Opportunity to Export Animal Feed Protein Sources to Europe

Meat and milk are sources of protein for human obtained from animals, especially ruminants, then meat and eggs from poultry and meat from fish. Availability of sufficient animal protein is needed. Protein deficiency will be bad for health. The livestock industry plays an important role for the adequacy of animal protein today. To produce animal protein in the form of meat and milk, a protein source, namely vegetable protein, is needed in the feed source for the ruminant livestock. Gliricidia and calliandra leaves from energy plantations are a source of protein for the ruminants (sheep, goats and cows). The development of energy plantations should also encourage the livestock industry. This is important for the makers or entrepreneurs of the energy plantation to understand.

Learning from European conditions, according to a study conducted by FEFAC (European Feed Manufacturers' Federation), there is a protein deficit condition in the feed industry sector in Europe and for that they have made a number of efforts to obtain environmentally friendly feed protein sources and sustainable. Deficit is a condition where the consumption or use of protein for the feed has exceeded its production. This means that European production in the form of protein sources for animal feed is still far from its needs so that imports cannot be avoided as a result. Although it is estimated that they will not be able to replace 100% of feed protein sources by one mean alone, which as long as most are imported but reducing this dependence with local production of feed protein would be very helpful. Another motivation is to reduce dependence on protein sources from transgenic materials (GMOs), namely soybean.

Their first effort was the use of PAP (processed animal protein). The use of PAP is indeed high in nutrition, and the source of PAP for the feed is chicken and pork. Although a rule has been made that chicken PAP is not allowed to feed chickens and pork PAP is not allowed to feed pigs plus a tool to detect it, in practice this is difficult to be implemented. This is because feed mills that operate are generally multi-purpose feed so that it can be used for various types of livestock. Very few feed mills make specialty feeds. In fact, if it occurs, for example, PAP chickens for chicken feed and PAP pigs for pig feed, then a disease may occur in the livestock. An example is in the case of mammalian meat and bone meal (MBM). In 1996 with the crisis of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) because it was related to feeding from MBM for ruminant feed. The BSE-infected meat causes Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, which poses a high risk to the human food chain. After the epidemic spread, the use of MBM in animal feed was banned. This regulation causes a high dependence on imported raw materials such as soybean meal for the continuity of the supply of meat, milk and eggs.

The second effort is protein production from insect farming. Although it can be done and a number of insect species have also been approved, the fact is that currently there are very few insect farms there, so it will still take a long time to produce sufficient volumes as a source of protein in animal feed. The source of protein from these insects is mainly for fish feed. The third effort from energy plantations is from rapeseed trees. Rapeseed meal is another source of vegetable protein. But the availability of rapeseed meal depends on European biofuel policy. Canola oil is the raw material for biodiesel in Europe. The European biofuel policy is contained in the Renewable Energy Directive 2020-2030 where the contribution of biofuels from plants for the target use in the transportation sector is up to a maximum of 7%.

The fourth effort from the rejected and expired products of the food industry. The rejected and expired products of the food industry it’s mean from the food and food ingredients industries, such as the biscuit industry, instant noodles, chocolate bars, pasta and so on. But what is meant is not food waste from restaurants, or catering. EFFPA, the European Former Foodstuff Processing Association estimates that in the European Union around 3.5 million tons of food waste is processed into animal feed every year. The European Union encourages the use of rejected and expired food, including issuing guidelines to reduce food waste to become feed, because it is not fit for human consumption. They have also discussed protein sources from micro algae or single-celled plants, but they are not a priority at this time due to quality and some limitations. 

The importance of realizing the potential as well as improving the vision for optimizing the energy plantation. GMO problems, for example, the use of gliricidia leaves can be the solution, for more details read here. “Quality protein” is important because not all proteins are equal. Several parameters for protein quality are the amino acid profile and the absence of anti-nutritional substances. For example, soybean meal has high scores for all protein quality parameters including palatability, digestibility and safety. A case that can also be used as a reference, in 2007 there was a withdrawal of pet food because it was contaminated with melamine and cyanuric acid (which is high in nitrogen content and identified as crude protein) in protein elements that cause kidney failure. 

The use of nitrogen from the above chemical is also carried out in agricultural products and has also led to the withdrawal of agricultural products from China in South Africa, the European Union and the United States. Even America ordered the USDA to inspect all agricultural products from China. In 2008 and 2009 China focused on eliminating the problem of counterfeiting or mixing and the effects of the crisis. In 2010 a revised version of the feed and feed additive regulations was published to further ensure quality and safety. Even though China is the largest feed producer in the world, the need for feed raw materials still relies on imports, especially flour/soybean meal to support food needs in the form of meat, milk and eggs for around 1.3 billion people.

From a number of efforts by the European Union to plan for self-sufficiency in feed protein sources, it turns out that the source of protein from rapeseed energy plantataions has become a European priority at this time. Meanwhile, with Indonesia's condition which has a large area of land, there are many energy plantations that can be created, even the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has planned 12.7 million hectares for energy plantations as an effort to support the cofiring program at coal power plants in Indonesia more detail read here. Energy plantation by-products will also be abundant. The production of this leaf can be used as an export commodity to Europe, because the need is large. Animal feed production in Europe is estimated at 160 million tons per year or 16% of the world with 5000 units of feed factories. With the consumption of protein in the feed in the range of 30%, the need will reach 48 million tons. When the domestic feed industry has not been able to absorb it, export is the best choice.

