BEEF is an important source of protein in the Malaysian diet. The national beef consumption is forecast to increase with the expected rise in disposable personal income and population growth. The domestic beef industry is, however, rudimentary and not reflective of the size of household demand. The local beef industry has failed to grow because of its relatively high-perceived Domestic Resource Cost (DRC) as reported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI). The cost may be reduced if beef production enterprises can economize on the use of resources. One of the major cost items in beef production is land, but this can be lowered if such production can be shared with other enterprises. A good option is to rear cattle under oil palm. This will increase the intensity of land use, while at the same time reducing the cost of oil palm maintenance. Under this integrated farming system, both enterprises, i.e. oil palm and cattle, will together provide higher total returns to each hectare of land resource used. Domestic beef production through cattle-oil palm integration is potentially a good venture especially during the current difficult economic situation. The relatively low rate of exchange for the Malaysian Ringgit making saving foreign currency through import substitution more attractive. In 1997 alone, Malaysia incurred RM 418.4 million in foreign exchange through importing beef and live cattle. The government with a high-powered food committee formed by the government to formulate policies and strategies to fight the current economic problems, identified integrated cattle rearing as a possible foreign exchange saving option. This paper analyses the financial viability of the integrated cattle-oil palm farming system and determines a suitable management system. The effect of cattle rearing under oil palm on the cost of oil palm management is also evaluated. This article in the blog "Anim Agriculture Technology" I will discussed about the cattle rearing in oil palm area.
As an overview of the beef industry in Malaysia the cattle population of Peninsular Malaysia increased by 86% from 1980 to 1997, reaching 630 000 animals producing some 20 000 t of beef. The latter only accounted for about one-fifth of total national beef demand. Local beef cattle production can be categorized into five groups: (i) traditional farms; (ii) organized small farms with a feed-cutting system managed by government agencies, (iii) feedlot operating farms; (iv) large-scale commercial farms; and (v) Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) farms. The majority of operators (90%) are traditional small farmers who contribute a significant share to the domestic beef production (Mohd Fauzi and Ibrahim, 1993).
The cattle rearing under Oil Palm with a sunlight intensity of 40%-60% through oil palm fronds is necessary for a reasonable amount of grass and other cover to develop under oil palm trees for cattle to graze comfortably. Cattle grazing are suitable even when the area has only 60%-70% grass cover. The types of plant usually available under oil palm trees are Rumput Pahit (Ottochloa nodosa), Rumput Kerbau (Axonopus compressus), Rumput Selaput Tunggul (Mikania scandens) and Rumput Israel (Asystasia intrusa). Many grass varieties contain nutrients comparable to commercially farmed grasses (Suboh 1997). The dry matter yields of natural forage decline over time in relation to the closure of the tree crop canopy, which reduces light transmission. However, the nitrogen content of tropical grasses increases with shade intensity. Feeding studies have indicated that there is no negative effect of shading on the intake and digestibility of tropical forages. (Wong and Chin, 1998). Nutritionally, the edible forage feed resources in plantations are adequate for some cattle grazing, and provide a daily live weight gain of 250 g/ head. Hence, integration of beef cattle is also suitable in mature oil palm areas, where light penetration is much less than when the trees are young. Oil palm plantations with trees aged seven years or older can produce adequate grass for cattle grazing with a dry matter production of 500 kg/ha/yr. The suitable stocking rate for cattle depends both on types of animal and on grass varieties available under the oil palm (Ariff, 1998). Normally, a one-to two year-old animal can be reared on 3 ha of oil palm. Electric fencing should be used to control the movement of the cattle and restrict them from straying between fields.
Acccording to MAFI, the status of cattle integration under oil Palm was active started in 1994 in which the number of cattle reared under oil palm was 46,789 head. In 1997 it was increased to 56,178 head of cattle were reared by systematic integration under plantation crops in Malaysia, using electric fencing (Jabatan Perkhidmatan Haiwan Malaysia,1998) about an increase for 20%. The main parties farming cattle under oil palm are the settlers in FELDA schemes, but many oil palm companies have recently embarked on cattle rearing under oil palm. Hence, the cattle output is expected to increase in Peninsular Malaysia. In the context of government efforts at reducing beef imports, integrated cattle rearing in oil palm plantations is a useful method for producing cattle locally. FELDA and ESPEK and some other organizations are recent participants of the cattle-under-oil-palm programme. Oil palm plantations with trees of seven years or older can produce 500 kg per hectare per year of dry matter, which is sufficient to justify grazing by cattle. One animal requires about 2.5% to 3% of its body weight in grass uptake and an animal which is one to two years old, requires about 3 ha of oil palm area for grazing. This animal is controlled from straying about by electric fencing. Each enclosure of about 4 - 6 ha requires two workers to manage. This study shows that, in the cases of three estates that were studied, cattle rearing under oil palm can be pursued successfully. The average weight gain of cattle aged between one to two years old was 250 g - 300 g per head per day. The calving percentage was more than 50%, while the mortality rate was below 5%t. The average cost of maintenance was low. An average price of RM 5.50 per kg live weight was obtained during normal times but increased to RM 6.50 per kg during festive seasons. Prices of RM 4.00/kg, RM 4.50/kg and RM 5.00/kg live weight were used to account for the final stock value, depending on the age and sex of the animal. The IRRs obtained from integrated cattle rearing in oil palm plantations, ranged from 25% to more than 50% and the reduction in the cost of weeding ranged from 17% to 38%. That was an additional benefit from the production system adopted. Thanks... M Anim,
Chuping, Perlis,
Malaysia.
January 2021.
Updated August 2024/
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