~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Second FAO Electronic Conference on Tropical Feeds Livestock Feed Resources within Integrated Farming Systems ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Abstract of ninth paper, from Rena Perez. Questions that might stimulate discussion on this topic include 1. Do you know other types of Livestock Integration in the sugar industry making use of sugarcane and its by-products for feeding animals? 2. Could you give other examples of the contribution of sugarcane (whole or fractionated) for animal feeding? 3. What are the other possibilities for protein supplementation of sugarcane based diets for ruminants and/or monogastrics? 4. Which would be the benefits of starting the integration of legumes and sugar cane since the production stage? 5. Can Gliricidia be started by stake year round? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ INTEGRATION OF LIVESTOCK IN THE SUGARCANE INDUSTRY IN CUBA Rena Perez Dpto. Producciones Agropecuarias No-caneras Calle 23 y O, Vedado Ministerio del Azucar La Habana, Cuba e-mail: 71055.111@compuserve.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ABSTRACT The Cuban sugarcane industry comprises a total of 1.8 million hectares dedicated to sugarcane for sucrose, produced in 156 sugarmills on the island. An additional 188 thousand hectares, is used to produce agricultural produce, milk, meat, poultry and eggs in order to help feed part of the half-million size workforce. For this, 94 thousand hectares are dedicated to food crops and animal feeds, while a similar amount of land is used for pastures and forests. The economic recession of the early nineties has stimulated the development of sustainable agricultural policies for producing livestock in the sugarcane-sector. All of the sugarcane ground in the mills is produced in two types of cooperatives: 1) 1300 Basic Units of Cooperative Production (BUCP), newly-formed in 1993 from the previous state-run and sugarmill-administered cane plantations, and 2) 400 Agricultural Production Cooperatives (APC), originally formed by private landowners into a cooperative organisation 20 years ago. Presently, 80% of all sugarcane entering the mills is produced by the 1300 BUCPs and 20% by the APCs and other private owners. In addition to the production of livestock in the 1300 newly-formed cane cooperatives, approximately 200 state-run farms, administered directly by the sugarmills and other sugarcane service industries, such as transport, construction and maintenance, also maintain livestock. Presently, in both areas, the cane coops and state farms, new emphasis is being placed on the use of sugarcane and its derivatives, soybeans, forage trees and multinutritional blocks for feeding livestock. In December 1995, there were 72 thousand pigs, 188 thousand sheep, 4 thousand goats, 16 thousand rabbits, 6 thousand ducks, 21 thousand horses and 122 thousand head of cattle, including oxen. That same year a total of 8.7 thousand tons liveweight was produced, in addition to 1.6 thousand tons of fish and 20 thousand tons of milk. KEY WORDS: Livestock, sugarcane, integration, Cuba ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FAO ELECTRONIC CONFERENCE: LIVESTOCK FEED RESOURCES WITHIN INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEMS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DISCLAIMER: Neither the conference organizers nor FAO accept any legal responsibility for either the contents of this message or any copyright laws that the person sending this electronic message may have violated. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TO COMMENT: Unless you want to reply only to the person sending this information, please send your comments to the address: TFCONF2-L@MAILSERV.FAO.ORG or TFCONF2-ABS-L@MAILSERV.FAO.ORG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~