[O12] Concepts, Prospects, and Potentiality of Crop Production in East Asia

[O12-03] Feed and Pasture Management Practices of Dairy Farms in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

^○Aye Aye Khaing, Ei Thandar Ko, Hla Than (Department of Agronomy, Yezin Agricultural University, Myanmar)

Myanmar has potential for the development of livestock sector, particularly in dairy sector. Pasture enables the farmers to reduce the cost of producing milk through better forage and its quality. However, most of the dairy farms do not get the awareness on the role of pasture in dairy farming, and no information on pasture is documented in Myanmar. The milk is primarily produced in Mandalay region, Yangon region, and around the capital Naypyitaw. The study was carried out to observe feed and pasture management systems of dairy farms in Nay Pyi Taw. A total of twenty dairy farms including almost all of the middle scale dairy farms around Nay Pyi Taw area were surveyed in 2018 to observe the feed and pasture management practices in the farms. The dairy farms relied on agricultural by-products and feed concentrates. Agricultural by-products were purchased and stored in advance in the farms to overcome feed shortage during the dry period. Most of the farms used more concentrate ratio in the feed ration. Roughage-concentrate ratio should be adjusted with improved quality pasture to reduce feed cost in the farms. Although pasture was grown in a few farms, it was cultivated in small area with poor agronomic practices. Fodder scarcity is one of the major constraints, and limitations for pasture cultivation in the farms were lack of access to improved pasture varieties, poor knowledge on pasture cultivation, and water scarcity. Feed availability and quality should be improved by using improved pasture cultivars with suitable agronomic practices.