Establishment of Ruminant Feed Mill in West Nusa Tenggara: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

West Nusa Tenggara or Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) Province is one of the centres of beef cattle production in Indonesia. This research aimed to analyze the opportunities and challenges of establishing a ruminant feed mill in NTB Province. Primary data collections were carried out through surveys and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with competent stakeholders at an agency that handles the livestock sector. Secondary data collections were sourced from government and private agencies, reports on the results of existing studies, and other relevant sources. Analysis of the opportunities and challenges of establishing a ruminant feed mill in NTB Province was using a SWOT analysis. The results showed that the opportunities for the establishment of a feed mill in NTB Province were indicated bythe high number of ruminant livestock population, the strong political support from the provincial government, the local production system, the more intensive food agriculture system, the willingnes of farmers to to buy feed produced from the feed mill. The threats for the establishment of a feed mill in NTB Province were the declining tendency of the ruminant livestock population, the increasing livestock and meat importation lack of the farmer’s capital land conversion, and decreased land carrying capacity, lacks of group resources the non competitive products in quality and quantity with foreign products. The construction of a ruminant animal feed mill in NTB Province is feasible and technically, production and marketing are very prospective because commercial animal feed needs are still imported from outside NTB Province.