Authors : O.R. Madibela and L.A. Lekgari
Abstract: Sorghum has the potential to alleviate hunger and contribute to cereal self sufficiency in Botswana. The Sorghum plant has physiological adaptation mechanism that makes it suitable for low rainfall areas. The opportunities for improving the commercial value of Sorghum depend on the fact that Sorghum can be used as food for humans and as feed for livestock. To make Sorghum popular, new product development needs to be undertaken and this include revival of indigenous dishes. As animal feed, Sorghum grain can be used for feedlot, dairy, poultry and pig diet formulation. However, innovative strategies need to be developed or adopted to improve the efficiency of utilizing Sorghum grain by ruminants and non-ruminants. In particular the question of low digestibility of Sorghum in non-ruminants diets due to tannins needs to be tackled. The crop residue from Sorghum, especially stover, is a valuable feed resource for ruminant livestock. When it is timely harvested it can partly or wholly replace grass hay in ruminants diets. If considered, the suggestions advocated by this paper would help enhance the value of Sorghum, which in turn would promote its production by farmers.
O.R. Madibela and L.A. Lekgari , 2005. The Possibilities for Enhancing the Commercial Value of Sorghum in Botswana . Journal of Food Technology, 3: 331-335.