In almost every street except the highly regulated residential areas of Lagos, Nigeria, there’s always at least a goat roaming about. People see these animals everyday and wonder why their owners let them move about recklessly. Though their numbers may be small, these animals serve as a means of lively hood to the people rearing them.
Just as poultry farming, fish farming and a host of other agribusinesses turn in high revenues when executed at the right scale, goat farming doesn’t just also generate a substantial income for investors, but is also a large business opportunity, especially for people living in the northern part of Nigeria and India.
What Is Goat Farming About?
Goat farming is the commercial rearing of various breeds of goats (or a single goat breed) in a confined environment or an expanse of land. It involves raising goats for various purposes like; dairy production, meat, fiber, and multiple other purposes.Business Opportunities In Goat Farming Around The World
1). Goat Meat Production:
In many countries, billions of people consume goat meat. This extremely high demand has got supermarkets and abattoirs in countries like Australia, The United Kingdom, India, America, and many others stocking goat meat for sale on their shelves.The abundance of goats in Australia is so high that the country hasn’t just become the largest exporter of live goats and goat products worldwide, but has also created a high business opportunity for goat farmers in the country. Despite the extreme number of goats and goat products exported from Australia yearly to many other countries, the demand for goat meat remains insatiable.
In Nigeria, the level of goat meat consumption is so extreme that many workers look forward to their closing hours, so they can rush off to a bar for a goat meat pepper soup meal. This demand has made the pepper soup business flourish in the country.
People eat goat meat at home, work, restaurants, parties, and in many other places. When they’re asked for an option of meat, many choose goat meat ahead of chicken meat.
The Nigerian dwarf goat is one of the most common goat breeds raised for household consumption in Nigeria. Many homes in the south-south and south-eastern part of the country rear them both for their personal family consumption and for sale at local markets.
With Nigeria’s population sitting at over 170 million and over 5 million people consuming goat meat everyday, goat farming continues to be an extremely valuable business opportunity for new and existing farmers to venture into.
2). Dairy Production:
Dairy products like yogurt, milk, cheese, butter, and more, can be processed from the milk gotten from dairy goats. This locally unpopular business opportunity in goat farming generates high revenue for many goat farmers around the world.In many countries, goat milk is wildly produced for household consumption, but in Nigeria, hardly any home consumes goat milk, and so the milk’s commercial value is extremely low. Irrespective of this, goat milk is easy to digest than cow milk because of small fat globules and is naturally homogenized. It also helps in improving an individual’s appetite and digestive efficiency.
While dairy production from farm goats milk may not be a major buzz in Nigeria, in several other countries around the world, dairy goats are used immensely to fuel their dairy needs.
Benefits Of Goat Farming
- It’s easier to raise goats than to rear chickens.
- A good source of employment at the right scale.
- A great source of food.
- The startup capital can be modest.
- Required labour is low.
- Good source of manure.
- Goat farming can be practiced in most weathers.
- All goat breeds can share the same environment and feed with cattle.
- Goats can serve as a major export product.
- Great source of protein!
