PM: Corn, palm kernel waste as alternative to chicken feed

SHAH ALAM - The cultivation of corn and palm kernel cake (PKC) will be an alternative for chicken feed in the country.

This was decided after the cabinet meeting received several views from Cabinet members on the matter.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the meeting also agreed to seek the cooperation of the state government, government agencies and government-linked companies (GLCs) to provide a Temporary Occupancy License (TOL) land for long term resolutions.

"The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs have been asked to present the plans in the near future for corn planting projects, PKC and others," he said in a statement on Monday.

University Putra Malaysia (UPM) Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security (ITAFoS) Director Professor Datuk Dr Zulkifli Idrus, in March, suggested that Malaysia use processed PKCs as chicken feed to replace carbohydrates in soybeans and corn.

Zulkifli was reported to have said that UPM had obtained a grant from the Higher Education Ministry to conduct several experiments to reduce the fibre content in the PKC so that it was suitable to be used as chicken feed.

In April, the Selangor government was reported to have started a corn planting project specifically for chicken feed after Hari Raya Aidilfitri to address the issue of rising feed prices.

Infrastructure and Public Facilities, Modernisation of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Exco Izham Hashim had said the planting project was carried out on 400 acres of land in Negri Sembilan while another 300 acres in this state.