The Netherlands and Indonesia work together to strengthen the Indonesian poultry sector. During recent training programs over 60 Indonesian professionals in West-Java and South-Sulawesi gained insight how to improve their operations.
Indonesia’s poultry sector
Open houses account for >90% of Indonesia’s broiler farms. These wooden buildings often have open water systems and non-optimal temperature conditions (limited or no ventilation). Diseases spread more easily through open water systems, resulting in high mortality rates since sick animals tend to drink more frequently. To prevent the flock from getting infected, Indonesian broiler farmers use vast quantities of (largely unnecessary) antibiotics, which can lead to resistance to animals and humans.
Closed water systems are more hygienic, as they prevent diseases from spreading. Ventilation in a poultry house supplies fresh air which is essential for the birds’ health and wellbeing. It also helps reducing the extremes of temperature, humidity and air contamination. Improved ventilation systems furthermore make higher density of livestock populations possible, reducing the building cost per unit housed. This is economically important since it reduces production and labour costs. Proper heating is required, notably within the first days Day-Old-Chicks arrive from the hatcheries. However, there is a lack of knowledge and awareness on the importance of water hygiene and ventilation and the effects on animal health amongst Indonesian open house broiler farmers.
With selective training and relatively small-scale investments in stall equipment (closed water, heating and ventilation systems), open house broiler farmers in Indonesia could be trained and shown how to improve the operations of their activities and realise better (financial) results.
Dutch consortium
In 2013, a public-private initiative of Dutch companies active in the poultry value chain was established named FoodTechIndonesia. Goal of the partnership is to work in close cooperation with their Indonesian counterparts to improve and strengthen Indonesia’s poultry sector and to explore long term business opportunities in Indonesia. Partners include GEA Food Solutions, Hendrix Genetics, Linco Food Systems, Nijhuis Water Technology, Pas Reform, Trouw Nutrition Nutreco, TopKip, Van Aarsen, Van Eck Industrial Hygiene and Zwanenberg Food Group. FoodTechIndonesia is initiated and coordinated by Larive International. Larive’s partner office Clarity Research based in Jakarta, is responsible for the local support & implementation of the project.
Local demonstration and training
As part of FoodTechIndonesia, a number of training programs are being implemented for broiler farmers in West-Java and in South Sulawesi. Target group are independent broiler farmers (e.g. parties not being linked to an integration). Objective is to increase the knowledge level of farm managers (and indirectly their employees), focusing on stall equipment (poultry house design, water supply, heating and ventilation) and applied management (brooding management, monitoring of flock and litter management). As such, FoodTechIndonesia works closely together with relevant Indonesian association such as PINSAR, GOPAN and ASOHI.
In March 2017 a group of Dutch experts of FoodTechIndonesia’s partners PTC+ and Van Eck Industrial Hygiene provided training in West-Java and South Sulawesi. In West-Java the Consortium has furthermore invested in demonstrations at farms in Bogor and Cianjur. At existing broiler farms, the Consortium upgraded houses with equipment from the Netherlands, which includes automatic mechanical ventilators, curtains, automated gas heaters and nipple systems to improve drinking water supply. Part of the training also takes place at these locations. Such demonstrations will be replicated in Makassar.
For more information, please visit www.foodtechindonesia.com
