LOCAL farmers are advised to grow sweet sorghum hybrids for forage and feed instead of importing livestock feed to cut costs while turning a tidy profit from sale of the crops.

Agricultural activist and farmer Mohd Faisal Idris said the plant was known in Malaysia as “sekoi” and that attempts were made to cultivate it about 30 years ago.

He told The Malaysian Insight that sekoi made good animal feed but for some reason its cultivation never took off.

Hybrid cultivars of sweet sorghum, Faisal said, could reduce farmers’ dependency on imported animal feed. And they have other uses, too.

Apart from animal feed, one can also make gluten-free flour from the crop, which is also used in the production of ethanol and biofuel.

He is growing sorghum on 1.5ha of his farmland in Tanjong Karang, Selangor. Among other uses, the crops serve to feed his  250 goats.

“The main advantage of sorghum is that there is no wastage. Every part of the plant has a use.”

Originating from Africa, sorghum is widely cultivated around the world for food, feed and fodder. It is among the five most popular grains in the world, the biggest producer of which is the United States.

The drought and flood-resistant crop also takes a shorter time to reach maturity, just 35-45 days.

Malaysia spent RM5.9 million on importing animal feed last year and earned RM1.9 million exporting the same.

A shift to alternative fodder is part of the government’s plan to modernise farming to shield farmers from the falling prices of commodities such as palm oil and rubber.

Government adviser Daim Zainuddin advocated switching to modern farming methods and technology to reduce the bill for imported food, which stands at RM50 billion a year, and cut dependency on foreign labour.

Recently Felda introduced a project to encourage settlers to cultivate fast-growing crops to earn extra income.

Faisal is involved in research with higher learning institutions and agricultural agencies in finding solutions for farmers.

“Our programme is to rehabilitate barren land and to allow farmers to plant alternate crops so that they can earn extra income.

“Per acre of sorghum produces 20 tonnes of yield. Assuming each tonne brings in RM100, for every acre, a farmer can make about RM2,000 every 40 days. As for the sugar extracted from sorghum, the syrup can be sold at RM60 per litre.

“If cultivated on a commercial scale, sorghum can be very profitable for our farmers.”

At his farm, Faisal also produces silage – fermented, high-moisture stored fodder – from sorghum. With silage, Faisal can optimise his storage space.

Silage’s high digestibility means healthier livestock.

Faisal’s programmes in his farm are conducted with the cooperation of Agriculture Department. – June 2, 2019.