Milk Production with Crop-residue in Sri Lanka

D.V.S.de S Gamage1, 2

Abstract
The significance of Dry zone (DZ) farmers ability to prod ce more mil! "ith fe"er inp ts is poorly capt red in official statistics. So m ch so, that the fact that mil! collection and prod ction in the rainy season is lo"er than in the dry season has not been re#ealed in any of the earlier st dies. Therefore, it is it is important to identify the reasons for this nderperformance. The nderperformance in mil! prod ction especially in the cropping season re$ ires nderstanding as a considerable pop lation of crop farmers in the DZ raises li#estoc! as an economic asset. %o"e#er li#estoc! is not a priority as the paddy and crop c lti#ation. &ropping acti#ities limits the farmers time for tending li#estoc! therefore these animals are relocated in areas o tside the cropping land. This nderperformance identified in the feeding calender is d e to the seasonality of s pply of crop by'prod cts, "here in the cropping season resid e remains nder tilized. ( large portion of the resid es is b rned in field primarily to clear the field from stra" and st bble. )iomass b rning is one of the note"orthy ca ses of global "arming and poses problems for h man health. *ice c lti#ation yields +.,- metric tons of Dry .atter (D.) per hectare ann ally "here part of it is sed for soil impro#ement. The total ann al D. for body maintenance re$ irement of cattle, b ffalo and goat pop lation in the DZ is /.,- million metric tons. 0t can be met by the crop'resid e and it "ill s pport an increased and contin o s mil! prod ction thro gho t the year. %o"e#er, commercial tilization of paddy stra" can only be promoted as a good feed reso rce for r minants by densifying to facilitate handling in to standard bales, high compaction bales, s per high density bales, c bes, and pellets as the b l!iness of paddy stra" dictates this process. The second is the disr ption of the mil! collection net"or! d e to the remoteness of the relocated areas d ring the cropping season. 0f the mil! prod ction is three times more d ring the dry period, "ith proper meas res ta!en to rectify the feed a#ailability thro gho t the year and e1pansion of the mil! collecting net"or!, the "et season co ld prod ce do ble the amo nt of mil! in the drier season. Key words: Dry zone, .il! prod ction, 2eeding calendar, &rop'resid e and mil! collection

I.

Introduction

(t a time "hen Sri 3an!a is once again t rning its attention to mil! prod ction, this st dy e1amines the mil! prod ction sector from a different perspecti#e. 4hile a#ailable e#idence indicates that most li#estoc! prod ce in Sri 3an!a is from the DZ, it is poorly capt red in official statistics, and its importance is not properly recognized. 0ndeed, "hat constit tes DZ li#estoc! prod ction is itself often poorly defined. 0n this !no"ledge #ac
5

m, transformati#e inter#ention

.ailing address 6 s nilgamage/7789gmail.com 2ormer Dep ty Director (Veterinary *esearch) Veterinary *esearch 0nstit te, Department of (nimal :rod ction and %ealth, 2ormer ;ational &oordinator 6 (nimal Genetic *eso rces 2(< =Sri 3an!a, ;ational &ons ltant 2(<=T&:=S*3=//7> ?Dairy &attle @ ) ffalo 0mpro#ement :roAectB (/757'/755), 3i#estoc! Specialist ' C0&( S r#ey Team (/75/) for ?The :reparatory S r#ey on the :roAect for 0mpro#ement of (gric lt re :rod ction and :rod cti#ity in Dry Zone areas.B

for de#eloping the li#estoc! sector is in danger being off target or e#en damaging. S ccessf l agric lt ral de#elopment in the DZ depends on li#estoc!, "hich is one of its important s bsectors. Dnderstanding ho" e1isting li#estoc! systems in DZ contrib te to sec ring li#elihoods and the "ider economy is f ndamental to this de#elopment. Go#ernment policy on mil! for the last se#eral decades has been to decrease the reliance on imported mil! po"der. The inter#entions sed to achie#e this goal are, to introd ce the mil! prod ction trait into the local cattle pop lation, impro#e animal health ser#ice pro#ision, dissemination of information and the mil! mar!eting aspect. %o"e#er, "ith all these inter#entions the s pply of local mil! prod ction has not !ept pace "ith the steady gro"th in demand. %ence, to meet this shortfall mil! and mil! prod cts "ere imported at the rate of a 8.8>E ann al gro"th from 5F+- to /75/, or from G7,777 to +G,+5+ metric tons (D&@S /75/). Het the policy ma!ers contin e to strengthen these inter#entions "itho t loo!ing for other possibilities to increase local mil! prod ction. 0n the absence of comprehensi#e data on DZ prod ction and its #al e chains, "e se a#ailable information to calc late ca tio s estimates. %ence, most data and information pro#ided to policy ma!ers are estimated and spec lati#e fig res, "here the c rrent le#el of prod ction can be m ch lesser than estimated. .oreo#er a /77E increase in mil! price "as obser#ed from /777 to /75/ and this co ld "orsen "ith global "arming and climate #ariability e1perienced "orld o#er. %ence, it is cr cial that Sri 3an!a needs to boost its local mil! prod ction to meet the increasing demand in the cheapest possible "ay. %o"e#er, e#en "itho t m ch financial and infrastr ct re inter#entions to the DZ from the pri#ate sector or the go#ernment, it has s pplied 8> E of the national mil! and 87E of the national r minant meat d ring the past se#eral decades ha#ing ,>.7E (,87,-+7), 88.8E (5-5,-+,) and ,+.,E (/-,,F+8) proportion of the cattle, goat and b ffalo pop lations respecti#ely (D(:% /77+). 0t is a gross nderperformance as the li#estoc! sector has the potential to ma!e it more than do ble the prod ction in the DZ. This st dy is an attempt initially to identify the root ca se of nderperformance in this area. 3i#estoc! in the DZ prod ces all this mil! and meat by cons ming poor $ ality ann al and perennial grass, bro"sing #egetation, and nonfood biomass from crop resid e, "hile the prod ction for this cons mption is not considered in determining the efficiency of land and "ater. %o"e#er, this area has the potential to do ble its mil! and meat prod ction "ithin the ne1t three years "ith p rposef l in#estments. This increase in prod ction is possible, "hen comparing the p rposef l in#estments from the pri#ate sector

"ith partial s pport from the Go#ernment ha#e increased the ann al maize prod ction of >7,777 m. tons in /77- to 587,777 m. tons by /755 primarily from the DZ (D&@S /75/).

