Page 9 - Think Grain Thin Feed Oct 2025

www.benisonmedia.com R&D Think Grain Think Feed - Volume 11 | Issue 12 | Oct 2025

Indonesia's Sago and Cassava “Corn

Analogue” Feed Offers Affordable

Solution for Poultry Industry

Indonesian researchers have meet national demand, and of Higher Education, Science,
developed an innovative the country currently faces and Technology, enabling
poultry feed made from a restrictions on corn imports. wider promotion of the feed
mix of sago and cassava, As a result, corn prices among farmers. With
which has proven to be as continue to rise, reaching up increased production and
effective as conventional to Rp 7,000 (USD 0.43) per adoption, the corn analogue
corn. Termed a “corn kilogram in some remote is expected to become a
analogue,” this new feed areas, significantly increasing viable solution for small-
promises to reduce costs for the cost of poultry feed and, scale poultry operations,
farmers and potentially consequently, chicken prices. helping farmers reduce costs
stabilise chicken prices Dr. Heri noted that sago has while maintaining animal
across the country, strong potential as an performance and production
addressing one of the major alternative energy source for quality.
challenges facing the poultry feed, helping to Unlike countries such as the
nation's poultry sector. reduce reliance on imported United States and Europe,
Laboratory trials conducted corn. which utilise diverse feed
on native chickens have The country has energy sources, Indonesia
shown that birds fed with the approximately 5 million has largely relied on corn. By
sago-cassava blend perform hectares of sago plantations integrating locally abundant
just as well as those on in Papua, offering a locally sago and cassava into
traditional corn-based diets. available and sustainable poultry diets, the new feed
The feed offers similar feed source. Researchers not only addresses the rising
nutritional value while being emphasize that costs of corn but also
more cost-effective, environmental encourages the sustainable
providing tangible economic considerations must be use of domestic agricultural
relief to local poultry maintained while harvesting resources.
farmers. “Cheaper feed costs sago to ensure ecological In conclusion, the
will reduce chicken balance. In addition, new development of the sago
production prices, so high-yield cassava varieties and cassava-based corn
consumers can also benefit developed by IPB University analogue represents a
from more affordable meat,” can produce at least 40 tons promising step for
said Dr. Heri Ahmad Sukria, per hectare, meeting the Indonesia's poultry industry.
project head and lecturer at productivity requirements for It provides a sustainable,
the Faculty of Animal Science economical poultry feed cost-effective alternative to
at IPB University. production. corn, supporting both
Indonesia remains heavily The project has received farmers and consumers while
dependent on corn, which support from the Indonesian showcasing the potential of
accounts for about 50% of government through the local crops as innovative
poultry feed. Domestic Community Empowerment solutions for agricultural
production is insufficient to Program under the Ministry challenges.

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