Issue 1 - American Palm Oil Council

SustainabilityThe Malaysian plantation crop system has great potentialfor integration with livestock, particularly with cattle,sheep and goats, but use of land has not beenoptimised. Integration of animals – particularly beef cattle –provides an economically and ecologically useful strategy onseveral fronts.The number of cattle reared under oil palm in Malaysia grewfrom 46,789 in 1994 to 56,178 in 1997, so plantations still haveplenty of suitable land for this purpose.animals for ticks and wounds. Serious treatment can be left to avisiting officer from the Veterinary Department, who wouldmake regular checks on the animals and ensure that they arefree of disease.Vaccination for foot-and-mouth disease is carriedout once a year, while deworming is done twice a year.Nature’s resourcesNature provides much of the resources required for cattlerearingon oil palm plantations, which are perfectly positioned interms of synergy.Research shows that that one hectare of grazing area in aplantation can accommodate one head of cattle. A moderatelysizedplantation with sufficient grazing grounds could thereforeaccommodate 500-1,000 head of cattle. Only plantations in hillyareas would find it difficult to rear cattle, because the grazinggrounds would be limited.The animals would also have difficultyin accessing, and grazing on, steep slopes.It is estimated that the vegetation under oil palm treescontributes up to 80% of the country’s forage resources. Thetrees are grown in rows, leaving a space of 5-7m between rows.These inter-rows are covered with vegetation such asleguminous cover crops, grasses, broad leaf species and fernsthat form a naturalised pasture and can be utilised as forage forlivestock production (Wahab, 2002).There are certain basic needs in rearing cattle on plantations.Paddocks must be designated. These are usually separated byelectrical fencing, constructed with insulated steel rods and threelengths of electrical wire.Workers then drive the cattle from onepaddock to another depending on the availability of feed.The estate supervisor has to make a daily check on the animals,but actual care can be left to the workers. Normally, one workercan look after 150-200 head of cattle, including treating theThere are about 60-79 plant species, of which about 70% arepalatable grasses like Axonopus compressus, Brachiaria mutica,Chysopogon aciculatus, Cyrtococcum oxyphyllum, Digitariaascendens, Eleusine indica, Ichaemum muticum, Ottochloa nodosa,Panicum repens and Paspalum conjugatum.The legumes consist ofCalapogonium mucunoides, Centrosoma pubescen, Desmodiumovalifolium, Desmodium triflorum and Pueraria phaseloides. Fernsinclude Lygodium flexuosum, Nephrolepis biserrata and Pteridiumesculentum. Some of the native pasture species are deemed toGLOBAL OILS & FATS BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL.5 ISSUE 1, 200819