Ruminant is herbivore so that their diet comes from plants, the case of MBM in Europe can be a valuable lesson that feeding from mammals actually creates new problems. Moreover, if the food category is najis, then the livestock will become jalalah which are prohibited (haram) to be consumed. Meanwhile, the case of mixing with hazardous chemicals that occurred in China with melamine and cyanuric acid is only to trick the protein content so that it looks high and is also harmful to the health of the human body. Islam is very concerned about food or food issues, even in the Qur'an Letter of 'Abasa: 24, Allah commands humans to pay attention to their food. The food that enters our stomach must be halal and thoyyib (good). Foods that contain harmful substances that can poison the body are not thoyyib foods. And one of the consequences of haram (prohibited) food is a barrier to prayer being answered.

Planning Long-Term Feed Supply

Feed is the highest cost component in animal husbandry with a share of about 70%. Thus, feed has an important role for the sustainability of the business. Planning in the provision of good feed will reduce the risk of failure, including a decrease in the production of these farms. Maintaining the high performance of the livestock industry is not an easy thing, of course, including maintaining the quality and quantity of the feed. Feed planning for long-term supply needs to be done carefully and comprehensively so that livestock business can be optimal. Seasonal factor is an important factor in the availability of the feed. The success rate and the amount of profit earned can also be predicted better.

In commercial business, ruminant feed, especially sheep, goats and cattle, is generally easier to obtain than poultry or chicken feed. Imports of soybean meal have been carried out for the poultry or chicken feed. Chicken meat is still ranked 1st as a source of animal protein in Indonesia with a portion of around 70%. Whereas for the ruminants above, generally the feed can be provided by local food sources such as grasses and legume plants. But along with the narrowing of the land that can be used for forage crops, the more limited the availability of feed for livestock, especially for pasture. This condition makes it difficult for ruminant farms to be developed in large capacities or industry-oriented. Energy plantations with an area of up to thousands of hectares are expected to be a solution for this.

The development of energy plantations itself is closely related to the use of renewable energy, especially biomass, both locally / domestically and globally. In line with the bioeconomy era, the use of fossil fuels as well as for the manufacture of various other products is reduced, so biomass will receive more attention and will be increasingly used. This should be in line with the growth of the ruminant livestock sector and the halal industry in general. Related to animal feed, there are 3 important things that need to be considered, namely nutrition, safety and sustainability. Apart from these factors, technological, logistics and good management factors also play an important role in the long-term sustainability of the feed supply. If all the elements of feed (fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, etc.) can be fulfilled from local / domestic sources so that the price is cheaper, the livestock business will be more competitive. Meanwhile, if it depends on imports, the cost of feed will be expensive and the livestock business will be less competitive so that the output of meat and milk products as a source of protein will also be expensive. And don't let the domestic animal feed production grow, say 5 times but imports of raw materials 15 times. 

7 Largest Animal Feed Factories in the World

Since animal feed became a trade commodity or commercial product starting in the early 1800s when the means of transportation and propulsion of agricultural equipment mainly used horses and donkeys, a number of animal feed providers began to emerge such as Cargill, ADM, Purina and Ridley. In that era, the science of animal feed nutrition became a scientific discipline, starting in 1810 a German scientist named Albrecht Daniel Thaer developed the first animal feed standard by comparing the nutrients of various types of hay. Around 1900 the hammer mill was first used followed by the horizontal batch mixer in 1909. The early 20th century saw many advances in the use of technology for animal feed but the most noticeable and dramatic progress was when Purina introduced feed pellets in the 1920s. With this pelletization, the powder is less favorable to livestock (unpalatable), the different densities become easier to use and increases uniformity. This pelletization technique was quickly in demand by many feed producers so that in 1930 there were a number of feed factories that specialized in the production of these feed pellets. In 1944 L.A. Maynard published a table of nutritional requirements for livestock and laboratory animal husbandry. The table of nutritional requirements then becomes the world standard for feed formulation to date including ruminants such as sheep, goats and cows. In the late 1950s progress and specialization continued in the feed industry. In addition, the production capacity is also getting bigger, even in the 1970s the range of animal feed factory capacity was between 200 - 500 thousand tons per year. Currently there are about 30 thousand feed factories around the world with a production of more than 1 billion tons every year, and the 7 giant animal feed factories are as follows: 

1.Charoen Pokphand (27 million tons / year)   

Charoen Pokphand's business started in 1921 when two Chinese brothers Chia Ek Chor and Chia Siew Whooy set up a Chia Tai Chueng shop and did business in plant seeds and vegetables from China and exported pork and eggs to Hong Kong. Currently, Charoen Pokphand, based in Bangkok, is the largest Thai conglomerate and also one of the largest conglomerates in the world. The company has 8 business lines covering 13 business groups including the largest retail business in Southeast Asia (Seven Eleven), telecommunications (True), hypermarkets (Siam Makro) and automotive (Dayang Motor). By 2020 this business group has invested in 21 countries. Charoen Pokphand's animal feed production began in 1978 and is currently the world's largest producer of animal feed and shrimp products, as well as the world's top three for poultry, pork and a number of agricultural products. 

