Business Opportunities & Livestock agri_center on 08 Jan 2009
There’s money in goat farming
LOOKING for a farming venture that is not only environment-friendly but profitable as well? The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development (Pcarrd) suggests raising goats.
“Goats are very popular among Filipinos because they require low initial capital investment, fit the small-hold farm conditions, and multiply fast,” explained the Laguna-based Pcarrd in its investment briefer. “Culturally, goats are integral to every special occasion such as birthdays, baptisms, weddings, and fiestas. Hence, they command a higher price compared with other meats in the market.”
Goats require low maintenance because they eat tree leaves, grasses, weeds, and agricultural by-products. “Goats require less feed than cows and carabaos,” said Rowe Celeste, the livestock supervisor of the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) Foundation Inc. in Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur.
About 10 native goats can be fed on the feedstuffs sufficient for one cattle. And, about six to seven purebred dairy goats can be fed on the feedstuffs adequate for one dairy cow.
“Although a goat is small, she can produce as much as four liters of milk a day if she is purebred and is given a ration to meet all of her nutritional requirements,” Celeste informed.
In a study conducted by a government agency, it was found out that goats are multi-purpose ruminants producing 58.4 percent milk, 35.6 percent meat, and 4.3 percent hide, and 1.7 percent fiber. According to them, these small ruminants can provide the answer to improve nutritional requirements of the predominantly rural farm families scattered all over the archipelago.
As goat production requires low initial investment and small risks compared to other livestock, it is therefore an attractive undertaking among resource-poor families.
In addition, women and children can raise the animals, making it a sound option to augment the country’s programs on livelihood. Goats provide livelihood to about 15 million Filipinos across the country, according to Pcarrd.
Despite this, goat farming is still not very popular among Filipinos and no one exactly knows how many goats are there in the country. Pcarrd claims that the total goat inventory is “steadily increasing” at two percent per year. This supply is still not enough to meet the current demands.
“We expect that the increased demand will last to 2020 when the project supply can meet the demand of the consumers,” Pcarrd said.
The optimum potential of goat as one of the main sources of milk and meat has not been fully tapped in the country. The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics of the Department of Agriculture reported that the total number of goats in the country is about 3,355,574.
Most of the goat farms are concentrated in Southern Luzon and various parts of Mindanao.
In Mindanao, goat farming is considered a “sunshine industry.” The country’s second largest island has a large Muslim population and goat meat is considered Halal food. There is also a big demand in the international market, particularly the Middle East.
There are at least 12 known goat species but only a relatively small number of breeds are used economically. The Philippine or common goat is small but hardy. It weighs about 25 kilograms at maturity. Its average daily milk production is about 350 grams, with a butterfat content of around 4.6 percent. Its color range is either red or black or a combination of these colors.
The Dadiangas goat is common in Dadiangas (now known as General Santos City), South Cotabato. The breed is a mixture of native, Nubian and Jamnapari goats and some animals may even have some Alpine or Saanen blood. The milk production and butterfat content are marginally higher than native goats and they do best in the drier areas of the country.
Of the introduced breeds in the country, Anglo Nubian performs the best along with the newer introduced Boer goats. The dairy breeds such as the Saanen, Toggenburg and French Alpine perform relatively poorly.
“If you cannot secure purebred stock, you can start with the best female goats available in your area,” Celeste suggested. “Breed them with purebreds or upgraded stock. Then, select only their offspring and discard the undesirable ones (you can either sell them or butcher them for meat). Continue this procedure each year, and you will soon have desirable goat stocks.”
Goat is highly profitable, Pcarrd said. With minimal initial capital investment of P67,250 for 25-doe level; P174,500 for 60-doe level; or P349,000 for 100-doe level, positive net income and return-on-investment (ROI) are realized, even as early as the first year.
The ROI for five years is 67 percent from a 25-doe level operation under semi confinement scheme and 60 percent from 50- and 100-doe level operations under pure confinement system. Payback period is two years.
The MBRLC conducts regular training on goat raising at its center in Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur. For details, contact them via email (mbrlc@mozcom.com [3]) or you can call their office at this number: 064-533-2378.
By: Henrylito D. Tacio
Source: sunstar.com.ph
"this is a remarkable claim that a pb goat can give up to 4 liters of milk per day"