0t sho ld be highlighted that the DZ li#estoc! prod ce is achie#ed thro gh minim m inp t of e1ternal reso rces. The DZ is a #al able reso rce to animal prod ction on condition that its li#estoc! ha#e access to feed reso rces "hich are not a#ailable to its 4et zone co nterparts. The DZ system of r minant li#estoc! rearing, se the en#ironment in a f ndamentally different "ay than that of intensi#e mono'gastric animals for food. Therefore this system "or!s "ith en#ironmental friendliness rather than against it. %ence, gen ine li#estoc! prod ction in the DZ can only happen by ta!ing this difference into acco nt rather than importing off'the'shelf Imodernity that ignores local systems of prod ction. Dry one Sri 3an!a is di#ided into three zones based on agro'climatic conditions. The Dry Zone (DZ) co#ering "hole of ;orthern and Jastern areas and some parts of the So th and 4est consisting 8G.-E or >,5,5,,+5 hectares, and the 0ntermediate Zone (0Z) 5G.GE or +,5,5+/ hectares and the 4et Zone (4Z) together ha#e /G.-E or 5,-/>,-5/ hectares of the land area ((gric lt re cens s /77+). Total land area in Caffna, Kilinochchi, . llaiti# , Va# nia, .annar, (n rdhap ra, :olonnar "a, Trincomalee, and )atticaloa districts are in the DZ "hereas, F-E, 87E and -E of (mpara, .onaragala and )ad lla districts respecti#ely are in the DZ. %o"e#er, some parts in (mpara (-E), .oneragala (G+E) and )ad lla (FGE) are in the 0ntermediate Zone. <ther districts "ith high land area in the DZ are %ambantota (++E), : ttalam (8-E), K r negala (/-E), and .atale (/7E), "hile, ,7E and 87E area in K r negala and .atale respecti#ely is in the 0ntermediate zone. Se#enty (appro1imately 5/77 mm) and t"enty three (appro1imately >77 mm) percent of the total rainfall in the DZ occ rs d ring .aha (55F days) and Hala (-8 days) respecti#ely. Soil moist re a#ailability determines the crop prod ction season starting from September and ending in .arch of the s bse$ ent year in the DZ (: nya"ardena 5FF+).

!i"ure # and $: A%era"e Monthly &ain'all pattern and Potential (%apotranspiration in the Dry one (Shinogi et al 5FF+)

3o" rainfall co pled "ith high potential e#apotranspiration (:JT) rates in the DZ res lt in negati#e ann al "ater balances occ rring in all DZ districts (see 2ig re /). &onse$ ently, farmers e1perience "ater deficits for m ch of the year limiting the rain'fed gro"ing period to less than 5-7 days per year and e1tensi#e habitation is only possible "here "ater is stored for irrigation.

II.

Material and Method

This is a res lt of an e1tensi#e analysis of primary data deri#ed from the Department of &ens s and Statistics, Department of (nimal :rod ction and %ealth and the Department of (gric lt re, conc rrently "ith information dra"n from t"o field s r#eys. The first field st dy incl ded collection of secondary data from the central and pro#incial go#ernment and pri#ate sector "hereas, the second field s r#ey "as to collect data from the farming comm nity, grass root le#el ser#ice pro#iders, inp t s ppliers and mar!eting agents. 2inally the inter#ention approaches "ere de#eloped tilizing the abo#e data and detailed disc ssed in detail "ith specialists from respecti#e areas and thereafter analyzed the information and data and inter#entions "ere de#eloped.

III.

)nderper'or*ance

&rop prod ction initiates "ith rains or "ith the a#ailability of tan! "ater in the DZ and har#est at the end of the season, b t animal prod cts s ch as egg, mil! and meat are prod ced thro gho t the year. %o"e#er, past st dies highlighted the fact that there is a seasonal #ariation in national mil! collection and prod ction, "here it "as reflected by the monthly #ariation in mil! proc rement. This is sho"n in bo1 no 5 (0brahim et al 5FFF) belo" and the seasonal #ariation pattern is confirmed in fig re G "ith monthly mil! collection from /77G to /77F. ;ational monthly mil! collection from year /77G to year /77F confirms the #ariation "ithin the year sho"n by 0brahim et al (5FFF). %o"e#er it is different "hen pro#incial data is ta!en

separately. This is sho"n in fig res G to +. 0s this #ariation d e to seasonal changes in the Dry and *ainy seasons in both 4et and Dry zonesL J#en tho gh the rainfall d ring the recent past has been different from the past cent ry still the predictable rainfall can be obser#ed in both zones. +o, #: Seasonal -ariation in Milk

!i"ure 1: Monthly %ariation in Milk Collection2 #003 4 #005 (nother important infl ence on mil! prod ction and the s rpl ses potentially a#ailable for collection and mar!eting is the seasonality of mil! s pply. Some of this #ariation is capt red by the monthly #ariation in mil! proc rement a#eraged o#er the last fo r years (5FF>'5FF,M 2ig re -). The seasonal pattern is similar for both all island and .03&< collection, "ith more mil! s pplied to the processing mar!et in .ay, C ne and C ly, implying that prod ction of mil! is higher d ring this period. (0brahim et al (5FFF)

!i"ure .: Seasonal %ariation in Milk $//. - $//0

<ptimal gro"th in food crops, "eeds, grasses, and past re trees is e1perienced d ring Hala and .aha period. The bl e line graph in fig res G to 8 indicates the fl ct ation of soil moist re content in the top 87 cm of the *eddish )ro"n Jarth (*)J) soil in the DZ of Sri 3an!a. The fifty percent a#ailable soil moist re in *)J soil is in the top 5-7 mm. (ny soil moist re depletion belo" the -7E a#ailable soil moist re le#el "hich last more than t"o consec ti#e "ee!s ca ses a complete crop fail re. 0t co ld be predicted that from the Standard "ee! 58 to >7 (.ay to <ctober) there "ill be shortage of grass, fodder and tree lea#es for li#estoc!. 2 rthermore, from Standard "ee! >7 to s bse$ ent year "ee! 58 there is ample amo nt of moist re for crop and grass gro"th. 0n fact there is an e1cess of soil moist re for a l sh gro"th of #egetation. <n the other hand, the mil! prod ction and collection in rainy season is far belo" the dry period le#els (.ilco data /77G ' /77F), this is sho"n in fig res > to , (C0&( /75/), "hich needs no elaboration. 0t is the Jastern pro#ince that had the highest #ariation as compared to other DZ pro#inces.

