Stories by Steve Agbota [email protected] 0803

Commercial goat farming involves raising goats for various purposes such as dairy production, meat, fiber, and multiple other reasons. It also consists of rearing various breeds of goats in a confined environment or an expanse of land.
Today in Nigeria, goat farming is becoming very popular day by day, businessmen are now considering establishing goat-farming business, with focus on high-yielding breeds.This is because goat is one of the main source of meat and milk production animals. Goat’s milk and meat have huge domestic demand and remains one of the choicest meat and milk sources.
Due to this high demand, commercial goat farming (under intensive or semi-intensive system) has been gaining momentum in the last few years. High demand for goat and goat products has made good economic returns on initial investment possible.
Farmers are being attracted by the favourable market conditions as well as easy accessibility of improved goat specie and farming techniques. Consequently, numerous commercial goat farms are now springing up in parts of the country.
Choosing the right goat breeds for your commercial farm is very important. There are numerous breeds around the world. Some of them are high in meat production, while others famous for milk production. Some goat breeds produce quality skins and fiber. Goats’ possesses enormous economic benefits and are easy to keep. Setup cost is low and maintenance cost is moderate where as the profit potential is enormous.
Goat eats wide ranges of vegetables, grasses, leaves, grains, tubers among others. In fact, goat can survive on any edible material if allowed to forage freely. For mass production, supplement food is needed for good health and fast growth.
Investigation by Daily Sun revealed that farmer with the right species and has 500 goats can make close to N70000 million to 80000 in a year. The investigation also revealed that over 7 million Nigerians consume goat daily and most of these goats are imported from Nigeria’s neigbouring countries like Sudan, Niger and Chad.
However, three main breeds of goat in Nigeria are as follows: West African Dwarf (WAD), Sokoto Maradi Red and Borno Sahel White. The new game changers in the goat business are known as Boer and Kalahari Red goats.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Jovana Integrated Farms, Prince Arinze Onebunne, said that the WAD goats are found in the southern parts of the country. And it has the potential of good tasty meat with a good reproductive performance. He added that the Sokoto Maradi Red is found in the northern part of the country and is well adapted to arid conditions. He said this breed produces good milk and meat and is highly notable for production of fine leather materials while the Borno Sahel White, which are also found in the semi-arid area in northern Nigeria, is a good producer of meat and milk, but highly susceptible to trypanosomiasis.
However, he hinted that the introduction of Boer and Kalahari breeds from South Africa into Nigeria has made these exotic breeds the game changer in modern goat farming in the country.
He explained: “These exotic South African breeds have better body formation and are the type of livestock that easily get adapted to the climate condition of the country. The South African Boer goat has brown head and neck with white body; while Kalahari Red is red all over.
“The Boer goats attain a body weight of 170kg, while the Kalahari reds attain a body weight of 115kg. In comparison- the West African Dwarf attains 25kg while the Sokoto Red attains 40kg. Boer goats and Kalahari Reds breed all year round while most other breeds are seasonal. They usually give birth to 2-3 kids. Boer goats and Kalahari reds are in very high demand by breeders and consumers. They can also be crossbred with local goats to increase the body size of our local breeds.”
He explained further that goats reach puberty between 6 and 12 months, depending on the breed and nutritional status. Adding that female goats come into estrus every 21 days for three to 50 hours.
In addition to natural mating, he said artificial insemination has gained popularity among modern goat breeders, as it allows easy access to a wide variety of bloodlines. Gestation period is approximately 150 days. Saying that goat meat is low in fat and is widely acceptable as a source of food nutrient across ethnic and religious persuasions.
“Skin from the red-Kalahari provides the best leather material for tannery industries. This, if properly harnessed for international trade, has a great potential as a foreign exchange earner and can put Nigeria in an enviable position in the global leather industry. The income generating potential of Boer and Kalahari red goat production was yet to be maximised in the country. “

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