Nddb, Aussie Body Plan Bypass Protein Plant Near Vadodara

National Dairy Development Corporation (NDDB) in association with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) is planning to set up a commercial scale bypass protein feed plant at cattle feed plant (CFP), Itola, of the Baroda District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd, Vadodara.

According to the reliable sources, the capacity of this proposed plant would be 40-50 MT per day. Total cost involved would be approximately Rs 20 lakh, out of which, Rs 10 lakh have been contributed by the ACIAR, Australia and the balance Rs 10 lakh by the NDDB, Anand.

Sources pointed out that this pilot plant is being used for small-scale production of bypass protein feed, using locally available raw materials.

The bypass protein feed thus produced was successfully tested on milch cows and buffaloes for economic viability, in terms of quality and quantity of milk.

On the trial basis, the pilot bypass protein plant with annual capacity of 1000 MT per shift set up in the Feed Technology Laboratory of NDDB was procured from the Commonwealth of Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) laboratory, Sydney under the collaborative research programme, being financed by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Australia and the NDDB, they mentioned.

Explaining the benefits of it, sources further said that ruminant animals have the unique capability of digesting crop residues, grasses, agro-industrial byproducts etc., with the help of a special stomach called rumen. The capacity of rumen is 60 to 70 litres in adult cattle & buffaloes.

It has several types of bacteria and protozoa, which digest the cellulosic materials, ingested by these animals. While breaking these materials, the ruminal microflora derive their nutrient requirement from the diet of the host animal by degrading the dietary proteins and soluble carbohydrates.

They added that ideally, good quality bypass protein meals should have 70 to 75 per cent rumen bypass protein. However, even the good quality protein meals have 35 to 40 per cent rumen bypass protein and their cost is in the range of Rs 9 to 10 per kg.

Whereas, some protein meals having rumen bypass protein value in the range of 25 to 35 per cent, cost around Rs 5.50 to 6.00 per kg. Such protein meals if treated in the bypass protein, plant, their rumen bypass protein value can be increased upto 75 per cent at an estimated cost of less than Re 1 per kg.

Several feeding trials with such treated protein meals (bypass protein feed) have indicated a net daily increase of income by Rs 9-10 per animal per day, when one kg bypass protein meals is fed daily per animal.

Based on the functioning of the pilot plant, attempts are being made to set up large scale bypass protein plants in the CFP of Baroda District Cooperative Union. As indicated above, pilot plant was received as grant from the CSIRO laboratory, Prospect, Sydney, under the ongoing collaborative research programme.