Africa-Press – Zambia. When asked why they are not investing, people always respond that their disposable incomes are not enough, beyond hand to mouth. Others would say they are so busy with other worthwhile commitments like school, careers, and have no time to tend any investment or be on the ground always.
However, goat farming could be the first port of call for anyone willing to start a huge investment on a shoe string budget, with a mere K50,000 one could be K400,000 richer in a short period of time.
Imagine if one big goat at Kasumbalesa market can fetch as high as K2, 000, a simple calculation reveals that if a person has 200 big goats; they would make K400, 000.
For those who are tired of struggling financially to the extent of thinking that the poverty will never end, but want to get into some form of money spinning venture with little or less risks, goat farming is the gateway. By nature, farming is a very involving activity, and that is the main reason why ‘cellphone farmers’ have always fallen by the way side.
Farming demands that one should always be physically on the ground and those who made it big in farming spend most of their time at their farms. It is a very lucrative undertaking, albeit it requires maximum attention of all aspects, as farming involves research and knowledge accumulation about you produces as well as market information.
However, goat rearing is one such type of farming activity which may not require all the farmer’s attention as much as others do, even a person pursuing a particular career, or at school can still invest in farming and reap huge returns without necessarily investing all their time in farming.
In goat farming, the most important thing is the housing. Once one gets this right, they are well on their way up from rags to riches. Goats are animals that pick their own food unlike pigs which require the farmer to spend huge on feeds. However, one can still provide food for their goats to make it easier for them.
Some of the aspects that could be taken on board include considering and putting in place a grazing ground where certain crops or grass are planted specifically for the goats.
The biggest investment in goat farming is the farm land, if a person has it, an investment of K50, 000 can make them K400, 000 richer over time. Some might ask how? As Farmers and Prices puts it, the way out is simple:
Goat housing can be constructed using logs with thatched roof including all other installations such as water buckets at a low cost of K10, 000 and the rest of the breakdown goes as follows:
Boar buck Male goat K4, 450, 10 does Female goat K4, 00, Vaccines K4, 000, Planting Maize + Grass and other food K20, 000. Miscellaneous K7, 500 this translates to a total of K50, 000.
In one year, one is sure to get 20 offspings from the ten does. This is stock that is worth K40, 000. By the second year, some of the 20 offspings would have added the farmer’s stock with their own offsprings and by the third year, one would be on the way to having more than 200 goats.
Although goats take time to grow to maturity – 8 to 12 – before they can be sold, they are less capital extensive. They can allow a person to do other income generating activities which may require their time unlike pigs, which grow fast but are capital extensive and carry so much risks that may not need the project owner to leave them to anyone to manage on their behalf.
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