By: Anne Zaczek, U.S. Grains Council Manager of Global Development Programs

High-quality feed ingredients are essential to successful livestock programs. Since the beginning of the U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) Tanzanian Food for Progress program, we have had the goal of promoting quality feed formulations for poultry in the country. The Council has been working to meet this goal through upgrades in the efficiency and effectiveness of the Tanzanian Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL). At the same time, the Council is educating the local industry about the elements and importance of high-quality grains.

In spring 2014, the lab was completing an average of four tests per day. Today, the lab is completing six to 22 tests per day, all within 24 hours – a timeframe that is essential to meet the feed industry’s needs. While the number of tests per day varies widely primarily due to demand, the Council programming has brought more business to the lab through training programs about quality for the poultry and feed industry in Dar es Salaam.

Last August, the phenol red test was introduced to Tanzanian feed industry members at two CVL trainings. This test is new to Tanzanian poultry producers as a method to examine the quality of soy. Since this test has become popular, the industry has put pressure on traders to purchase higher quality soy.

Of the 10 feed millers the Council is working with, half were not using soy in their feed rations in spring 2014. Of these five, two are now using soy in their rations, and three more are doing feeding trials to assess soy in their production. In addition, the Council has worked with two feed millers using soy and fish meal mixtures to increase their soy inclusion rate.

But the phenol red test also highlights the depth of the issues the Council and its partners face in the Tanzania project. One of the major hurdles the program has to overcome is the lack of supply of phenol red in the country. Currently, the Council is working with contacts in South Africa to help find a solution to this issue.

In the United States, we might consider the introduction of one test to a local feed industry as a small win. In Tanzania, however, it is a critical first step toward helping local farmers use technology we take for granted to vastly improve their production, adding to their bottom lines and the food supply for local residents.

Previous updates about this program in Tanzania are available here.

To view more photos of the program click here.