!i"ure 3: (P Milk Collection and Soil *oisture le%el

Plenty o' "rass with rain but less *ilk

-ery dry no "rass but *ore *ilk

2 rthermore, the monthly mil! collection graphs in ;orth &entral :ro#ince and D#a :ro#ince sho" a similar trend li!e the Jastern pro#ince b t "ith lesser #ariation. ;orth 4estern pro#ince too has the same trend b t "ith e#en less #ariation. !i"ure 1: 6CP Milk Collection !i"ure 7: )%aP Milk Collection

%o"e#er, it is clear that the monthly mil! collection d ring the rainy season "hich sho ld sho" a high mil! prod ction d e to the ab ndance of fresh grass and bro"sing feed for cattle and b ffalo is disr pted d e to some reason. This "as not obser#ed in earlier st dies as all this pro#incial data "as pooled to a single graph.

!i"ure 5: 68P Milk Collection and Soil *oisture le%el

0t is intrig ing to obser#e that the difference in the DZ pro#inces monthly mil! collection graph is totally different from the pooled national monthly mil! collection graphs sho"n in bo1 5 and fig re /. <n the other hand, the obser#ation in monthly mil! collection in the 0ntermediate and 4et zone pro#inces (fig re + and F) differ from the DZ. Thro gho t the year #ariation of mil! prod ction is less as compared to the DZ and this #ariation too co ld be a#oided "ith proper management meas res. Dnderperformance in these t"o pro#inces may be d e to other reasons different to the DZ. (s mentioned earlier the 4Z "ith more s pport from the go#ernment and pri#ate sector has been able to cope "ith factors affecting DZ mil! prod ction in a better "ayM ho"e#er there still is room to impro#e mil! prod ction in these areas. The grad al change in #ariability can be obser#ed by per sing the abo#e fig res consec ti#ely. The #ariation of mil! collection and prod ction in the 4Z is negligible, e#en in the dry period as in the "et period monthly mil! collection sho"s no sharp difference. This indicates that the nderperformance iss es in these areas ha#e to be resol#ed separately from the DZ. !i"ure 9: I rain'all : Milk collection !i"ure 0: 8 rain'all : Milk collection

Production loss due to seasonal underper'or*ance The follo"ing table sho"s the estimated prod ction loss deri#ed from monthly #ariation in mil! collection from /77G to /77F by .ilco :#t. 3td. ( national 3oss of 5/./E is obser#ed. %o"e#er, the proportion of the DZ loss is 8,./E. ;able 3: (sti*ated Milk Production loss due to seasonal %ariation Pro%ince District ;otal Milk Production Percent loss loss Liters < year Pro%ince District &entral .2$3/259$ +.FE Kandy /,75+,/,, -.-E .atale F8,,5>+ /.8E ; "ara Jliya 5,5>F,>F8 G.5E Jastern #.25/327/ .5.1= 3 (mpara /,F58,,+F +.7E )atticaloa ,,,8+,,>/5.GE Trincomalee /,88+,,,G ,.GE ;orth &entral 72.992#// #5.1= (n radhap ra >,>>>,5/5 5/./E :olonnar "a +>8,F8F /.GE ;orth 4estern 3231.25$3 #$.$= K r negala /,>7-,++8.8E : ttalam 5,F58,+F7 -./E Sabaragam "a 39$290/ 5.GE Kegalle +8,+F7 7./E *atnap ra >G5,/>5./E So thern #2.132#$1 G.,E D#a 729072/1# #9.0= Total 3oss G8,-/7,/, ;ational 5/./E F 3oss

This national loss in mil! prod ction is based only on the nderperformance in collecting mil! from the DZ d ring the "et period "hen there is an ab ndant amo nt of li#estoc! feed. %o"e#er, the effect of the loss of re#en e to farmers can ha#e a maAor impact on f t re mil! prod ction in the DZ. (nn al loss in re#en e per farmer is calc lated in Table no. -.

;able 1: (sti*ated Annual Loss in &e%enue per 'ar*er due to seasonal underper'or*ance (#erage Daily 0ncome per 0ncome per (#er. (nn al Daily :rod ction = day 4=< day "ith ;o. of 3oss of :rod ctio animal after nder nder animals re#en e Districts n (lts) per nder' performance performance in mil! (*s) &o" or performance (*s) (*s) per b ffalo (lts) farm (n radhap ra 5.7>7 7.F5G -/.77 >-.88 G.57 ,5,+./> :olonnar "a 5.G+7 5.G>+ 8F.77 8,.>5 /.-/ 5>-F.,/ K r negala 5.+F/ 5.,8, F>.87 ++.G8 /.57 >,+-.,/ : ttalam 5.5FG 5.5G5 -F.8-8.-/.// /-5G.GF )ad lla /.7F5.8FF 57>.,+>.F5.8- 55F/G.5F .oneragala 5./+G 5.7>5 8>.5-/.7G 5.-8 8F7G.87 Kandy G.>-8 G./88 5,/.+7 58G.G7 5.-5 -/G+.5G .atale /./-/.5F8 55/.,57F.+/ 5.88 5,,8./7 ; "araJliya ,.8G, ,.>77 G+5.+G,7.75 5.G+ -F8/.>, (mpara 5./8/ 5.585 8G.57 -+.7/.>7 >>//.7)atticaloa 5.G/+ 5.7>88.>7 -/./8 G.>- 5,+7F.+/ Trincomalee 7.+58 7.,-8 >7.+7 G,.+/ G.>G,-7.-;ational 5.-+F 5.GF,F.>8F.,8 /.7, ,G/G.>, )ased on 2arm registration /77+ (D(:%) and .ilco data *s 5 N DS O 5G7 The significance of DZ farmers ability to prod ce more mil! "ith fe"er inp ts is poorly capt red in official statistics and is mis nderstood. So m ch so, that the fact that mil! collection and prod ction in the rainy season is lo"er than in the dry season has not been re#ealed in any earlier st dies. Therefore, the importance of this "ill not only bear p re economic losses to farmers b t "ill also ca se a national conse$ ential economic loss to the dairy ind stry. 0n the first instance this is d e to the loss of prod ction of cattle not performing to its ma1im m genetic

potential (col mn / @ G 6 table -) and in the second, the contin ity of dairy farming depends on the performance of the herd as an nderperforming herd may disco rage farmers, and the loss of interest in dairy farming as a b siness, d e to poor economic t rno#er. These reasons may be considered as constrains by the e1isting farming comm nity and those intending to enter the dairy sector. Het policy ma!ers contin e modes of inter#entions that ha#e not had m ch s ccess in increasing mil! prod ction. They sho ld loo! to alternati#e possibilities. 2or this p rpose it is important to identify the reasons for this nderperformance.

