FAO FISHERIES TECHNICAL PAPERS 343 Farm-made aquafeeds Table of Contents

Edited by
Michael B. New
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
United Kingdom

Albert G.J. Tacon
FAO Fisheries Department

Imre Csavas
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Bangkok, Thailand

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M-44
ISBN 92-5-103597-0

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ASEAN-EEC Aquaculture Development and Coordination Programme
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Rome, 1995
© FAO

PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

In December 1993, an expert consultation on farm-made feeds was jointly organized by the FAO Regional Office for the Pacific and Asia (FAO-RAPA) and the ASEAN-EEC Aquaculture Development and Coordination Programme (AADCP). The proceedings of this meeting, the first to specifically address this topic, were edited by staff of AADCP and FAO. First published as FAO/RAPA Publication 1993/18 and AADCP Publication AADCP/PROC/5, the costs of production were shared by FAO-RAPA and AADCP. Demand was high and the original limited edition was only available in English. The book has been reprinted as an FAO document because of the importance of farm-made feeds in aquaculture and in order to broaden its distribution. Translation into other official FAO languages will also make the information available to more member states. Though the book concerns experience in the use of farm-made aquafeeds in Asia, it is also of particular relevance to Africa and Latin America.

Distribution:

FAO Fisheries Department
FAO Regional Fisheries Officers
FAO Aquaculture Projects
Authors

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CONTENTS

REPORT OF THE FAO/AADCP REGIONAL EXPERT CONSULTATION ON FARM-MADE AQUAFEEDS

(14-18 December 1992, Bangkok, Thailand)

Opening of the session

1. The FAO/AADCP Regional Expert Consultation on Farm-Made Aquafeeds was held at the premises of the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific(RAPA) in Bangkok, Thailand, from 14 to 18 December 1992.

2. The meeting was attendedby 15 participants from ten Asian countries, three staff members of AADCP, and four staff members and three consultants of FAO. Six national/international organizations(ASA,AIT,BOBP, BP Nutrition,SEAFDEC AQD and SEAPRODEX) delegated eight participants to the Expert Consultation at their own expense.

3. Welcoming addresses were delivered by Mr. Imre Csavas, Regional Aquaculture Officer, on behalf of FAO and Mr. Michael B. New, Coordinator, on behalf of AADCP.

   Organization of the meeting

4. Participants elected Dr. Felicitas P.Pascual as Chairperson of the Expert Consultation and Dr. M.C. Nandeesha as Rapporteur.

5. The draft agenda of the meeting was adopted without changes.

   Papers presented

6. A total of 10 country papers on aquafeeds and feeding strategies were presented at the Expert Consultation , covering Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

7. Another 9 technical papers covering crucial aspects of aquafeed manufacturing and use as well as farm-made feed preparation and feeding strategies for the most important species groups were also presented by acknowledged experts in these special fields.

   Summary of findings

8. The Consultation recognized the fact that the bulk of Asian finfish and crustacean aquaculture production is currently realized in semi-intensive pond farming systems. The great majority of these farming systems, and in particular freshwater non-carnivorous finfish production (which accounts for over 80% of the total finfish production in Asia) depend upon the use of farmmade feeds. Some intensive systems, notably the cage culture of marine fish and some carnivorous freshwater finfish(e.g. snakehead and catfish species), also use farm-made feeds. Only about 10% of Asian finfish production is based on the use of commercial feeds, whereas almost 50% of shrimp production depends on commercial feeds.

9. It was realized that there is a lack of an exact definition for farm-made aquafeeds. For the purpose of this Expert Consultation farm-made feeds were defined as feeds in pellet or other forms, consisting of one or more artificial and/or natural feedstuffs, produced for the exclusive use of a particular farming activity, not for commercial sale or profit.