2. New Hope (20 million tons / year)

New Hope was founded by Liu Yonghao in 1982 and is also the current managing director. Before founding New Hope Liu Yonghao was a teacher at a technical school and with his three siblings started farming quails and chickens. Today New Hope is China's largest animal feed producer. Apart from New Hope, Liu Yonghao also does business in banking and is the founder of a shareholder in China Minsheng Bank. Currently, New Hope is mainly engaged in the agricultural, livestock and food processing sectors, with a production of 20 million tons of animal feed, processing 1.3 billion chickens and 8 million pigs annually. The company operates in 30 countries including Vietnam, Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Egypt. 

3.Cargill (19.2 million tonnes / year)

Cargill was founded in 1865 or about 156 years ago in the United States by William W. Cargill with headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota. A year after his birth, his brother Sam joined to form W.W. Cargill and Brother. In 1875 another of James's brothers joined the company. In 1898, John H. MacMillan, Sr., and his brother, Daniel, began working at W. W. Cargill. MacMillan later married William Cargill's eldest daughter, Edna. Today Cargill is still a family company, with the descendants of the founders (from the Cargill and MacMillan Families) owning 90% of the company and is Cargill's largest private company by revenue in the United States.

Some of Cargill's main businesses are trading, purchasing and distributing grains such as wheat and other agricultural commodities, such as coconut oil; trade in energy, steel and transportation; livestock breeding and feed production; as well as producing food ingredients such as starch and glucose syrup, vegetable oils and fats for use in instant food and industry. Cargill also has a financial services business, which manages Cargill's financial risk in commodity markets. Cargill operates in 66 countries and is the largest poultry producer in Thailand. 

4.Purina Animal Nutrition (12 million tonnes / year)

Purina Animal Nutrition was founded in the United States by William H. Danforth in 1894 with the production of a variety of animal feeds under the name Purina Mills. The animal feed produced at that time included horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, pigs and monkeys. In 1902, William H. Danforth with Webster Edgerly, a university professor who founded Ralstonism, who at that time produced breakfast cereal, founded the Ralston Purina company. In 1986 Ralston Purina sold the Purina Mill, the animal feed business for the American market, to British Petroleum and retained its international pet feed and animal feed businesses. In 1993 Sterling Group purchased Purina Mill and in 1998 it was purchased by Koch Industries, but the U.S. the bankruptcy court canceled all of Koch's rights to manage the survival of the company. Lastly Purina Mills was purchased by Land O'Lakes in 2001. 

5.BRF (11 million tons / year) 

BRF S.A. is a Brazilian company which is a merger between Sadia and Perdigao, the two main feed companies in Brazil. Currently BRF is one of the largest feed companies in the world with more than 30 brands in its portfolio, including Sadia, Perdigao, Qualy, Paty, Danica and Bocatti. BRF products are marketed in more than 150 countries in the world. BRF has more than 50 factories in 8 countries namely Argentina, Brazil, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Netherlands, Malaysia, UK, Thailand and Turkey. In Brazil, BRF has more than 30 factories and 20 distribution centers, while overseas operates 9 factories in Argentina, one unit in the UK, one unit in the Netherlands, five in Thailand, one in Malaysia, one in the UAE, and five in Turkey. with the support of 27 distribution centers. The animal feed products produced by BRF are for chickens and pigs. 

6.Tyson Foods (10.3 million tonnes / year)

Tyson Foods is a public trade company from the United States whose main business is in the animal feed industry with headquarters at 2200 Don Tyson Pkwy., Springdale, Arkansas. Tyson Foods is also the world's largest company and marketer after JBS S.A based on chicken, beef and pork. The company was founded by John W. Tyson in 1935 and from its founding until his death in 1967 he served as its managing director. Tyson started out in the chicken market when he heard that chicken in northern America was more expensive than where he lived in Arkansas. In 1936 Tyson brought 500 chickens from his home to Chichago, Illinois and made quite a fortune. Since that success he started raising chickens and making feed for them. Currently Tyson Foods operates in 10 countries with products spread across five continents in the world. 

7.COFCO (8.3 million tons / year)

COFCO (China Oil and Foodstuffs Corporation) is a Chinese state-owned company which was founded in 1949 and is the largest food processor and marketer in China today. COFCO is also one of the leaders of the Asian agribusiness group alongside Wilmar International. Between 1952 and 1987 (35 years), COFCO was the sole importer and exporter of agricultural products under the direct control of the central government. COFCO has a number of production sites in China, as well as in countries such as Japan, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

Soon it is estimated that the era of bioeconomy will become a trend and lifestyle in the world so that the issue of sustainability becomes very important. Bioeconomy itself can be defined as knowledge-based production and using biological resources or living things to produce products, processes and services in the economic sector within the framework of a sustainable economic system. With a Muslim majority population, Indonesia should have developed many bioeconomic models that are in line with Islamic values. This is because bioeconomy will also be related to food and clothing issues which in Islam are very clearly related to the issue of halal and haram. Not only that, of course, the model is also optimized so that it can bring prosperity to the people as much as possible and provide solutions to a number of major problems faced. Islamic economics that have not become mainstream in Muslim-majority countries is one of these big problems. Practically feed and animal husbandry products must be in line with the halal industry so as to provide blessings in the life of the world and the hereafter, not only seeking profit but justifying any means. 

