Economic viability of locally-sourced rice bran as a wheat bran substitute in layer feed

Purpose Poultry sectors in many developing economies face persistent feed cost pressures due to their dependence on imported ingredients. Using Ghana as a case study, this research aims to examine whether locally-sourced rice bran can be elevated from an underutilized by-product to a cost-effective feed ingredient that strengthens farm profitability and reduces import dependence. Design/methodology/approach A 42-week commercial-scale randomized controlled trial evaluated four rice bran inclusion levels against a wheat bran control diet. Daily production, egg quality traits, feed costs and revenues were captured using standard farm accounting procedures. Profitability was assessed using gross margins, supported by deterministic price-sensitivity analysis modeling the effects of varying feed and egg prices. Findings Formulations containing 25–30% rice bran matched the control in egg output and egg-quality characteristics while lowering feed costs by 9.5–11.4%. The 30% inclusion level yielded the highest returns, increasing gross profit margins by 5.4 percentage points. Sensitivity analysis showed that high-inclusion feed remained profitable under adverse market conditions, whereas the control and low-inclusion feed formulations were less profitable. Research limitations/implications Broader adoption requires addressing rice bran's perishability and validating performance across agroecological zones, farm sizes and feed processing systems. Originality/value This study offers rare long-cycle, commercial-scale evidence from West Africa demonstrating the economic viability of agro-waste valorization in poultry feed and presenting a practical, theory-informed model for advancing import substitution while improving farm-level profitability.