10. The Consultation recognized that there is an increasing tendency for farmers to utilize commercial feeds formulated as nutritionally complete diets in semi-intensive pond-farming systems. However, the Consultation reiterated that the nutrition and feeding of finfish and crustaceans in semi-intensive pond farming systems are complex and poorly understood; little or no information being available on dietary nutrient requirements of the cultured species in such systems. To a large extent this is due to the difficulties of quantifying the contribution of naturally available food organisms in the overall nutritional budget of pond-raised finfish or crustaceans.

11. The Consultation recognized that farm-made feeds facilitate the use of locally available agricultural products and wastes of agro-processing industries that would otherwise have limited use within the community. In this respect, their use in farm-made feeds has significant environmental advantages. However, the Consultation also recognized the current dependence of commercial and, to a lesser extent, farm-made feeds upon animal protein sources and the need to identify and utilize alternative protein sources which are both inexpensive and sustainable.

12. The Consultation recognized that farm-made feeds are potentially cheaper than commercial aquafeeds and that there is scope for a reduction in feed and farm production costs using appropriate on-farm feed management techniques for semi-intensive and some intensive aquafarming systems.

13. The Consultation recognized that farm-made feeds fill an important niche for small-scale farmers which is not covered by commercial feedstuff manufacturers. However, it was also noted that those farmers whose initial success was based on the use of farm-made aquafeeds often shift to the use of commercial feeds. Thus improvements in the production and use of farm-made feeds would ultimately benefit the feedstuff industry as well.

    Recommendations

14. 14. This Consultation being the first which has dealt with farm-made aquafeeds, participants unanimously recommend that the proceedings of the Consultation should be published , with an analysis of the information in the country papers, and circulated widely to governments, international agencies, and potential donors to:

    • alert them to the importance of farm-made feeds to small-scale aquaculture and to the need for technical support; and to

    • persuade donors that future aid concerning feed development should concentrate on farm-made feeds; public sector funding should primarily assist small-scale farmers, not feed manufacturers.

15. The approach towards this topic should be “bottom-up” rather than “top-down”; preconceived ideas should not be forced on farmers but

    • improvements on farmers' existing practices should be developed, and

    • the fact that improvements can lead to greater profitability without compromising environmental quality, should be demonstrated.

16. Recognizing that farm-made feeds can utilize locally available ingredients, simple and cheap methods of increasing their nutritional value for fish and crustacea should be developed, with particular reference to digestibility, removal of toxic substances, and palatability.

17. Bearing in mind the needs of small-scale farmers.

    • the development or improvement of simple and cheap machinery for farm-made feed production should be encouraged; and

    • improved techniques for on-farm processing and storage developed.

18. Considering that farm-made feeds, whether for intensive aquaculture (e.g. marine fish in cages or snakehead in ponds) or for semi-intensive systems (such as pond culture of freshwater prawns), feed advisers should formulate feeds based on:

    • locally available ingredients;

    • the nutritional requirements of the specific farming system rather than mimicking commercial feed specifications;

    • the minimal use of vitamin premixes, binders and other expensive ingredients to maximize cost effectiveness;

    • improved knowledge of the role of natural food organisms in semi-intensive farming based on systems which optimize pond fertilization; and

    • an emphasis on the quality of the ingredients and of the final product.

19. Bearing in mind that the potential for improved profitability in small-scale aquaculture is greater through improvements in feeding strategy rather than through perfect dietary composition, developmental work should focus on:

    • feeding frequency;

    • methods of feed presentation, including the separate feeding of energy-providing ingredients from high protein mixed feed;

    • the investigation of other two-component systems (e.g. alternation of feeds of different composition, alternation of different feeding rates);

    • biomass assessment of the cultured species;

    • reduction of feed wastage, in the farming enclosure and during manufacture and storage; and

    • farmer-friendly sensory methods of assessing ingredient quality.

20. In view of the need for training of farmers in simple formulation and in ingredient choice, aquafeed processing, storage and on-farm feed management,

    • village level training should be organization in local languages;

    • instructional videos developed; and

    • simple booklets prepared (e.g. in the FAO ``Better Farming'' series) for farmers and training manuals for trainers which can easily be translated into local languages.