| dc.description.abstract | Tanzania has recently embarked into a period of liberalisation which is undoubtedly having an
impact on the agricultural sector. The effects of liberalisation are feeding through to the animal
feeds sector, which is experiencing a period of vibrant growth and change, which is reflected by
the rapidly increasing number of feed manufacturers. This implies that this sector will play an
important role in meeting the increased demand for animal products. Animal production in
Tanzania is hindered by numerous constraints such as poor nutrition and management amongst
others (Nkya et al., 2007). However it is widely recognised that feed represents the highest cost
in livestock production, accounting for as much as 75% variable costs (Mupeta et al., 2003),
implying that the nutritional quality of feed has a profound impact on productivity and income
(Roy et al., 2004). Therefore, this study was undertaken to characterise compound feeds sector
and assess the quality of compound feeds sold to farmers in Tanzania – through a mixed
methods approach, 25 feed producers were surveyed in 4 different cities, to provide an overview
of the sector, whilst
chemical analysis using NIRS was used to assess the quality of 169 compounds feeds and 131 raw
materials. Compound feed production is dominated by poultry products (96.41%), whilst feed
mills operate below 50% capacity. Raw materials are sourced locally, and maize products make
up more than half of total tonnage. Product standards seem to be satisfactory, as the
components assessed fall within range of cross-country parameters used as guidance. | en_US |