Learning the History of the World Animal Feed Industry

The ability to create a stable supply of food from livestock led to the world's population developing, community centers developing and cities emerging. The domestication of wild plants and livestock, as well as the use of irrigation and tillage tools, has resulted in a growing population. When the human population is increasing and many people live in urban areas, livestock and agriculture are increasingly organized, efficient and productive with the use of technology and various innovations. The science of animal feed nutrition became a scientific discipline starting about 200 years ago. In 1810 the German scientist Albrecht Daniel Thaer developed the first animal feed standard by comparing the nutrients of different types of hay. This was followed by a number of discoveries related to animal feed nutrition such as proximate analysis systems, feed standards based on digestible nutrients, vitamins and minerals needed by livestock, until 1944 L.A. Maynard published a table of nutritional needs for livestock and laboratory animal husbandry. The table of nutritional requirements then becomes the world standard for feed formulation to date including ruminants such as sheep, goats and cows.

Animal feed into a trade commodity or commercial product began in the early 1800s when the means of transportation and moving agricultural products mainly used horses and donkeys. Horse farm and breeding is an important thing. Horse stops as resting places are made along the route between cities as public facilities or similar to gas stations at this time. One of the important things in this resting place is the provision of quality feed for the horses, such as hay, seeds and so on. This has sprung up a number of businesses providing horse and donkey feed, and a number of feed companies that exist today such as Cargill, ADM, Purina, and Ridley started here, even though at that time the use of scientific feed formulations was very minimal.

Horse stopping and feeding station in the 1800s

 

Feed mills in America are built adjacent to grain mills, even many industries have been engaged in grinding the grain is also involved in the feed industry. The animal feed industry uses by-products or waste from grinding these grains. The first animal feed mills were made by adding a number of nutrients to the byproducts of wheat flour. The use of technology and mechanization is also increasing in number to achieve feed products with uniform quality and efficient production processes. Around 1900 the hammer mill was first used followed by the horizontal batch mixer in 1909. The early 20th century saw many advances in the use of technology for animal feed but the most noticeable and dramatic progress was when Purina introduced feed pellets in the 1920s. With this pelletization, the powder is less favorable to livestock (unpalatable), the different densities become easier to use and increases uniformity. This pelletization technique was quickly in demand by many feed producers so that in 1930 there were a number of feed factories that specialized in the production of these feed pellets.

Around 1940 and 1950 the formulation of feed was more complex with the addition of vitamins and minerals. In the late 1950s progress and specialization continued in the feed industry. In addition, the production capacity is also getting bigger, even in the 1970s the range of animal feed factory capacity was between 200 - 500 thousand tons per year. Meanwhile, large farms choose to make their own feed to make it more competitive. The use of automation in feed mills began in 1975 and continues to evolve to minimize feed costs and maximize efficiency in the production process. The technology and software for the production process continue to develop, including the logistics of various feed ingredients, size characteristics, the pelletization process, the extrusion process, and many other things in production.

Meanwhile, the development of the animal feed industry in Europe is more or less imitating the existing development pattern in America. Grain processing and milling technology advanced rapidly in the 19th century. In an effort to accelerate the development of the animal feed industry in Europe, in 1959 Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands formed the European Feed Manufacturers' Federation (FEFAC) as an organization for the feed industry in Europe. FEFAC has a mission to unite the feed industry and establish communication and cooperation in the European region. Even though it was quite successful in this effort, FEFAC experienced quite horrendous problems, namely in 1996 with the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) crisis because it was related to feeding derived from mammalian meat and bone meal (MBM) or bone meal and mammalian meat for ruminant feed. Meat infected with BSE causes Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, which creates a high risk to the human food chain. After the outbreak spread, the use of MBM in animal feed was prohibited. This regulation causes a high dependence on imported raw materials such as soybean meal for a sustainable supply of meat, milk and eggs. Learning from this, FEFAC in the 21st century has a focus on feed and food safety initiatives. The organization took initiatives to be globally enforceable, such as in 2001 banning the use of MBM, in 2006 banning antibiotics in feed, legislation related to nitrates in livestock manure, and the use of GMO raw materials (GMOs).

Brazil is a country in South America that is quite developed in the animal feed industry and is currently the third largest supplier of animal feed in the world. Interestingly, commercial feed production in Brazil was only practiced in the 1960s. The development pattern of the animal feed industry in Brazil uses the same model as in America and Europe, namely the companies involved in milling and processing grains such as wheat and maize were also the first to be involved in the animal feed industry. The first wheat bran was built in the 1940s. Currently in Brazil, part of the feed industry is integrated with its livestock, or about 80%, which means that the feed manufacturing industry is also the same industry as the livestock. Another interesting thing is that Brazil also ranks second in the world for the pet feed industry, even though this industry was almost non-existent before the 1990s. Brazil has abundant production of maize, soybeans and other commodities which greatly support the animal feed industry.

