GSFC To Promote Seaweed Farming
The Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd. (GSFC), Baroda, plans to promote the cultivation of Salicornia, a special salt water or wasteland plant that has export potential and yields several value added products. Gujarat with its 1,600-km long coastline has vast potential for such farming. Besides, the plant is environment friendly. Salicornia provides value-added products: its seeds yield edible oil that is low in cholesterol and contains antioxidants; its succulent tips are used widely in Europe and USA in green salad dressings; the plant itself can be excellent fodder. Research has revealed the potential of its biomass, too. The green biomass can be used as fodder for cattle. This fodder has increased milk yield by 15 per cent in addition to making it protein rich. The dry biomass is used to prepare particleboard (for use in furniture). The 1,600-km coastal stretch can yield an area of 2,500 sq. km for salt-water farming. Growing the plant involves creating salt-water farms. Those involved in shrimp farming too can grow Salicornia. The seawater can be collected in fish ponds used for shrimp farming. Once the fish are harvested and removed, Salicornia can be grown in the same water, which is rich in nutrients after the fish have harvested here leaving behind excreta. The plant helps in the absorption of carbon dioxide and reduces global warming and helps in controlling the greenhouse effect.

Bio Security and De-contamination of Feeds
With constant improvement in the genetic and management practices of birds, it is increasingly important to make the feed most hygienic by sanitisation. However, it is important to note that bacterial ingress and growth are possible right from the source and receipt of raw material and up to the consumption of feed by the birds. Eliminating the bacteria and arresting their growth during storage, conveying, processing and distribution needs critical examination and careful compliance with recommended practices.

With carefully laid down standards of raw material quality and storage practices, their entry into the feed mill is the first point to be controlled and monitored. After initial processing like cleaning, grinding, proportioning and mixing of the feed, the feed can be treated in specially designed equipment for de-contamination. Beyond this point very careful equipment design and operating practices have to be followed to keep the feed free from bacteria. The air surrounding the processing area in the de-contaminated zone needs to be purified and the bacterial count needs to be closely monitored. Finally, the bags in which the feed is packed need to be double-lined and the entire operation needs to be handled under a controlled atmosphere.

Spectoms can offer assistance in the conceptualisation and execution of such sanitised feed processing operations. For more details please contact us with your requirements.

Super-Conditioning of Feeds
The advantages of the pelleting of feed for poultry and cattle are proven beyond doubts over the years. Increasing numbers of farmers now resort to feeding pelleted feed.

For poultry feed applications it is found that the extended conditioning of feed before pelleting has a pronounced effect on the efficient conversion of the feed for birds. Salmonella contained in the feed through its ingredients can be completely eliminated by achieving conditioning at a temperature of 85 Degrees Centigrade and keeping the feed at this temperature for about 4 minutes.

One of the ways of achieving this is by using a specially designed feeder conditioner fitted on the pellet mill. Care has to be taken in the construction of this super-conditioner to permit retaining this temperature condition without excessive increase in moisture content which can prove to be counterproductive. It is also important to clean the inside of this super-conditioner thoroughly after every stoppage to completely remove cakes and free it from the ingress of carry-over bacterial growth.

Field trials have shown impressive results when feeding such pellets to broilers in almost 2 weeks' time.

For more information and suggestions on how to reduce the bacterial count in your feed, please contact us. We will assist you in designing the most economical and efficient modification of your existing pelleting installation to introduce super-conditioning.

If you have any questions or comments or suggestions, please write to:
N. D. Bhuptani, Editor, Footprints
Email: spectoms@sify.com
           spbmwad1@sancharnet.in