‘Game-changing’ pellets tackle dry-season livestock feed scarcity

The Ministry of Agriculture has launched a ‘game-changing’ programme to feed livestock with grass pellets during the dry season when grass is difficult to source.

“We think that this would be basically a game changer for farmers,”  Ministry of Agriculture consultant Dr Leroy McClean told Barbados TODAY as the pellets were demonstrated at Agrofest, the national farming exhibition which ended on Sunday.

He said: “We know that one of the biggest costs for farmers is the cost of feed. And so we have started a programme whereby we are using the local ingredients, basically using the waste from agriculture and also things that are easily available.”

The pellets are made of cassava skin or whole cassava, sweet potato skins or the whole tuber, river tamarind, moringa and cottonseed. These are “not fit for human consumption” and “all over the place”, which makes finding them very easy, he said. 

The pellet programme is a response to the animals’ need for grass during the dry season, said Dr McClean. “Knowing that when there’s rain, we have a lot of grass. But as soon as the dry season starts, farmers have a problem in getting fodder. So, what we are doing now is that we’re taking the grass when it’s plentiful and processing it and turning it into pellets, which could be easily stored and then available for farmers during the dry season.

“We think that this would be basically a game changer for farmers where they will now be able to have a replacement for that grass during the dry season.” 

The pelletised animal feed is a fraction of the cost of what is typically used for commercial feed, he said.

The pellets, displayed in the agriculture ministry tent at Agrofest, were said to equate to three or four pounds of grass.

Dr McClean, an expert on Black Belly Sheep said: “The animals will get the same amount of nutrients, but it will be stored in a much smaller, a much smaller quantity.

The pellets have a three-to-four-month shelf life under normal conditions. In secure, dry storage, free of insects, they could last nearly a year, offering major benefits to farmers.

Under the farmers’ incentive programme, rebates are available at varying levels for security measures, equipment imports, and more, including up to 25 per cent on pellet-making equipment costing around $8 000 for small-scale use. Farmers can produce pellets individually or in groups. The ministry will provide feed formulations and lab analysis to verify nutrient levels.

The initiative aims to build a thriving livestock industry, boosting sheep numbers and supporting broader development. All equipment, buildings, and staff are ready. Full-scale production starts next week, with bikes and machines for sewing bags already in place.

Once semi-commercial production ramps up, and stock builds, the ministry will announce availability, pricing, and distribution points for farmers, the ministry said.

Dr McClean said: “We’re moving forward and very excited about this programme. It will benefit not only sheep farmers but livestock farmers across the board.”

(LE)