I-.

&easons 'or underper'or*ance

0t "as re#ealed that the mil! collection and prod ction in the rainy season is lo"er than in the dry period. This information has not been disc ssed in any of the past st dies and reports on mil! prod ction in Sri 3an!a. Therefore, this part is to ill strate the reasons for nderperformance in mil! prod ction especially in the "et period, so that remedial meas res co ld be introd ced to rectify this sit ation. 0t "ill pro#ide more technical information to pro#ide an insight to impro#e mil! prod ction in the DZ, stressing the fact that the DZ prod ces 8>E of the nations mil! and 87E of the r minant meat "ith fe"er inp ts "hile a sizable pop lation is practicing mi1ed crop li#estoc! farming system. ( sizable pop lation in DZ is ha#ing mi1ed farming system. Table 8P &rop'3i#estoc! 2arming System 6 Dry .atter S pply .i1ed 2arming System 6 * minants Co*ponents Source o' supply Constrains Dnirrigated Seasonal se for crop c lti#ation %ighland Vill s *estricted entry, in#asi#e alien "eed species and high stoc!ing density of "ild life Grazing Grazing land .arginal areas in neglected past re land "ith ins ffient dry matter yeild and poor "ater a#ailability Grass land Scr b land 2orest Jntry prohibited &ropping land ' %igh a#ailability d ring cropping season, "asted and irrigated nder tilized, and b l!iness of resid e is a constraint. .echanized har#esting &rop resid e &ropping land ' %igh a#ailability d ring rain season rainfed & t and carry ;on' tilized land 0mproper har#esting ca ses "astage in grasses, leg mes aro nd cropping and bro"sing plants area 2eed from farm 2oliage and poor Dnpredictable amo nt $ ality material

J1ternal feed &ompo nded feed ;ot a#aiable in large $ antities, high prices Dry one croppin" season 2ood prod ction in the DZ commences "ith the rainfall and increased soil'"ater le#els d ring the t"o gro"ing seasons, .aha and Hala. The a#erage time of onset of rain for Hala season (Table ,) is in late .arch (Standard "ee! 5G) "hile the end of the season is in late (pril (Standard "ee! 5+ or 5F), "here the a#erage length of "et period is G- 6 G+ days. 0n the case of .aha season the onset is in <ctober (Standard "ee! n mber >/) and "ill contin e ntil late Can ary of the follo"ing year (Standard "ee! of > and -). The a#erage length of the "et period is aro nd F+ days. Se#enty (appro1imately 5/77 mm) and t"enty three (appro1imately >77 mm) percent of the total rainfall in the DZ occ rs d ring .aha and Hala respecti#ely. Soil moist re a#ailability determines the crop prod ction season starting from September and ending in .arch=(pril of s bse$ ent year in the DZ (: nya"ardena, 5FF+). <ptimal gro"th in food crops, "eeds, grasses, and past re trees is e1perienced d ring Hala and .aha rains. 2ifty percent of a#ailable soil moist re in *eddish )ro"n Jarth (*)J) soil is in the top 5-7 mm. (ny soil moist re depletion belo" the -7E a#ailable soil moist re le#el "hich lasts
;able 5: Standard 8eeks
Month Days Standard "ee! Month Days Standard "ee! Month Days Standard "ee! Month Days Standard "ee! Month Days Standard "ee! Month Days 5', 57 5 5+ 5'G /, 5'> G8 5'8 >5 ', March April 5-'/5 //'/+ /F'G5 5'> -'55 5/'5+ 5F'//8'G7 5/ 5G 5> 558 5, 5+ .ay C ne /'+ F'558'// /G'/F G7'G5 5'- 8'5/ 5G'5F /7'/8 /,'G7 5F /7 /5 // /G /> //8 /, >uly Au"ust >'57 55'5, 5+'/> /-'G5 5', +'5> 5-'/5 //'/+ /F'G5 /+ /F G7 G5 G/ GG G> GG8 Septe*ber ?ctober -'55 5/'5+ 5F'//8'G7 5'/ G'F 57'58 5,'/G />'G7 G5 G, G+ GF >7 >5 >/ >G >> >6o%e*ber Dece*ber ,'5G 5>'/7 /5'/, /+'G7 5'> -'55 5/'5+ 5F'//8'G5 >8 >, >+ >F -7 -5 -/ -G >anuary !ebruary +'5> 55 +'5> / 5-'/5 G //'/+ > /F'G5 5'> -'55 8 5/'5+ , 5F'/+ /8'/+ F

Standard "ee! 5 S nil Gamage /75/

more than t"o consec ti#e "ee!s ca ses a complete crop fail re. %ence, it co ld be predicted that from the Standard "ee! /7 to >7 (.ay to <ctober) there "ill be a shortage of grass, fodder and tree lea#es for li#estoc!. &onse$ ently, farmers e1perience "ater deficits for m ch of the year limiting the rain'fed gro"ing period to less than 5-7 days per year

and e1tensi#e habitation is only possible "here "ater is stored for irrigation. This is ill strated clearly in Table 5. %o"e#er, from Standard "ee! >7 to s bse$ ent year "ee! 58 there is ample amo nt of moist re for crop and grass gro"th. 0n fact there is an e1cess of soil moist re for a l sh gro"th of #egetation. %ence, the reasons for lo" mil! prod ction and collection d ring this period are ill strated in the feeding calendar (chart 5). !eedin" calendar This feeding calendar is specifically for li#estoc! in the DZ. (t the commencement of the .aha season, initially the cattle are restricted to paddoc! areas as farmers barely ha#e time to attend to them "ith the initiation of land preparation. %o"e#er, after the land preparation is o#er these animals are herded to marginal areas "here they are able to graze freely. These marginal areas are neglected past re land "ith a small amo nt of #egetation. %o"e#er they get more feed than "hen they "ere restricted to paddoc!s. 3i#estoc! prod cts are the main o tp ts of these scr blands, grasslands and sparsely sed croplands in the DZ. These are marginal lands "ith #ery poor soil profiles and dearth of "ater. %ence to prod ce food crops a s bstantial e1pendit re "ill be re$ ired. These areas ha#e not been tilized for any other sector b t for grazing li#estoc! d ring the cropping seasons. Scr bland has a lo" gro"ing #egetation "ith more than -7E scr b co#erage, incl ding trees, "hereas, the grasslands are open par! co ntry "ith less than -7E scr b co#erage (Damana and Sa#annah) Vill s and other temporarily flooded plains and :atana 6 p co ntry grassland. These are only sed for grazing cattle. <n the other hand, sparsely sed croplands are abandoned chena land sed for dry cropping. ;eglected or abandoned tea, r bber, and cocon t lands can be tilized for s bsistence type crop farming d ring a good rainy season.
Chart #: !eedin" Calendar o' Li%estock in the Dry one
.onth Land Culti%ation Cattle *o%e*ent &estricted "raAin" in -illa"e &estricted "raAin" crop land Mi"ration to inaccessible < *ar"inal lands -illa"e <ct ;o# Dec Can 2eb .ar (pr .ay C ne C l ( g Sep Maha - #//= culti%able land &ice plantin" and "rowin" &ice har%est @ala - 11= culti%able land &ice plantin" and "rowin" &ice har%est

