. Livestock production is traditionally characterized by small scale back yard farming.

TABLE 4
Livestock and livestock products in Myanmar

Ruminant farming

Each and every farmer keeps at least a pair of working cattle or buffaloes. In addition, one or two pigs and a small flock of poultry are kept to meet food requirements and to sell in emergencies (Tables 3 and 4). Extensive farming is common practice at village level. Large and small ruminants are usually grazed on common land in the morning and brought back home in the afternoon. Animals rely totally on natural vegetation in the rainy season. In summer time, maize, rice straw and other roughages are provided.

Small animal production

Intensive small scale livestock and poultry farming has increased since the market economy was introduced (Table 3). New breeds of pig and poultry were imported for further breeding. Eggs for hatching and day old chicks (DOC) have been brought into poultry production (Table 5). Local hatcheries were set up to fulfill the demands from poultry farming. All these activities have created an increased demand for animal feed (Table 6).

Large and medium scale feed mills were built in large cities using locally produced feedstuffs. Foreign companies (e.g. Thai and Indonesian) were set up to launch the livestock enterprise in the country.

TABLE 5
Import of livestock commodities

TABLE 6
Minimum feed requirement for livestock and poultry (1000 t)

FEED RESOURCES

Feeds are derived from two sources, agriculture and fisheries, details of which are given in Tables 7 and 8.

Roughages

Most roughages are by-products and wastes from the agricultural sector (Table 6). They originate from rice and wheat straw, maize stover, legume stems and leaves and cane tops. Natural grass is available only in the rainy season on grazing land and on road sides. Since rice has been multiple cropped in irrigated areas, the volume of paddy straw has doubled. A certain proportion is used as feed and the remainder is burned for the improvement of soil fertility. Straw treatment with urea for ruminant feeding was introduced under the FAO UNDP programme. But the increasingly high price of urea is a limiting factor for further extension. In addition to agricultural wastes, trees such as gliricidia, leucaena and sesbania planted under forestry activities, are widely used as fodder for ruminants.

TABLE 7
Feed production in Myanmar (1000 t)

TABLE 8
Prices for feeds in Myanmar

Concentrates

Agricultural by-products such as broken rice, rice bran and maize are used as energy feed. Groundnut and sesame cakes are commonly used as sources of protein. These products come from the middle and upper parts of the country where oil crops are extensively grown (Table 1). Out of 67.6 million ha of land, 14 percent is under crop cultivation whereas 49 percent is under conservation and other forest. At present 9.67 million ha is under cultivation. Of the total area sown, about 1 million ha, or 7 percent, is under perennial, and the remainder under seasonal crops. About 65 percent is cultivated during the monsoon season, 25 percent during the winter and the remaining 10 percent in the summer. Of the total cultivated land, cereals constitute 48 percent, oil crops 17 percent and pulses 18 percent. Due to the multiple cropping of rice, the country has a surplus of roughages for ruminants. But practically, some of these roughages are inaccessible to the animals because of weather and geographical constraints. If the surplus fodder is not accessible to animals until the next growing season, it is usually burnt for ash fertilizer. In addition to animal feed, some agro-by products are used for other purposes such as local snacks, food and brewing. Preservation techniques such as silage or hay making, are encouraged to maintain the nutritive quality of feed and to preserve it for future use.

Fisheries

Fish and prawn meals are derived from the fisheries sector. Fisheries resources are divided into fresh water and marine. Fresh water fisheries are mainly dependent on the riverine system of the country. The four main rivers, namely the Ayeyarwaddy, at 2150 km, the Chindwin at 844 km, the Sittaung at 563 km and Than Lwin at 2400 km long, are natural resources for open flood fisheries. The inundated flood plains are estimated to form a water surface of about 6 million ha for a period of 4-5 months of the year. The total number of fisheries leased is about 3722 and the total area of fish ponds in 1999 was 53 123 ha.The coast line that stretches from 21° to 10° North has an area of 1800 km². With its large number of estuaries and islands the length of the entire coast line will be close to 3000 Km. The continental shelf (0-200 m in depth) covers an area of 225 km². Ungradable fish and fish wastes are used as feed meal for animals. A certain proportion is used for human consumption by preserving it as fish paste, which is an essential food for the rural population. In the past, most of the ungradable fish and wastes were thrown back into the water because the wet weather prevented sun drying. But nowadays, these fish wastes are dried artificially to use as animal feed.

Compound Feed Production

There are 12 feed mills in Yangon (Table 9). Their average production capacity is 60 tonnes per day. A number of small scale feed mills that can produce 1-2 tonnes per day have been set up in areas where livestock populations are high. In Mandalay, there are 5 feed mills with a capacity of 50 tonnes per day and 3 similar mills in other regions. The total production from these feed mills amounts to about 2.6 Mt per year. About 70 percent of the feed meal produced from Yangon City is for fish and the rest is for pig and poultry. Most of the small scale farmers feed their animals with home mixed feed, or feed compound produced at the feed mill in accordance with their own preferred ration formula. Supply for poultry farming fluctuates with the prices of locally available feed.

TABLE 9
Compound feed mills in Myanmar

CONCLUSION

In order to boost livestock production in Myanmar, quality feed must be available in sufficient quantities at reasonable prices. Variation in production from livestock farming is due to fluctuations in the price of feed available. It can be expected that the production of feed from agriculture and fisheries will rise as a result of future increases in production from these sectors. To gain maximum utilization of locally available feed it is necessary to identify its potential as a resource and the most effective means of using it. The search for and the production and utilization of alternative feed resources should be encouraged.