China is the largest animal feed producer in the world, accounting for nearly 20% of the world, followed by the United States (17.4%) and Brazil (6.8%). The history of the animal feed industry in China began in 1930 with the first modern flour mills established and was followed by the use of the mill's by-products for animal feed. Meanwhile, the first modern feed factory was only established in 1949. Furthermore, due to the political uncertainty and slow economic growth and the centralized government, grain production decreased so that most of it was for human consumption. The growth of the feed industry and livestock is also very limited. Changes in political conditions in 1976 made the animal feed industry begin to grow again. In 1977 a comparative study was conducted on the feed industry in France, Japan and America. And in 1984 a draft plan for the development of the feed industry was published with outlines of objectives and strategies for the years 1984-2000.

In the same year (1984) a number of policies were also issued to support the development of the domestic feed industry, such as high export taxes for feed ingredients and milling equipment, tax free for up to 3 years for new feed factories and even tax free if the factory was not yet producing with sufficient profit. The first feed standard was issued in 1996, but due to inconsistent interpretation of the standard, nearly 10% of animal feed tests were substandard in 1998. Even in 2007 there was a withdrawal of pet feed due to contamination with melamine and cyanuric acid (which is high in nitrogen and identified as a crude protein content) in protein elements that cause kidney failure. The use of nitrogen from the above chemical is also carried out on agricultural products as well as the withdrawal of agricultural products from China in South Africa, the European Union and the United States. Even America ordered the USDA to inspect all agricultural products from China. In 2008 and 2009 China focused on eliminating the problem of counterfeiting or mixing and the effects of the resulting crisis. In 2010 a revised version of the feed and feed additive regulations was published to further ensure quality and safety. Although China is the largest feed producer in the world, the need for feed raw materials still relies on imports, especially soybean flour / meal to support food needs in the form of meat, milk and eggs for around its 1.3 billion people.

The source and availability of feed has always been the main orientation for livestock business. From the above history it is clear that large farms were always built close to a source of feed such as mills. The role of the government is also very important to encourage this effort. The high price of factory-produced concentrate can also be a driving force for the growth of large farms adjacent to energy plantations. The protein element in feed, apart from being essential, is also the highest cost element, while feed itself holds the highest cost component in animal husbandry or around 70%. Ruminants are herbivores so their food comes from plants, the case of MBM in Europe can be an expensive lesson that feeding from mammals actually creates new problems. Moreover, if the food category is najis/unclean, then the livestock become jalalah animals which are prohibited from being consumed (haram). Meanwhile, the case of mixing with dangerous chemicals that occurred in China with melamine and cyanuric acid was only to deceive the protein content so that it looks high is also dangerous for the health of the human body.

The momentum of the energy plantation or biomass plantation can be a great momentum for the growth of the ruminant livestock industry as long as it is well prepared. Other feed sources can be obtained from the surrounding environment so that the complete feed composition can be fulfilled. Bran from rice mills are also not difficult to find in Indonesia because the staple food of the majority of Indonesia's population is rice. Rice fields for rice farming are almost everywhere, so are the rice mills. Other sources of grasses such as elephant grass, benggala grass and so on as a source of fiber or agricultural wastes such as straw, peanut leaves, corn leaves and stalks and so on can be done by empowering the surrounding community. And when the feed production is sufficient for their own needs, the excess feed production can be sold elsewhere.  

Biomass Cofiring, Energy Plantation and Ruminant Animal Husbandry

Biomass cofiring with coal in coal power plants in Indonesia as a PLN (Indonesia electricity state owned company) program to support the use of renewable energy, especially biomass, could be the closest momentum for energy plantations. The program is also an effort to achieve the target of using renewable energy of 23% by 2025, while until now it is still less than 5%. In 2020 the cofiring program has been initiated with a target of 37 coal power plants but in practice 20 coal power plants have been implemented. While in total there are 114 coal power plant units owned by PLN that have the potential for cofiring, spread across 52 locations with a total capacity of 18,154 megawatts (MW) as a target of completion in 2024. The details consist of 13 coal power plant locations in Sumatra, 16 coal poer plant locations in Java, 10 locations in Kalimantan, 4 locations in Bali, NTB and NTT, 6 locations in Sulawesi, and 3 locations in Maluku and Papua. Meanwhile, the cofiring ratio ranges from 1-5% biomass with an estimated biomass requirement of 9-12 million tons per year.

