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First Person

Photo: Winrock International/P.K. Barua

USAID Farmer to Farmer volunteer Jim Andrews fields questions from a feed mill operator in Bangladesh.

“The use of least-cost formula provided by Jim Andrews enabled us to dramatically reduce the cost of feed production by about $7,500 per month based on monthly sales of 2,000 metric tons of feed. We have been able to transfer this benefit to farmers by reducing feed prices.”
- Ihtesham B. Shahjahan, Managing Director of Quality Feeds

USAID Farmer to Farmer volunteer Jim Andrews from North Carolina is already a well-known name in the Bangladesh poultry sector, having completed eleven volunteer assignments with feed mills and poultry farms in the country. Quality Feeds Ltd, a private company that operates a mill producing pelleted feed for poultry, duck, fish and prawn, is one of the firms benefiting from his help.

One of the major problems in Bangladesh arises due to the fact that most raw materials that comprise feed - maize, wheat, and soymeal - are imported from different countries. Thus, it is very difficult for a feed manufacturer to keep continuous track of each raw material consignment. The problem is further aggravated by the lack of proper technologies for processing the raw materials. Feed quality in Bangladesh is thus generally very poor.

Volunteer Jim Andrews brought with him feed formulation software to determine the desired level of required nutrients at the lowest possible cost, and provided hands-on training on all aspects of feed formulation practices. Jim addressed all of the critical points of the feed production process and provided simple cost-effective solutions, for example using micro-mixers for uniform mixing of micro-ingredients in larger volume, and incorporation of a multi-screen sifter for separating trash and reducing machine down-time, as well as wear and tear. This lead to improving feed conversion ratio to the benefit of the commercial poultry farmers.

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