&estricted "raAin" in unculti%ated dry crop land BraAin" in

BraAin" area

Stubble consu*ption in o%er"raAed pasture land

BraAin" in unculti%ated *oist crop land

unculti%ated dry crop land and water shorta"e

&estricted "raAin" crop land

&esidue usa"e Crop residue wasted Brass and 'odder residue wasted in crop culti%ation area Crop residue wasted Crop residue a%ailable 'or consu*ption Depleted a*ounts o' crop residue a%ailable 'or consu*ption Crop residue wasted

Standard week

>7'>G

>>'>,

>+'-/

5'>

-'+

F'5/

5G'5,

5+'5F

/5

//'/-

/8'G7

G5'G>

G-'GF

S nil Gamage (/75/)

%o"e#er, in most cases these lands are tilized for li#estoc! grazing d ring the cropping season. (ro nd /+.,E of the land area in Sri 3an!a is nder these three land se types. 2 rthermore, the districts in the DZ areas consisting of o#er t"o thirds of the total land ha#e 8/.8E from sparsely sed crop land, +7E from scr bland and -,E from grassland. The DZ contains /,,>/, hectares grassland, 8-/,FG/ hectares paddy and ++8,8/, hectares scr bland that can ann ally prod ce 5.7 metric tons = hectare, /.7 metric tons = hectare and 7.- metric tons = hectare respecti#ely. These areas if properly maintained ha#e the potential to prod ce more than do ble the c rrent biomass prod ction "hich can be sed for feeding li#estoc!. Croppin" and li%estock &rop c lti#ation limits the farmers time for tending li#estoc! and these animals are relocated in areas o tside the cropping land d ring this period to pre#ent crop damage by li#estoc!. The mil! prod ction drops from standard "ee! >G to s bse$ ent years standard "ee! 5F. 0t is d ring this period (5-7 days) that most animals are !ept o tside cropping areas and they are pro#ided "ith #ery little feed and "ater. S ch e1tensi#e farming "hich is predominant in the DZ, re$ iring this relocation, pre#ents li#estoc! from cons ming ade$ ate amo nt of feed re$ ired for body maintenance and gro"th, mil! prod ction and mil! collection. (nimals so relocated "ill only be bro ght bac! standard "ee! 5F or /7 after the har#est "here they ha#e access to crop resid es consisting of stra", st bble and ratoon (green re'gro"th of the crop) "hich can be grazed. 3i#estoc! is allo"ed to cons me crop resid e and grass only bet"een standard "ee! 5, to //, "here the mil! collection and prod ction are #ery high. Cattle population The r minant pop lation in the DZ consists of large r minants (cattle and b ffalo) and small r minants (goat), "here, cattle and b ffalo are grazers and goat are grazers as "ell as bro"sers. :rod ction systems disc ssed in )o1 / to > (C0&( /75/) indicate nderperformance clearly as far as mil! prod ction is concerned. %o"e#er, the prod cti#ity of these systems is higher than

commercial mil! prod ction standards. Genetics of the indigeno s cattle respond to the en#ironment pro#ided in the DZ, "hereas the crossbreds may ha#e a diffic lty in adA sting. (#erage indi#id al animal mil! prod ction in the 4Z is higher than in the DZ. %o"e#er a#erage farm mil! prod ction sho"s no difference. .ore concentrates are
+o, $: Current Intensi%e syste* in the D F F F F F ((ge at first &al#ing6G8 mths) 3actation 5 '' /nd :regnancy ' lactation / '' Grd :regnancy @ cal#ing @ cal#ing (+months) (5>months) (+months) (5>months) (>months) +o, .: Current Se*i-intensi%e syste* in the D Total mil! prod C119/ litersE Q//G/ liters Q //G/ liters Q 5558 liters R R R (nn al c lling rate of 57E as beef animals R
((ge at first &al#ing 6 >/ months) lactation 5 /nd :regnancy (#erage herd size >.F8 (/.77 6 5,.77) @ cal#ing (#erage mil! prod ction (liters)= co"= day F.G7 (/.-7 6 //.77) (8months) (58months) (8months) Total mil! prod ction C#9.7 litersE Q F5+ liters (nn al c lling rate of 5/.-E as beef animals (#erage herd size ,./7 (/.77 6 5+7.77) (#erage mil! prod ction (liters)= co"= day -.57 (7.-7 6 5/.77) 3act / (58months) Q F5+ liters

sed in the 4Z and

(93-*onths a"e)
3actation G

f rthermore thro gho t the year soil moist re allo"s gro"th of grasses and fodder.

(93 *onths a"e)

Grd :regnancy @ cal#ing

+o, 3: Current (,tensi%e syste* in the D

R ((ge at first &al#ing 6 >+ months) Total mil! prod ction C$/3 litersE Q 57/ lts (nn al c lling rate of G- E as beef animals (#erage herd size 8>./7 (55.77 6 >+-.77) (#erage mil! prod ction (liters)= co"= day 7.+- (7.,7 6 5./7) lact5 R

(93 *onths a"e period)

/nd :regnancy @ cal#ing (>mths) (5+mths) Q 57/ lts R R 3act/' Grd :regnancy @ cal#ing (>mths)

4hereas, in the DZ food is a#ailable in e1cess d ring a short period and d ring the other feed a#ailability is hardly s fficient to meet the demand for body maintenance. b ffaloes) prod ce 8,E and 8/E of the mil!. ;able 9: Distribution o' 'ar*s2 crossbred population and *ilk production CDAPD $//9E 0tem ; mber of farms
Zone (bo#e 577 liters ,- to FF.F liters -7 to ,>.F liters 2arms /- to 57 to >F.F />.F liters liters - to F.F liters 7.5 to >.F liters ;o mil!