 And recently there has also been an agreement between PLN and Perhutani (Indonesia forestry state owned company) and PTPN III (Indonesia agriculture state owned company) to supply biomass for the cofiring program, for further information, please read here. In this case, PLN is the owner of the coal power plants, while Perhutani owns the resources of industrial plantation forest areas both in Java (Perhutani) and outside Java (Inhutani) which can be developed as energy plantations or energy forests. Likewise with PTPN III with its land which can also be used for this energy plantation. Gliricidia sepium and red calliandra (calliandra calotyrsus) are two species of fast-rotating crops that are most likely to be used for these energy plantations. If every 4,000 hectares produces a production of 10,000 tons / month of wood pellets or 120,000 tons / year, at least 400,000 hectares are needed to meet the 1-5% cofiring target which is equivalent to 9-12 million tons per year. The potential of gliricidia leaves or calliandra will also be very abundant. And it should also encourage the growth and development of the ruminant industrial sector. Moreover, if in the future PLN increases its cofiring portion, for example 6-10% or even 20%, of course the energy plantation needed will be very large, as well as the abundant potential of gliricidia leaves or calliandra.

The Covid-19 pandemic is still ongoing with the increase in cases getting bigger in Indonesia and there is no sloping curve yet, even positive cases have penetrated more than 1 million people. It is predicted that this pandemic will become a long-term problem with indications, among others, that new variants are found so that the vaccine that has been prepared is not or less effective and the emergence of a second wave of covid outbreaks even after vaccination has forced cities and even the state to lock down. . How almighty is Allah SWT with all His will, which should further strengthen our iman and taqwa. The prolonged condition of the Covid-19 pandemic makes people afraid and avoids crowds or gatherings including professional activities such as offices and industry. This condition will also encourage the growth of efficient business activities by using various existing technologies.

Technology-based and efficient industrial developments should be the focus of the government to survive and even maintain sustainability in order to maintain the supply of goods needed by the community. Population concentrations in an area must also be reduced and properly distributed. Big cities are becoming less and less attractive. Efficient production units must be increased in number as well as their distribution should be more even. Outskirts, villages and even mountains are increasingly being enjoyed. The closer to nature or natural resource-based businesses, the more they enjoy it along with the distribution of business locations that is more evenly distributed or not accumulated in big cities. More and more world citizens also want a fairer system in regulating their lives.

Ruminants (sheep, goats and cows) farms are a potential business especially supported by the utilization of leaves waste from these energy plantations. The locations for these energy plantations are generally in forest areas which are quite far from urban areas. The leaves of gliricidia or calliandra can be processed into various forms (concentrate, hay, pellets, briquette, etc.) according to request or use. With the use of good technology, the leaves waste can be used optimally so as to support the progress of ruminant farming. The farm will also be very good if it is made near energy plantations as a source of food. To get a complete feed composition, community empowerment can be done.    

Wisdoms From the Work of Every Prophets & Messengers Who Graze the Sheeps

~ Ibn Hajar rahimahullah said, the ulema said, "The wisdom behind grazing sheeps before the time of prophethood is that they are accustomed to arranging goats which will naturally become accustomed to handling human problems." [Fathu Al Bari 1/144]

The prophets worked as sheeps grazer since they were little, so that they became human herders when they were big. As Moses and Muhammad and the other  prophets , at the beginning of their lives they have succeeded in becoming good sheep herders, in order to take lessons after the successful control of livestock towards the success of taking care of Adam's grandchildren in inviting, repairing and preaching them [1]. In order for the Da'i to succeed in preaching, it is necessary to have knowledge of the importance of sustainability and direct practice.

~ In the work of grazing sheeps, there are lessons to get used to the nature of nurturing and protecting. When they were patient in shepherding and gathering after being scattered in the pasture, they learned how to understand the differences in the nature of the people, differences in reasoning abilities. With these differences, those who disobey must be dealt with firmly and the weak must be supported.

This makes it easy for those who have such experience to accept the burden of preaching compared to those who start from directly from the beginning. That was the beginning of learning for the Prophets by facing different characteristics, some were weak, some were lame and intended to climb mountains, some were unable to cross the valley. From there, he learned how to achieve diverse desires as an introduction to getting to know humans with a variety of goals and objectives.[2]

This makes it easy for those who have such experience to accept the burden of da'wah compared to those who start from directly from the beginning. That was the beginning of learning for the Prophets by facing different characteristics, some were weak, some were lame and intended to climb mountains, some were unable to cross the valley. From there, he learned how to achieve diverse desires as an introduction to getting to know humans with a variety of goals and objectives.

 Prophets graze sheep since they were small and they leaned their lives through their efforts, gave a message about the importance of a da'i depending on Allah SWT and did not depend on other people's lives.

If a person relies on someone else, then there will be a bad talk, while da'wah knows no strings attached, and a da'i must distance himself from the giving and alms of others. Humans will not accept the da'wah of people who have one day received alms and mercy, then another day, he advised him and warned him not to fall asleep with the world. Therefore, the provision of the Prophet Sallallaahu ‘Alaihi Wa sallam was never the talk of the Quraysh, the Messenger of Allah lived among them by not asking for their mercy, the things which caused them afterwards could not bring up their services and kindness.

