By: Hadassah-Esther Osimen
Many people in Nigeria, especially the learned have reserved animal farming such as cattle farming, goat, ram and sheep farming, to northerners or natives of some areas. When we find enlightened persons in farming, they tend to do pig farming (please avoid this for now. I’ll explain later) and poultre farming but aside from the big farm owned by a former president around the western part of Nigeria and the hand full of others around, animal husbandry is causing major protein over prizing in Nigeria. We spend most of our moneys to have a chicken meal when you can get a whole chicken for a pound abroad! We are the country that is poor, therefore, food should be cheaper here; plus not forgetting we are Africa: We have the rains, the sun, the streams and rivers (to give us fish and sea food) and we have plenty of people resources. What then is the problem? Is the continent cursed? If not, where is the food? Where is the money? Why are 98percent Nigerians poor after 120 -200 years oil mining? Isn’t something seriously wrong? I promise to attend to those in my cosmic broadcasts in the near future but let me show you how you can tap in more strategically in this amazing opportunity in agriculture: fish, meat, fruits, vegetables tubers, crustecians etc. The land cannot continue to be green with grass and the seas emptied of fish or the cows reserved for illiterates and headsmen. I guarnatee you that if you can follow my professional advice, read this article, follow it up with some actions (including reaching me if you decide to go for it), it will only be a matter of time for Nigeria to be filled with massive farm ranches (animals and plants (including special plants in some areas). This piece is focused on an introduction to animal farming with a simple example of a cow ranch.
Meat is highly demanded everywhere on earth but we have ignored this market and let it suffer so much with its incidental pains inflicted by so called headsmen on innocent people. They have had to move their cattles about town, harm villages to feed their cattles and then kill the cattles without milking them. They sell their cows for up to 300000.00 naira each or even way less, sell only a few a month and still continue to be poor. While in England, I met an indian who said that his community adore cows so much they do not eat it, they bury it when it dies, asked why they do that amist my chuckles, he said ‘they give us milk’. I was totally astonished and for a long time I did not know what to make of it. However, recently while carrying out an analysis on the opportunities presented in animal farming here where we love meat and eat our cows, it dawned on me that the cattle men are missing something really hug: Milk! Have you noticed that we do not have enough milk in Nigeria? Atin of evaporated milk which cost 99pence for 4pints (over 2liters), is costing Nigerians up to 500 naira for a 33ml can for some brands. Again, we are paying more for milk just like we are for chicken and believe me, several other things, yet we are supposed to be poorer and should therrefore, be spending less on food. Food, the cheapest thing abroad is the most expensive thing in Africa. Tell me that we are not in trouble there? Alas! Hadassah to the rescue (humour me please): FARM! FARM! FARM… but make it big, strategic and most certainly RANCHES.
No country in the developed society moves their cattles around, they are reared in one location: Food is brought to them, water is brought to them, doctors attend to them, they are milked daily and the harvest is bumper! I am sure that a well cared for cow (cleaned, washed, treated, fed etc) can give a revenue of up to 5000.00 naira and if you have a ranch with up to 400 catttles, can you guess how much money you would be making from your milk? Let’s do some maths and solve some jagbajantis: That is 2Million naira daily and considering that, like a healthy nursing mother who must feed her child daily or her breast milk would spoil and she would be in pains, you do have to milk the cow daily. We are talking about 60Million naira per month and 720Million per annum! Are you still with me? You will need up to ? I hope you are getting ready to rowwith cattle milk farming? You will need up to 20 plots of land or 3 hecters (18 plots). You will also need several full time wrokers with OND level education in agriculture, graduate or post graduate level professional in the same to manage the ranch, other skilled and unskilled workers, safety staff, milking pipelines etc. You should also make thorough arrangements with your end market. As your farm will grow, plans to move your new calfs must be in place. Proper provisions for staff, water, meals, machineries, microbiological works, medical exams for all, etc. I am sure it would all be worth it at the end but make sure you set up properly.
I have more to say but let’s leave those to consultancy shall we?
Goodluck and may God bless your farm ranch. Amen!
You can reach me on estherjoy600@gmail.com