This fact is

s fficiently ill strated in Table +, as in the 4Z G7E (/7E are b ffaloes) and DZ >5E (>7E are

Total

Dry 4et (#r. 2arm .il! Dry :rod (lts) 4et 0ndi#id al .il! Dry :rod (lts) 4et

5G7 /, 58+.F 5>F.8 /.G 8.G

5/8 G+/.7 +5.7 /.7 ,.>

GF+ 5-G -,., -8.8 5.F 8.8

/>G, 5/8> G7.5 /+.8 5., 8.-

5G/5/ 5F7>5 FG7G F8F> 5G.8 8.>/ 5G., 8.87 /.5 /./ -., G.+

/87-+ -,5,5 55+-,G F>57 /+->/ -+>/+ /.-> 7.77 >./ /.-5 7.77 >.8 5.G 7.7 5.G 5.> 7.7 /.8

The interesting fact is that a large n mber of farms (>+./E in the DZ and >+.FE in the 4Z) gi#e no mil! (Table F) and more homesteads "ith b ffaloes in the 4Z fall in to this category. The reason may be that plo ghing in paddy fields is carried o t "ith b ffaloes "hen in the DZ mechanization of paddy c lti#ation started three or fo r decades ago. ;able 0: !ar*s with no *ilk production CDAPD $//9E :roportion from total ; mbers Zone &attle ) ffalo S) &attle S) ) ffalo Dry GG.,E /5.5E /F.,E //.7E 4et G>.+E >,.7E G5.-E >G.5E *apid crossbreeding "ith genes contrib ting to the mil! prod ction trait "ill increase mil! prod ction and "ill also increase the demand for feed, both concentrates and ro ghages. &rossbred cattle pop lation in the DZ "ill increase d e to the impro#ement in the ser#ice co#erage by the Department of (nimal :rod ction and %ealth (D(:%). Table 57 depicts the proportion of crossbreds in each farm type. 0t clearly sho"s that farmers ha#ing smaller farms in the DZ ha#e accepted (rtificial 0nsemination to breed. 3arge herds consisting of mostly indigeno s cattle also located in remote areas so ght nat ral breeding. %o"e#er there is no large #ariation in a#erage indi#id al mil! prod ction sho"n in Table ,, despite the increased crossbreds in smaller nits. ;able #/: Proportion o' crossbred cattle and bu''alo CDAPD $//9E 0tem &attle Zone
(bo#e 577 liters 5+.,E FF.7E FG.+E F>.-E ,- to FF.F liters G>.-E FF.,E ++.>E F>.8E -7 to ,>.F liters /8.8E +>.>E +G.GE FG./E /- to >F.F liters >/.5E F-.GE ++.7E +,.8E 57 to />.F liters -7.+E F/.>E +-.5E +>.FE - to F.F liters -5.5E +>.+E +-.5E +8.5E 7.5 to >.F liters GG.GE -/.FE +G.+E ++.-E ;o mil! G8.>E 8+.8E F5.7E ,>.5E Total >5.>E ,-.+E +,.8E +7.+E

Dry 4et Dry ) ffalo 4et

4e m st remember that rice prod ction and crop c lti#ation are the main farming acti#ities of almost all farmers rearing li#estoc!. Their only ins rance for crop fail re d e to dro ght, floods, mar!et price fl ct ations and d ring ci#il nrest is li#estoc!. 2 rthermore mil! is in demand and the DZ farmers are definitely able to prod ce the total national re$ irement pro#ided t"o !ey areas contrib ting to nderperformance are addressed by the go#ernment or pri#ate sector. The first maAor setbac! is that li#estoc! is depri#ed of ade$ ate Dry .atter (D.) initially for body maintenance d ring the cropping season and then for mil! prod ction d ring the other period. The b l! of li#estoc! feed reso rces comes from grazing poor $ ality ann al and

perennial grasses on cropping area d ring the off'season and o#ergrazed and rapidly depleting past re land d ring the cropping season. DZ li#estoc! farmers ha#e c stomarily tilized meas res s ch as feeding stored crop by'prod cts to li#estoc! d ring these diffic lt periods. ( considerable amo nt is "asted in the DZ tho gh. The problem s ally enco ntered "ith crop by' prod cts is the seasonality of s pply. Het, in the "et season, there is e1cess feed. These areas can pro#ide ade$ ate feed thro gho t the year. 0f the mil! prod ction is three times more d ring the dry period, "ith proper meas res ta!en to rectify the feed a#ailability thro gho t the year and e1pansion of the mil! collecting net"or!, the "et season co ld prod ce do ble the amo nt of mil! in the drier season. The second is the disr ption of the mil! collection net"or! d e to the remoteness of the relocated areas d ring the cropping season.

-.

Proposed Inter%entions

The reasons for nderperformance in mil! prod ction in the DZ is d e to the #ariance in feed distrib tion tho gho t the year. The feeding calendar specifies that the feed a#ailability for DZ r minants change "ith season. D ring the c lti#ation period li#estoc! is relocated in marginal land or poor grazing lands "ith limited feed reso rces e#en in the rainy period as these past re lands are o#ergrazed and ha#e not been ade$ ately maintained for se#eral decades. %o"e#er, d ring the off'season these animals are bro ght bac! to the c lti#ation area A st after the rice and crop har#est to graze in st bble, ratoon crop and crop resid e a#ailable in large $ antities. 2armers ha#e c stomarily tilized meas res s ch as feeding stored crop by'prod cts to li#estoc! d ring this period. %o"e#er a considerable amo nt is "asted in the DZ and not a#ailable d ring the cropping period for feeding li#estoc!. The problem n tilized. *ice is the predominant crop in Sri 3an!a, especially in the DZ "here A st o#er 8-7,777 hectares are gro"n. *ice c lti#ation yields +.,- metric tons of Dry .atter per hectare ann ally. *ice stra" "hen left in fields after grain har#est conser#es soil organic matter and n trients, decreases "ater r noff and increases infiltration, decreases e#aporation and controls "eeds. These "ill s pport s bse$ ent crop yields as abo t /-E of nitrogen, /-E phosphor s, -7E of s lph r and ,-E of potassi m pta!e by rice crop is retained in resid es, ma!ing them #al able so rces of n trients. %o"e#er, a large portion of the resid e is b rned in field primarily to clear the field from stra" and st bble. The main reason for b rning crop resid es is to eradicate insect pests s ally enco ntered "ith crop by' prod cts a#ailable in large $ antities, is that in the "et season there is too m ch feed b t remains

