Fish Feed Pellet Making in Bangladesh

Bangladesh, a country in South Asia, has a large water resource. It includes ponds and ditches as well as lakes and canals. The estuaries cover approximately 4.34 million hectares. This makes Bangladesh the fourth-leading inland fisheries producer. FAO reported that Bangladesh’s total aquaculture production has reached 35 million tonnes in 2014. The average annual growth rate of aquaculture production in Bangladesh is 28%. The country’s total income is largely derived from fish farming.

Fish is also the main source of animal protein in Bangladesh, particularly for rural households. Bangladeshi food culture is so dependent on fish. Thus, increasing population partially leads to an increase in demand for fish.

Commercial fish farming is dominated by fish feed. The demand for fish has increased dramatically in Bangladesh, which has seen an increase in aquaculture feed. Commercial pelleted feeds seem to be replacing “farm-made”, “raw” unformulated feeds. There are currently at least 25 commercial fish-feed mills in Bangladesh. However, the production of fish feed pellets is not enough to meet the growing demand. There is a huge demand in Bangladesh for millions of tonnes of locally-formulated, processed fish feed pellets.

Raw materials for making feed pellets

The main ingredients for fish feed production include rice bran and mustard oil cake, soybean meal, fish meal, and maize. These can be sourced from local markets or imported from other countries.

• Rice bran is mainly grown in the area and comes from a rice mill. It makes up 8% of whole grains and has most nutrients (65%). Rice bran is a large quantity and is almost always thrown away. Only 30% of Bangladesh’s total rice bran production is used in commercial animal feed production. During the production of rice bran oils, approximately 0.13 million tonnes de-oiled rice bran is produced annually by the main factories.
• Soybean meal 35-40% local supply, 60-65% imports from India
• Mustard oil cake: The local production of mustard cake is 0.23million tonnes. This is not enough to meet the demand from the feed industry. Importing fish meal is essential.
• Fish Meal:made with a variety local trash fish, crabs and other aquatic animals. These fish meals are dried and then processed by the relevant processing factories. Around 80-85% of the fish meal used for fish feed production comes from local sources.

The Right Fish Feed Making Machine

The key to producing fish feed pellets is the pellet making machine. The pellet quality can only be assured if you choose the right pellet maker machine. There are two types available on the market: fish feed pellet mills or fish feed extruder.

Two rollers are used to compress and force the ingredients into the pellet mill. The fish feed extruder is a bioreactor that cooks the mixture under pressure, temperature and moisture to force feed the mash into the barrel. It can process high plant origin ingredients. High temperature and pressure can increase gelatinization. This is why digestibility increases.

The extruder can do more than a pellet mill compared to these machines. This is why fish feed producers prefer feed extruders.

• The fish feed extruder is capable of producing fish feed in all densities. It can also produce endless types of feed, especially pet food.
• The fish feed extruder can handle high-level moisture mixtures and ingredients (until 55%); the pellet mill can produce pellets with a moisture content of 16-17%.
• The cooking rate of the feed extruder is greater than 90%, while that of the pellet mill is around 50%
• Because of the high temperatures used, there is no bacteria contamination in extrusion. However, the pellet mill may experience bacterial contamination. It is difficult to use a different fish feed formulation.

We are the leading manufacturer of fish feed extruders. We are able to work with many countries around the globe, including the UK, Nigeria and Bangladesh. Our feed extruders include both dry and wet types of fish feed extruders. The most economical choice for pellet production in Bangladesh is the dry type fish food extruders. They are less expensive than the wet type and can be used in small and medium-sized feed pellet plants.

Current Situation in Bangladesh for Feed Pellet Production

The Bangladeshi feed pellet industry is still in its infancy. Many factories produce aquatic feed using the same production methods as poultry feed pellet production. These include proportioning ingredients, grinding and blending, and pelleting. Feed pellets have poor digestibility and low water stability due to their unqualified crushing fineness. There are many weaknesses and threats to be aware of: volatile political situation, insufficient knowledge about raw material quality, feed formulation, machine operation, and selection.

There is always a way. We have years of experience in designing and manufacturing fish feed machinery. We can also provide detailed analysis of raw materials, formulations, and expert machine selection and operation. Our cooperation will greatly contribute to the growth of Bangladesh’s feed pellet industry, given its growing population and strong cultural preferences for eating fish.