A new animal feed testing laboratory in Afghanistan will allow for better quality of animal feeds, while providing faster processing times at lower costs.
The laboratory is part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock’s General Directorate of Animal Health and Livestock, and was built with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in cooperation with experts from Thailand, who will provide technical support.
The lab will perform testing for chemical toxins and nutrient profiles.
In addition, three privately owned feed analysis labs were also established in Afghanistan to provide quality control of animal diets and premixes. According to the FAO, the labs are the first of their kind in the country to test for aflatoxins.
“Additionally, the private labs provide physical and chemical feed testing services not limited to livestock and poultry feed, but also of cereal and oil crops for a vast list of clients, including local producers, FAO and agencies alike,” FAO said in a press release.
Before the addition of these facilities in Afghanistan, FAO had to ship samples abroad for testing at high costs, and processing times could be as long as a month.
“Transporting and testing samples outside of Afghanistan takes around 25-30 days, not including transport delays and detainments during customs that could typically range from seven to 10 days,” said Ahmad Zia Aria, regional coordinator of FAO Mazar, in Afghanistan. “This causes serious input distribution delays.”
Now, testing can be completed within three to five days.
“Effective in-country laboratory facilities help promote the use of locally available feed resources,” said Rajendra Aryal, the FAO representative in Afghanistan. “Without quality feed, many farmers may ultimately lose their main source of livelihood.”
“Livestock is a key source of food and livelihood for rural Afghan households, and access to quality feed fundamentally influences animal productivity, health and welfare. Therefore, keeping livestock healthy by ensuring good quality feed to those that need it most is one of our main priorities,” he added.