and rodents ' b t some farmers persist in b rning o t of sheer habit. 0n the de#eloped "orld, b rning has recently gone o t of fashion, as farmers ha#e realized that #al able n trients and organic matter are permanently lost in this "ay. 0ndeed, according to Dnger (5FF7), crop resid es represent abo t half the n trients e1ported thro gh the prod ction of grain, fibre or n t crops. They sho ld not, therefore, be "asted. )iomass b rning is one of the note"orthy global ca ses of atmospheric aerosols and trace gas emissions, "hich has a maAor infl ence on climate and h man health. The main reasons for b rning crop resid es in field incl de na#ailability of labor, high cost in remo#ing the resid es and se of combine har#esters "itho t baling facility in paddy c lti#ation. The problem is se#ere in irrigated and mechanized rice c lti#ation b t can be a#oided. 2armers in DZ dispose of a large part of rice stra" by b rning in situ. ) rning of crop resid es leads to 5. *elease of soot particles and smo!e ca sing h man health problemsM /. Jmission of greenho se gases (G%Gs) ' &<$, &%3 and ;$< ca sing global "armingM G. 3oss of plant n trients s ch as ;, :, K and SM >. (d#erse impacts on soil properties and -. 4astage of #al able & and energy rich resid es. %o"e#er, e1cessi#e amo nts of crop resid e can tie p n trients for the ne1t crop. 2 rthermore, large amo nts can hamper tillage and planting operations, contrib te chemical carryo#er problem, and harbor soil insects and diseases. :ro#ision and se of chemical fertilizers and animal man re can be sed and allo" crop resid es to be remo#ed partially. *ice resid es are also sed for li#estoc! feed, f el and constr ction material. Jarly rice stra" and st bble har#esting can pre#ent deterioration d e to loss of n trients and f ngal attac!. Total ann al a#ailability of dry matter (incl ding rice stra" and other crop resid e) is -.+GF million metric tons, "here it is important to se part of it for soil impro#ement re$ ired for the ne1t cropping season (Table 55). ;able ##: Annual A%ailability o' &ice and ?ther !ield Crop &esidue DZ paddy D. per ha &rop resid e for (#ailable for *ice c lti#ation (ha) (m.tons) soil impro#ement animal feed stra" (E) (m.tons) .aha 8-7,777 +.,-7E >.G+ Hala G/-,777 +.,G-E G.78 <ther 2ield &rop resid e 6 .aize, co"pea, blac! gram, s"eet potato etc Total a#ailability (m.tons) /,+>G,,-7 FF-,G5G G,+GF,78G /,777,777

(#ailability *efP C0&( /75/

.illion . tons

-,+GF,78G -.+GF

* minants in mi1ed animal'crop prod ction system in the DZ play an important part. These r minants themsel#es largely rely on crop resid e as feed. The scarcity of land and the trend of s stainable agric lt ral de#elopment demands better tilization of crop resid es in general and rice stra" in partic lar for r minant feeding. &on#ersely, r minants maintained on crop resid e do not compete for h man edible food, arable land tilized for h man food, irrigated "ater tilized for h man food prod ction and time of e1tension staff in h man edible food prod ction. The total ann al dry matter re$ irement for body maintenance for r minants in the DZ is /.,-/ million metric tons (table 5/). 0n fact the only cost factor in con#erting these crop resid e is processing it to an edible feed. ;able #$: De*and 'or crop reside by *ilkin" cows in the Dry one Type ; mber Total (nimal (nn al D. need for Dnits body maintenance (..tons) &attle F/+,7,7 +G/,/,+ 5,+G5,75/ ) ffalo /5+F-F /87,7/> -,/,7-/ Goat //>,>-/ //,7/> >+,>-G 5,55>,G/8 /,,-5,-5, Demand .illion metric tons /.,-/ *efP C0&( /75/ The c rrent a#ailability of crop'resid e after soil impro#ement is aro nd -7E of the demand for D. need for body maintenance. %o"e#er, DZ can ha#e more animals "ith higher prod ction "ith D. a#ailability from crop resid e and herbage from areas not tilized for crop prod ction sho"n in the follo"ing Table 5G. ;able #.: Land use 4 Dry one dry *atter a%ailability ;o. &ategory (rea %ectares Dry E Dsage (S$. Km) .atter (.. possible tons) 5 :addy 8,-/F 8-/,F77 -,,5/,+,-7E / Dn'irrigated highland G,/-7 G/-,777 G/-,777 >7E G Vill s -77 -7,777 /77,777 G7E > %erbage from grazing land 5/77 5/7,777 5/7,777 +7E - Grassland /,> /,,>77 /,,>77 87E 8 2orest 5>,-7, 5,>-7,,77 -,+7/,+77 7E , Sand /57 /5,777 ' 7E D. a#ailability (..tons) G,+GF,78G 5G7,777 87,777 F8,777 58,>>7 ' '

+ Scr b +,+88 ++8,877 5,G/F,F77 /7E /8-,F+7 F <ther >,,+G >,+,G77 ' 7E ' Total >-,G85 >,-G8,577 5G,-5,,F,>,>7,,>+G The DZ can maintain a m ch larger crossbred pop lation "ith efficient se of crop resid e. %o"e#er these areas are dominated by indigeno s types mainly reared for meat p rpose. The indigeno s type cattle are acclimatized to the harsh dry condition and they co ld "ithstand shortages of feed p to ,-E of reg lar feed inta!e. They are the main s pply of meat and also are the fo ndation stoc! for crossbreeding "ith 0ndian types as a first cross, prior to introd cing J ropean blood. The cattle pop lation crosses are sho"n belo" (Table 5>).

