Saudi Arabia is set to replace animal feed with an improved livestock formula called Wafi. Wafi is a complete feed for various kinds of livestock. The new and improved animal feed will provide all required nutrients in a balanced formula, thus offering an equally nutrient end product such as milk, egg and meat or broiler for the benefit of the consumers, Abdullah S. Al-Rubaian, Chairman of Arasco, told a press conference here on Monday. Wafi, the complete livestock feed will take over the Saudi market replacing the current use of barley and alfalfa, he said. Dr. Abdulmalik Abdullah Al-Hussein, Executive President of Arasco was also present at the press conference. “Ministry of Trade and Industry has licensed Arasco to not only manufacture Wafi but also increase its production from a current 1.6 million ton per year to 4 million tons by 2009,” Al-Rubaian said. He said Wafi will help improve the return on investment to livestock owners and help conserve by reducing dependency on the high water-consuming alternatives in the Kingdom. High quality raw materials (all natural) will be used for a increased nutritional value for camel and sheep feed, he said. The Kingdom's need for livestock feed is between 9 and 12 million tons per year. Al-Rubaian said his company has also acquired land in Sudan for increased production of Wafi. The animal feed required to be fortified with substances that are high in fiber and nutrition, he said. “This is what the national plan is aimed at substituting the current use of barley and alfafa (green grass) as feed to farm animals including cattle, camels and poultry in the Kingdom by more balanced feedstock,” he said. Realizing the importance of the new and improved formula, Arasco has already started aligning its strategy with the national policy quite sometime ago, he said. The government has announced its national policy of substituting the animal feed which will lower the cost of production, he said. __
