Livestock Research Institute Transforms Banana Agricultural Waste and Off-Grade Products into Feed for Agricultural-Pastoral Circular Economy
The Livestock Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture has successfully developed a technology to convert banana pseudostems and off-grade products into high-quality livestock feed. This innovation addresses agricultural waste issues, reduces feed costs for farmers, and establishes a new paradigm for the agricultural-pastoral circular economy.
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- 📰 Published: May 4, 2026 at 13:41
- 🔍 Collected: May 4, 2026 at 14:01 (20 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 4, 2026 at 14:35 (33 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Wang Shu-fen, Taipei, 4th) The pseudostems remaining after banana harvesting often pose a major problem in agricultural waste disposal. The Livestock Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture has successfully developed a technology to mix banana pseudostems with off-grade products (those with good quality but poor appearance) and transform them into high-quality livestock and poultry feed, creating a new paradigm for agricultural-pastoral circular economy.
The Ministry of Agriculture announced today in a press release that the Livestock Research Institute has successfully developed the "Technology for Producing Silage by Mixing Off-Grade Bananas and Pseudostems." This not only transforms agricultural waste into high-quality livestock and poultry feed but also provides a tool for livestock farmers to reduce costs amidst drastic fluctuations in international raw material prices, pioneering a new model for the agricultural-pastoral circular economy.
The Livestock Research Institute stated that Taiwan's banana cultivation area reaches 13,000 hectares. The pseudostems remaining after banana harvesting (the part similar to the trunk) are extremely labor-intensive to transport and cut, often left to rot in the fields, leading to environmental concerns such as the proliferation of weevils and obstruction of agricultural operations.
To solve the environmental burden caused by the annual accumulation of up to 1.524 million metric tons of banana pseudostems in the fields, the research team at the Livestock Research Institute, through multiple precise formula adjustments, developed high-quality silage composed of off-grade bananas (not sub-standard, mostly good quality but poor appearance), pseudostems, and wheat bran.
The Livestock Research Institute said that experimental results have shown that replacing up to 20% of the total mixed ration for growing sheep with silage made from banana pseudostems mixed with off-grade products and wheat bran has no negative impact on the growth performance and blood biochemical indicators of the sheep.
The Livestock Research Institute analyzed that if 20% of the daily ration is replaced, the cost per kilogram of feed can be reduced by NT$2. In addition, the silage developed from banana pseudostems and off-grade products has excellent preservation properties, capable of being stored for 3 months unopened without affecting quality, which facilitates farmers' feed management and inventory adjustments.
The Livestock Research Institute stated that this research confirms the high industrial applicability of ensiling banana by-products, effectively reducing environmental burden and implementing material recycling. In the next stage, in addition to assisting operators in establishing standardized production processes, the plan is to further promote the technology to other ruminants such as beef cattle, expanding its application scope. By strengthening the local feed supply chain, reliance on imported forage can be reduced. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 1150504
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(Central News Agency reporter Wang Shu-fen, Taipei, 4th) The pseudostems remaining after banana harvesting often pose a major problem in agricultural waste disposal. The Livestock Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture has successfully developed a technology to mix banana pseudostems with off-grade products (those with good quality but poor appearance) and transform them into high-quality livestock and poultry feed, creating a new paradigm for agricultural-pastoral circular economy.
The Ministry of Agriculture announced today in a press release that the Livestock Research Institute has successfully developed the "Technology for Producing Silage by Mixing Off-Grade Bananas and Pseudostems." This not only transforms agricultural waste into high-quality livestock and poultry feed but also provides a tool for livestock farmers to reduce costs amidst drastic fluctuations in international raw material prices, pioneering a new model for the agricultural-pastoral circular economy.
The Livestock Research Institute stated that Taiwan's banana cultivation area reaches 13,000 hectares. The pseudostems remaining after banana harvesting (the part similar to the trunk) are extremely labor-intensive to transport and cut, often left to rot in the fields, leading to environmental concerns such as the proliferation of weevils and obstruction of agricultural operations.
To solve the environmental burden caused by the annual accumulation of up to 1.524 million metric tons of banana pseudostems in the fields, the research team at the Livestock Research Institute, through multiple precise formula adjustments, developed high-quality silage composed of off-grade bananas (not sub-standard, mostly good quality but poor appearance), pseudostems, and wheat bran.
The Livestock Research Institute said that experimental results have shown that replacing up to 20% of the total mixed ration for growing sheep with silage made from banana pseudostems mixed with off-grade products and wheat bran has no negative impact on the growth performance and blood biochemical indicators of the sheep.
The Livestock Research Institute analyzed that if 20% of the daily ration is replaced, the cost per kilogram of feed can be reduced by NT$2. In addition, the silage developed from banana pseudostems and off-grade products has excellent preservation properties, capable of being stored for 3 months unopened without affecting quality, which facilitates farmers' feed management and inventory adjustments.
The Livestock Research Institute stated that this research confirms the high industrial applicability of ensiling banana by-products, effectively reducing environmental burden and implementing material recycling. In the next stage, in addition to assisting operators in establishing standardized production processes, the plan is to further promote the technology to other ruminants such as beef cattle, expanding its application scope. By strengthening the local feed supply chain, reliance on imported forage can be reduced. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 1150504
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
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Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.