Foot Note:

[1] Assa’di, Al Mawahid Ar Rabbaniyah Minal Ayati Al Qur’aniyah, page.149

[2] Ibnu Hajar, Fathu Al Bari 4/441

Source : Fikih Sirah, Prof.Dr.Zaid bin Abdul Karim az-Zaid, Published by Darussunnah

Sheep Farm Based Startup Business

Lamb meat is the best meat for human consumption. Prophets and Messengers of Allah SWT must have been herdsmen. There are many lessons from the pastoral activity, for more details, you can read here. Increasing consumption of lamb and even become a favorite food is something that is encouraging. A number of satay shops and also offers a number of lamb dishes are always crowded. It is estimated that around 250 satay shops yand processed sheep are scattered throughout Yogyakarta special province, Indonesia. The high interest and consumption of lamb meat will also have an effect on the high supply of sheep needed. Other cities in Indonesia should also follow it. Surely this will be an interesting opportunity, including the pattern of business startup. Even when the supply of sheep increases, the export market is also ready to wait.

In Indonesia, grass cultivation is certainly not difficult, even without planting grass has grown thick and filled our gardens. Unmanaged grass is just annoying and causes problems. But on the other hand, if the growth of grass is well designed and managed so that the sheep grazing area will certainly be a different story. In any livestock industry the feed factor is the highest cost component. If the sheep are managed by herding in the pasture, the cost of feed will be minimized so that the profits are maximized. Rotational grazing is a grazing technique that can maximize these benefits.

In addition to grass which can be regarded as a staple food for the sheep, additional food in the form of supplements is also needed to get the best quality meat. Energy plantation such as the calliandra plantation can support the sheep farm. Leaves from the energy plantation harvest can be used for additional feed. Calliandra leaves with high protein content will be nutritious feed for the sheep. In addition, wood from energy plantations can also be used for the production of charcoal briquette. By using charcoal made from energy plantations wood that means it does not damage the environment such as cutting down forest wood and so on. The quality of charcoal briquette (sawdust charcoal briquette) is also better than ordinary charcoal that is not briquetted, because it is denser, has a uniform size and a longer burning time.

At a large capacity these sheep can also become export commodities. Extensive grasslands and energy plantations can be made for many of these export purposes. Utilization of technology is increasingly needed for such large capacities such as drones to monitor the movement of these sheep. Locations outside of Java and can even be integrated with large plantations have huge potential, for additional information can be read here. Indonesia as the owner of the largest palm oil plantation in the world with an area of ​​12 million hectares has the potential to integrate this sheep farm. Previously we have also heard that cattle farming has been integrated in a number of oil palm plantations, for more details, please read here. In addition to the sheep which will become an export commodity as well as sawdust charcoal briquette from the energy plantations.

The sheep-based startup business will encourage improving the quality of our food and at the same time improving the environment. And so that various regions can also easily get the supply of lamb meat, lamb meat can also be packaged in the form of ready satay, so it is also easy if you want to consume lamb satay every day. At the time of Eid al-Adha, this business startup also supports the provision of sacrificial animals, as part of upholding Islamic law (QS. Al-Kautsar: 2; QS. Al-Hajj: 34) which will continue to exist until the Day of Judgment. Even sheep is permitted for qurban animals that are still six months old, entering seven months old (jadza'ah) while other qurban animals are eligible if they are at least one year old or more (mussinnah) such as goats are tsany (one year old, enter second year ), two-year-old cattle, entering the third year and camel five years, entering the sixth year. Furthermore also the need for halal food is an absolute necessity for all Muslims so running a business for the fulfillment of halal food should also be the domain of Muslims as well as the business of Umrah and Hajj to halal tourism. Moreover, there are many verses in the Qur'an concerning the superiority of sheep over other livestock, for more details, please read here. Let us be part of the world's food and environmental solutions and uphold the Shari'a of Allah SWT.  

Production of Box Shaped Hay From Gliricidia Leaves

Apart from market, feed is another important factor in livestock business. Striving for and ensuring the availability of feed throughout the year both in quality and quantity is a challenge in itself, especially industrial-oriented ruminant farms. The productivity of livestock products is largely determined by these feed factors. The important role for livestock is for the growth of young livestock and for maintaining life and producing products (milk, calves/lamb, meat) and power for adult livestock. Another function of feed is to maintain endurance and health. In order for livestock to grow as expected, the type of feed given to livestock must be of good quality and in sufficient quantities.

In addition, livestock productivity itself is influenced a lot by environmental factors, namely up to 70%, while about 30% is genetic factors. And among these environmental factors, the aspect of feed has the greatest influence, which is around 60%, for example superior sheep farming such as the dorper type but if the quality and quantity of feed is not met then the results are also not optimal. Meanwhile, in terms of livestock business, the cost of feed is also the largest production cost, namely 60-80% of the total production cost. So it is very natural that attention or focus on feed issues is very important.

Seeing the above conditions, processing technology for animal feed is important. The purposes of animal feed processing include preserving nutrition and extending shelf life. Drying the leaves of gliricidia or calliandra to a moisture content of about 15% is one such effort or commonly called hay. By making hay the two objectives of processing animal feed above, namely maintaining nutrition and extending the shelf life can be achieved, but with a large volume of dry feed or hay (bulky) it will be inefficient in using space for storage or if it is to be used in other places where need quite far transportation. This is why it is necessary to apply biomass densification technology to solve this problem. Hay compaction into blocks or box shaped is a practical and easy undertaking. The equipment and compaction process into box shaped is also easy and cheap, compared to other biomass compaction technologies such as pellets or briquettes.

