In livestock breeding countries, quality feed production is of vital importance for the sustainability of agricultural production. Industrial feed factories operating in Turkey are also in a great transformation in this process. Thanks to technological developments, it is possible to control production costs, increase production efficiency and produce more hygienic feed. In this article, we have explained the possible technological developments in feed factories and the current situation.

Current Status and Importance of Industrial Feed Production

Türkiye, 14.5 milyon tonluk kurulu kapasitesi ve 600’ün üzerindeki karma yem fabrikasıyla karma yem üretiminde Avrupa’nın önde gelen ülkeleri arasında yer almaktadır. Yem üretimi, büyük oranda hayvansal üretim giderlerinin %60-80’ini oluşturduğu için, maliyet yönetimi ve verimlilik bu sektörün en önemli gündem maddesidir.

Three main forms are used in compound feed production:

• Powder Feed
  
  
• Pellet Feed
  
  
• Granular Feed
  
  

However, many feed mills in Turkey still produce only powder feed. The main reasons for this are the high investment costs and the fact that producers do not prefer pellet feed due to price sensitivity.

New Technologies Used in Industrial Feed Mills

Technological developments affect not only production but also quality control and energy efficiency in feed mills. The main technologies used in new generation production lines are as follows:

• Extruder and Expander Units: Thanks to these units, compound feed is made more digestible and microbiologically safer.
  
  
• Automation and Computer Controlled Production Systems: It ensures traceability of production processes, reduces the margin of error and increases productivity.
  
  
• Energy Management Systems: Energy monitoring systems are installed to optimise electricity and steam consumption, and energy-saving machines are preferred.
  
  
• Peletleme Makineleri:Hayvanların daha az enerji harcayarak daha yüksek verim almasını sağlayan pelet yemlerin üretiminde kullanılır. Avrupa’da karma yemin %80-90’ı pelet formundadır.
  
  

Technological Problems Faced by Turkish Compound Feed Industry

The most common problems faced by the feed industry in Turkey are as follows;

1. Idle Capacity: A significant portion of the established feed mills are operating below their capacities, which leads to waste of resources and decrease in profitability.
   
   
2. Inadequate Laboratory and Quality Control: Many factories do not have adequately equipped laboratories, which weakens quality assurance processes.
   
   
3. Lack of Energy Efficiency: Despite the intensive use of energy in the production process, energy management systems are not widespread enough.
   
   
4. Insufficient R&D Activities: As in developed countries, university-industry co-operation is not at the desired level in Turkey. This situation slows down the transition to new technologies in the sector.
   
   

Suggestions for the Future

For the technological development of feed mills, the following can be done.

• University-Industry Cooperation should be Increased: R&D centres should be established, especially through programmes such as ÜSAMP.
  
  
• Technology Transfer should be ensured: Technology transfer should be encouraged for the application of advanced technologies in Europe in Turkey.
  
  
• Financial support for R&D should be increased: New products and production processes should be developed by making more use of KOSGEB and TÜBİTAK supports.
  
  
• Energy Efficiency Policies should be developed: Sector-specific energy saving targets should be determined as in the UK.
  
  
• Pellet Feed Awareness should be Increased: The advantages of pellet feeds should be explained through information campaigns for breeders and demand should be created.
  
  

As Yemsa Makina, we closely follow the technological developments that shape the future of industrial feed mills and offer solutions that support quality production. Contact us for sustainable, efficient and high quality feed production. Contact Yemsam page