Agricultural by-products are valuable resources

Currently, Vietnam has a large amount of agricultural by-products, but their use for recycling is still low. This should be considered a renewable resource, an important input, extending the value chain in agriculture, not a waste product.

A rich resource neglected

According to the General Statistics Office in 2020, the agricultural sector had about 156.8 million tons of total by-product output. Of which, post-harvest by-products from crops and agricultural processing of the crop sector were 88.9 million tons; from the livestock and poultry sector were 61.4 million tons; from the forestry sector were 5.5 million tons and from the fishery sector were nearly 1 million tons.

Mr. Tong Xuan Chinh, Deputy Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry, member of Working Group 970 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development , said that although the proportion of by-products from forestry, farming, animal husbandry and aquaculture is very large, the proportion of by-products collected and used is only 52.2%. Up to 45.9% of dry straw and fruit peels are burned. Only 23% of waste in the animal husbandry industry is used to produce organic fertilizer, the rest is wasted.

“A significant amount of straw is burned right in the fields in some places in the North and Central regions, causing air pollution, obstructing traffic, affecting human health, and is an act prohibited by environmental laws,” added Mr. Tong Xuan Chinh.

Up to 45.9% of dry straw and fruit peels were burned. (Photo: Pamair)

Explaining this issue, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, Director of the Department of Science - Technology and Environment (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) said that in the process of agricultural production, our country has only focused on increasing crop and livestock productivity, but has not paid attention to the surplus of agricultural by-products. People have not paid attention to the production of organic fertilizers, the regeneration of agricultural by-products to supplement nutrients and increase soil structure, and protect biodiversity.

“There are still many small-scale production and processing facilities that waste agricultural by-products and livestock waste, leading to serious environmental pollution,” said Ms. Thuy.

Get rich from agricultural by-products

If properly utilized, agricultural by-products can produce and process many valuable products. Rice by-products can produce bio-fertilizers, animal feed, mushroom growing media, bio-bedding, handicrafts, etc. Shrimp by-products can be extracted into food, animal feed, shrimp oil, fertilizer, renewable energy, etc. Pangasius by-products can be extracted into enzymes, fertilizers, fish oil, animal feed, etc.

According to Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Truc, Southern Fruit Institute, in the process of producing, harvesting and processing fruits in the Mekong Delta and the Southeast, the amount of mango seeds, longan seeds, lychee seeds, banana peels, durian peels, etc. have many uses that we have not yet fully exploited. In addition to being used as fertilizer, these agricultural by-products can be processed into animal feed, even functional foods.

Fruit peels, vegetable peels, egg shells... are used to make organic fertilizer. (Illustration photo)

Not only enriching the environment, agricultural by-products can also help farmers make a living. Currently, the market for collecting, packaging, transporting and trading rice straw in the Mekong Delta is growing. In Dong Thap province, the selling price of straw is about 55,000 - 75,000 VND per 1,000 m2 of rice field, equivalent to 400 VND/kg. The price of straw near the inter-commune road is 15,000 VND/bundle. If transported far away, the selling price of straw at the facility for livestock farming, mushroom growing, gardening, etc. is about 25,000 VND/bundle. Thus, in addition to harvesting rice, after harvesting, rice farmers can also earn an average of 550,000 VND/ha of straw.

Another example, if our country's seafood processing by-products are fully exploited using high-tech techniques, they could earn 4-5 billion USD. However, our country has only used them to make fish meal, collagen, gelatin... worth only about 275 million USD.

To solve this problem, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has been building, perfecting, and replicating circular agricultural models to have a basis for implementing the consumption of agricultural by-products in the coming time.

Mai Anh