Palm kernel meal, also known as palm kernel meal (PKM), is a by-product of making palm oil which has the potential to be used as raw material for fish feed.
The Directorate General of Aquaculture together with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) developed catfish feed made from PKM which is available throughout the year in the province of South Sumatra through the "Supporting Local Feed Self-Sufficiency for Inland Aquaculture Development in Indonesia" project.
Coinciding with World Food Day, Wednesday (16/10), KKP conducted the first harvest of independent fish feed pilot ponds at the Jarwo Fish Farming Group (Pokdakan) in Sungai Regit village, Talang Kelapa sub-district, Banyuasin regency, South Sumatra.
In his statement in Jakarta, the Director General of Cultivation Fisheries at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Slamet Soebjakto highly appreciated this independent feed project. "If palm kernel meal or PKM for short has been successfully developed, we can reduce the use of fish meal, which so far most of our needs are still imported. Moreover, Indonesia is the second largest PKM producer after Malaysia," said Slamet.
Since 2019, KKP and FAO have been developing independent fish feed made from local ingredients, namely PKM through feed trials to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of the feed formula recommended by FAO with the feed normally used by catfish farmers. This trial involved 6 groups of fish feed manufacturers located in Banyuasin Regency and Palembang City.
“This collaboration aims to increase the production of high-quality and cost-effective fish feed, especially catfish, which can be produced by small-scale feed producers in Indonesia. Moreover, 80% of independent feed is used for catfish feed," he said.
Slamet stated that independent feed is currently increasingly in demand and has become a mainstay of small-scale fish cultivators. Independent feed is believed to be able to provide benefits, by reducing 30-50% of production costs. In addition, the quality of independent feed can compete with factory feed, "said Slamet.
He hoped that the palm oil processing factories would not export all of the PKM, considering that this PKM is a protein-rich raw material that can be a source of raw material for fish feed.
"I think the utilization of this PKM can become a corporate CSR (social responsibility) for independent feed groups, namely in the form of continuous support for meeting the needs of PKM for feed raw materials," Slamet assured.
The use of plants as a substitute for fish meal has also been carried out by an independent feed group in Lampung by developing the legume indigofera. Some references say, Indigofera contains protein by 50,000, besides being rich in fiber and calcium.