A sheep or cow farm should be built near the energy plantation so that they can easily get a source of feed for the gliricidia leaves. The leaves are then made hay and compacted into the blocks / box shaped. And because gliricidia leaves are a source of protein, so to be a complete feed, another source of feed is needed. This can be fulfilled by the surrounding community with community empowerment patterns or for more details, please read here. Sources of feed from the community, for example a source of fiber from grasses or agricultural waste, can also be made hay, so that the farm is available as a complete feed (complete feed) which is safe for the operation of the farm business. And because the estimated leaf production from energy plantations is very abundant, some of the hay that is produced can also be sold elsewhere. 

Technology is basically a tool to achieve a goal. From a technological point of view, namely biomass densification, besides the raw material for glicidia leaves can be made hay, the leaves can also be made into pellets or briquettes. The main difference between pellets and briquettes is only a matter of size, briquettes are bigger than pellets. The form of puck briquettes like the photo above is the best form for animal feed applications. From a technical perspective, pellets and briquettes are also denser or have a higher density than hay. The dust problem in hay can also be reduced by making these pellets or briquettes. But it is true that making pellets or briquettes requires higher investment costs and the production process is more complex.

Satay and Processed Lamb Meat anytime!

Some of our people can enjoy these dishes only during Eid al-Adha. Of course this must continue to be improved because the average meat consumption of the Indonesian population is still low. Even though protein is one of the essential nutrients we really need. And for that lamb meat is the best meat despite many myths that oppose it. In Al Qur'an Surah 6: 143-144, eight pairs of animals (4 pairs) are two (a pair) of sheep, a pair of goats, a pair of camels and a pair of cows. Of the series of livestock mentioned in the verses above, sheep are first mentioned, then goats, camels and cattle.

Eating satay and processed lamb meat products is delicious, so how delicious if you can eat it often.The rules in the Qur'an, the first one has virtue over afterwards. Now, this is where sheep have superiority compared to other livestock mentioned in the verses, although all these animals are halal meat eaten. Other indications of the virtue of sheep can also be found in the Qurban event, namely when Prophet Ibrahim was ordered by Allah SWT to slaughter his son Ismail, then by Allah SWT saved Ismail and replaced him with a large sheep. Then we commemorate this event every year and become the Shari'a of Qurban on the Eid al-Adha feast every year in 10 Dzulhijah. Besides that, all Prophets are sheep shepherd, is another indication that lamb is the best meat and the sheep that are grazed are the best treasures.

The next question that can arise is is there another guide more specific about diet, especially protein? The Qur'an also indicates the source of protein from large livestock occupies the largest portion of poultry and fish. The source of animal protein that is from large livestock is revealed in at least 7 verses or 64%, from fish revealed in 3 verses or 27% and from poultry revealed in 1 verse or 9%. So that the fulfillment of protein needs is the priority of large livestock, especially those that are grazed, because in addition to producing cheap protein, it also fertilizes the land for various human needs. 

So that satay and processed lamb meat can be eaten anytime and anywhere, food innovation is needed. We are certainly familiar with various canned foods so that they can last longer such as gudeg, rendang and so on. Of course this is also very possible for lamb. It is also to further promote the best meat, so that when it is called meat, the community will later associate it to lamb instead of beef or chicken as happened today. If the conditions are like that, then the sheep farming industry will grow rapidly. Sheep farming can be integrated with various large plantations and for more details can be read here.

Wood Pellet Production With Integration of Degraded Land Use For Energy Plantations, Cattle and Biogas Resources

There is a huge demand of wood pellet and on the other hand also the extent of uncultivated land in a number of places in Indonesia potentially be used for energy plantations with an output is wood for raw material of wood pellets. Currently estimated at more than 6 million hectares of unused land in Indonesia. While forage on plants short rotation species such as gliricidae and calliandra be useful as animal feed  of the cows. For every hectare is expected to be a source of cattle feed by approximately 6 tails. If there are 5000 ha of degraded/unused land it will produce around 100,000 tonnes of wet wood as a source of raw material of wood pellets and maintain 30,000 head of cattle. A large number of these cows potential as a source of biogas to meet the energy needs of the business itself.

The roots of the plants short rotation species is able to bind nitrogen that enrich the soil fertility. The root is able to perform a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in the soil, ie Rhizobium spp. Trees provide carbohydrates and energy for rhizobia bacteria, and rhizobia change of atmospheric nitrogen into nitrogen in the soil which can be exploited by tree roots. This process is known as nitrogen fixation, which took place on that form nodules on the roots of trees. Nodule should much, and when it opened in the red or red-pink. If the nodule is green, brown or black, is not binding nodule nitrogen. And plus organic fertilizer from biogas residue so that the land will be fertile and plantations productivity more can be expected to continue its sustainibility. 

Good management supported by a team of professionals will support the future success of your business. Production of wood pellets can be used as first priority , then followed by dairy farms and biogas and organic fertilizer as a supporter. The concept of zero waste, green industry and sustainable implemented in the integration of this business.