The Potentiality of Major Crop’s by Products as Livestock Feed in Bangladesh-A Review

Abstract

In Bangladesh, large-scale animal production (cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and poultry) is generally based on commercial feeds rather than the provision of fodders and forages. Marginal and small farmers, on the other hand, feed their livestock with different crop residues and grasses. The feed milling industry is remarkably dependent on imported concentrate feeds for the animal ration. In addition, there is an ongoing competition of grains between animal feed and human consumption due to the excessive demand for simultaneous growth of livestock industry and human population. In our country, the production of the main crop’s (rice, wheat, corn, legumes, and oilseed) is enormous all year round which offers a great opportunity to use the by-products of these main crops as animal feed (both concentrate and roughage) commercially if proper ways are followed. Feed resources are in abundance, but these are considered a waste because they pollute our environment. To maintain environmentally friendly animal production, it is highly appreciated to commercialize these by-products in such a way so that large and small-scale farmers can take over the advantages of animal husbandry. The coordination among government livestock extension departments, non-governmental organizations, and research associations is highly noteworthy for raising awareness among farmers and feed manufacturers. Hence, this review article is written to emphasize the value of major crop’s by-products in Bangladesh under the scheme that highlights homegrown food as feed and not waste