Project
SMP 2118 Insect oil as a high-quality animal feed ingredient in Uganda
In many tropical countries, and certainly in Uganda with its high potential for agricultural production, basic animal feed ingredients for energy and protein such as maize and soybeans must usually be obtained at high costs and environmental consequences. Whilst they are adequate for adult animals, these basic ingredients however lack the special qualities and high digestibility that are needed to feed sensitive young animals such as piglets and also fish.
In Uganda both pig and fish production have been growing strongly over the past decade (1), resulting in a greater need for specialised types of feed. Despite the enormous advantages and opportunities that pig rearing can offer to smallholder farmers in Uganda, production and productivity are constrained by unavailability of quality feeds. Piggery and poultry market roadmap for sustainable value chain development.
Insect oil as animal feed
Insect oil, pressed from larvae, has shown to be a valuable source of energy for these animals. A newly established insect production company in Kampala, Marula Agribusiness is using waste from city markets in the city an intends to also produce insect oil as a specialised product needed by the animal feed industry in Uganda. Insect oil production in piglet feed has been experimented with in the Netherlands and these experiences can be used to apply, locally adapted, production processes in Uganda. The production will take place on the facilities of Marula Agribusiness in Kampala and on the farms of many small-scale insect producers who will be supported by Marula Agribusiness in production and marketing in an outgrowers scheme.