Editor’s note: Mutiu Iyanda, the ZENITHBLOG.com partner blogger, in this article explains why Nigerians should invest in Grasscutter farming to enhance their financial stance.
His blogs are: http://ift.tt/2iVtmAV, http://ift.tt/2iUENXl
He could also be contacted via: +2348141374490, +2348062544816.
More details in ZENITHBLOG.com’s step-by-step guide for guest bloggers.
Whether you called it ‘Oya’, ‘Obije’, ‘Nohi’ as well as ‘Gafya’, grasscutter is one of the mini-livestock needs to be nurtured for health and economic reasons.
Botanically, grasscutter is known as Thryonomys swinderianus, the larger grasscutter and Thryonomys gregorianus, the lesser grasscutter. These categories are mostly found in the West and Central Africa.
As documented, within the West African sub-region, grasscutter is the favourite bushmeat species and accounts for the greater proportion of bushmeat sold in markets. Consumption of Bushmeat within the context of socio-economic status has been premised on two assumptions.
READ ALSO: Why Nigerians should invest in vegetable plantation
The first assumption, which has been seen as old hypothesis, is that Bushmeat is meant for the people at the bottom of the pyramid because of their low purchasing power parity.
Check out REAL reasons you must invest in Grass cutter farming
Second assumption is that as people move to or stay at the top of the pyramid their level of consumption also increases. Geographically, the first assumption is linked with the people living in the rural areas, in which majority are also hunting most of the wildlife animals for a living.
People at the urban areas have been specifically associated with the second hypothesis. A recent study discovered that wealthier households consume more Bushmeat in settlements nearer urban areas. In Nigeria, Bushmeat provides 20% of animal protein in southern region.
Most commonly consumed are small mammals including squirrels, grasscutters, giant rats, brush-tailed porcupines, and bats, according to Food and Agriculture Organisation. In most households, some of the body parts of wildlife animals are useful in preparation of medicinal concoctions.
The right production system
Various systems have been used and still being applied for housing grasscutter of different species. In the rural communities, grasscutter has been bred and kept in boxes, empty drums, Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) pipes and enclosures. Nevertheless, the grasscutter could be properly managed under these three systems: enclosure, cage and floor.
Open pens are enclosures without any covering on top, and with a surface area of about 3 m2 and 1.5 high. There is an opening in the side that gives onto the aisle in order to facilitate easy access for the farmer. Closed pens are covered by some kind of appropriate roofing material, and may be divided into compartments using partitions.
The height of the wall is lower (80 cm) and the surface area can vary between 2 and 3 m2. The hollow wood and palm trunks can be gnawed and they require replacement from time to time. Wooden cages with or without a wire net lining is in frequent use though.
Such cages require frequent repairs. Ideally, the animal should rather be housed in strong metal cages, particularly, where space is limited (in apartment buildings, crowded compound houses, and so on) and in laboratory animal houses. The recommended mode of housing is the three-tier cage system, according to the experts.
In terms of health benefits of consuming grasscutter, it has been discovered that it produces white meat that is very similar in taste and texture to seafood depending on the age at which they are slaughtered.
Beyond this, grasscutter is high in protein yet low in fat. The relatively low fat content makes the grasscutter meat a choice meat for patients with cardiac problems. Research has revealed that about 80,000 tons of grasscutter meat is consumed annually, but only 0.2 % is provided by domesticated grasscutters.
READ ALSO: Check out REAL reasons you must consume fish on daily basis
This indicates that Nigeria would need to import the remaining over 90% if the animal is left on rearing. In the next ten years, grasscutter meat has been favoured to replace other meats such as chicken, beef, pork, mutton or chevon.
Many West and Central Africans prefer paying premium price per kilogram for its consumption based on the highlighted benefits. Grasscutter meat can be exported and used in many forms, sold in top class international hotels and in preparing different delicacies such as barbecue, canned meat, sausages, meat pies, pepper-soup, suya among others.
There is no excuse for not making huge income from the rearing of the animal if it is done properly with the assistance of the experts. Our study of the current farmers’ price established that one kilogram of grasscutter is being sold at $10 to $15 in the international market and N2, 000 to N2, 500 per kg locally.
Feeding: Eat what you can find around
Feeding grasscutters is not as problematic as other livestock. They are mostly herbivorous and not require imported component of food or expensive medical expenses if strict hygiene is maintained. They are very easy and cheap to raise.
Their feeds has been categorised into leafy material, tubers and underground stems, and fruits and grains. You can feed your grasscutters with the leaves of Cassava, Guinea grass, Elephant grass, Spear grass, Plantain pseudo-stem, Fresh groundnut tops, Fresh maize stover, Job’s tears and so on.
This falls within the leafy material. Under the tubers and underground stems, yam, sweet potato and cassava are the most readily available foods for the grasscutters. They can also be fed with mango (unripe), oil palm seedling, pineapple and maize.
Start-up cost: Play by small or big
The needed capital depends on whether you want to start small or big (exponential commercialization). When you are pursuing the production through the small approach, you don’t need to spend on the costly items.
For this method, you need one colony which comprises one male and four females. The cost of buying them depends on their age, weight and species.
With N45, 000 or N50, 000 you can start the farming. To house the five grasscutters, you are likely to spend between N40, 000 and N50, 000 to construct a wooden or iron mesh cage for them. One female grassuctter will give birth to an average of 4 to 10 grasscutters within 6 months.
If your intention is to begin on large scale, you need 5 colonies that comprises 25 grasscutters. They are likely to produce 100 grasscutters within 6 months and 200 grasscutters in a year.
READ ALSO: Read simple way to make millions from Adire t-shirt production
The cost of building a house for them range from N80, 000 to N100, 000. For both scales, part of the start-up cost will also be spent on feeding and taking care of their health needs to enhance maximum reproduction.
Grasscutter farming is one of the mini-livestock agribusiness with the tendency of putting food on tables of many Nigerians who have the right knowledge and skills set to rear them.
Mutiu Iyanda
Mutiu is a research and communications professional. He has a special interest in qualitative and quantitative methods of finding solutions to social and communication issues.
He currently works with Enterprations Limited, a management consulting company, which also provides a platform for working class professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs to own their business.
Enterprations offers strategic tools such as business plan, growth plan and turnaround plan among others for established and aspiring businesses.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial policy of ZENITHBLOG.com.
ZENITHBLOG.com welcomes writers, bloggers, photographers and all sorts of “noise makers” to become a part of our Bloggers network. If you are a seasoned writer or a complete newbie – apply and become Nigeria’s next star blogger.
Send us some info about your career, interests and expertise and why you’d like to contribute to the Blogger Network at blogger@corp.zenithblog.com Also, please send us the link to your blog and three examples of your work.
More details in ZENITHBLOG.com’s step-by-step guide for guest blogger.
Watch this ZENITHBLOG.com video to know what has changed since President Muhammadu Buhari returned:
0naze
No comments:
Post a Comment