;able #3: Crossbred cattle population Type DZ 6 ;&:,;4:,J: @ D#a Sabaragam "a, S:, &: and 4: J ropean crosses 5-.GE -5.5E 0ndian crosses 5,.,E 58.>E 3ocal types 8,.7E G/.-E *efP D(:% /77+ The a#erage prod ction per co" per day in the DZ is 5.F5 liters, "hereas in other areas it is G.>, liters. This prod ction can be increased if crop'resid e is tilized efficiently by the DZ farmers. &rop'resid e tilization is not ne" to Sri 3an!a. 0t "as one of the strategies by the crop'li#estoc! farming comm nity to maintain large herds of cattle and b ffalo. S bse$ ently inter#entions introd ced to impro#e the $ ality of these crop'resid es to the mi1ed farming comm nity ha#e not been a s ccess e#en after three or fo r decades. T"o international le#el "or!shops for the e1tension ser#ice and for trainers on feeding crop'resid e and crop byprod cts "ere held in the 5F+7s. :eriod 5, 6 // (pril 5F+G Sponsor ( stralian De#elopment (ssistance ) rea So rce Doyle 5F+>

/>'/+ .arch 5F+8 The ;etherlands 0brahim and Schiere 5F+8 The decisions may not be based on economic reasons. ;o technology is "orth"hile if it is not adopted by intended sers. Drea treatment is not generally sed by the farmers e#en in #illages "here it "as intensi#ely promoted by researchers and e1tension "or!ers. 2armers find the treatment too technical and c mbersome to follo". The reason may be that these farmers consider it an incon#enience to implement these practices s ch as the rea treatment of stra" as li#estoc! is not considered a real priority o#er paddy and crop c lti#ation. ( combined strategy

for mil! prod ction and staple crop (rice) prod cti#ity gro"th e1ploits the close lin!age bet"een the t"o sectors and "o ld ha#e the strongest income m ltipliers and entreprene rial de#elopment acti#ities. *emo#al of paddy stra" and its con#ersion to a mar!etable prod ct can be percei#ed as potentially a good farm practice that "ill boost the economics of the maAor crop prod ct in Sri 3an!a. %o"e#er, commercial tilization of paddy stra" can only be promoted as a good feed reso rce for r minants. There are t"o types of machines based on their capacities for collection of stra", they are, a..achine on an a#erage is 7.> hectares per ho r "hile operating speed of /.- !m per ho r, and the stra" reco#ery is abo t --'87E b. .achine mo nted "ith rectang lar container to collect chopped stra" "ith a capacity of ,G7 !g per ho r.

) l!iness of stra" resid e dictates densifying in to standard bales, high compaction bales, s per high density bales, c bes, and pellets. The s itable form of densification depends pon the mar!et for "hich resid es are destined, length of ha l, commerce reg lations, and a#ailable handling facilities both en ro te and at final destination. .achinery is a#ailable in the follo"ing formsP ;able #1: Densi'ied bales 2orm of Densification Standard %igh density S per high density (#erage ) l! Density F7 to 5/- !g = & bic meter 587 to //- !g = & bic meter -57 to -,- !g = & bic meter

Standard densification is s fficient if paddy stra" is tilized for animal feed. &on#erting paddy stra" in to a form lated feed s pply re$ ires f rther processing s ch as chopping and mi1ing of added ingredients li!e dried fodder by tilizing a Total .i1ed *ation machine (T.*) and s bse$ ently pelleting.

This form "ill not only increase the shelf life of crop resid e b t also increase the n triti#e le#els.

-I.

Conclusion

This introd ction "ill ha#e the similar impact of de#eloping form lated rations for po ltry in the early 5F87s "ith the establishment of the <ils and 2ats &orporation at Seed "a. 2 rthermore this co ld s pport the disposal of #egetable and fr it ref se (-77 metric tons) from the Dedicated Jconomic &enter 6 Damb lla, and tilize this ref se too for a prod cti#e acti#ity. <ther acti#ities not addressed in this article are the de#elopment of homestead cattle ho sing and pro#ision of biogass nits. This "ill stop the disr ption of mil! collection and also promote biogas as a b siness entity.

&e'erence
#. )V* : nya"ardena (5FF+) :hD Thesis. 3incoln Dni#ersity, ;e" Zealand $. Department of &ens s and Statistics (/75/) .. 2arm *egistration /77+, Department of (nimal :rod ction and %ealth 3. &ens s of (gric lt re /77/, Department of &ens s and Statistics 1. Shinogi.,H. M0.4..a!inM and D.D.:.4itharana (5FF+) Sim lation of "ater balance in a dry zone cascade. :aper presented at the ;ational &onference of the stat s and f t re direction of "ater research in Sri 3an!a. ;o#. >'8, 5FF+ at ).0&%, Sri 3an!a 7. 0brahim, ..;..., S.C. Stall, S.3.( .Danial and 4.Thrope (5FFF) (ppraisal of the Sri 3an!a Dairy Sector, Vol /P .ain *eport, September 5FFF, &olombo Sri 3an!a page F 5. .ilco .onthly .il! &ollection data from /77G to /77F 9. C0&( report for ?The :reparatory S r#ey on the :roAect for 0mpro#ement of (gric lt re :rod ction and :rod cti#ity in Dry Zone areasB (/75/) 0. )V* : nya"ardena (5FF+) :hD Thesis, 3incoln Dni#ersity, ;e" Zealand #/. C an Domingo Sal (/77,) 0ncreasing the *ole of * minant (nimals in the 4orld 2ood System. Dept of (pplied Jconomics, St :a l &amp s 6 Dni#ersity of .innesota, .; DS( ##. 2arm *egistration /77+, Department of (nimal :rod ction and %ealth #$. 2ield St dy on 3i#estoc! :rod ction. The :roAect for 0mpro#ement of (gric lt ral :rod ction and :rod cti#ity in Dry Zone areas (/75/) Capanese 0nternational &ooperation (gency #.. Dnger, :.4. (5FF7) Tillage end resid e management in rainfed agric lt reP :resent and f t re trends. 0nP : shparaAah, J. and 3atham, .. (eds), Organic Matter Management and Tillage in Humid and Subhumid Africa . 0)S*(. :roceedings ;o. 57, 0nternational )oard for Soil *esearch and .anagement, )ang!o!, Thailand, pp. G7,'G>7. #3. Doyle, :.T. (Jd) (5F+>). The tilization of fibro s agric lt ral resid es as animal feeds. :roceedings of the Grd (nn al .eeting of the ( stralian 6 (sian 2ibro s (gric lt re *esid e *esearch ;et"or!. Dni#ersity of :eradeniya, Sri 3an!a, 5,'// (pril 5F+G. School of (gric lt re, Dni#ersity of .elbo rne.

#1. 0brahim, ..;.; and Schiere, C.) (Jds) (5F+8) *ice stra" and related feeds in * minant *ations. :roceedings of an 0nternational 4or!shop, Kandy, Sri 3an!a, />'/+ .arch 5F+8.