Post by Ismail AbdulAzeez on Apr 29, 2009 23:31:44 GMT 1
Rearing grasscutters may not appear to be one of those classical business es like manufacturing or those in the financial Services sector, but it holds great promises of tremendous rewards going by accounts of its practitioners writes Daniel Essiet:
A lot of Nigerians heading for the towns would make money if they joined the little leaque of Nigerians investing in Grass cutter farming . Grasscutter meat is a delicacy in Nigeria today, and are served in big hotels and restaurants as well as some joints patronized by the highly placed.
In the West African sub-region, grasscutter is the favourite bush meat species and accounts for the greater proportion of bushmeat sold in markets. In most of the countries in the sub-region, grasscutter meat fetches higher prices than that of beef. The business of producing, processing, transporting, storing, financing and servicing grasscutter products should give employment to many people.
For people like ,Mr Ismail Azeez,Chief Executive of The Thy Consulting, who discovered it in time earing grass cutters is one of the simplest ways to earn good money apart from achieving the dream of being a boss. it is a business he is so passionate about ,and he has been in it for a long time. According to him ,the demand for grass cutter meat is so high and it tastes well and highly relished.
Mr Azeez said there is high demand for grass cutter meat and with just a small garden plot or backyard, one can begin a journey out of poverty.
To him ,the desire for the meat is becoming insatiable and that is why people are going so much into the wild to hunt grass cutter .But this offers opportunities for Nigerians who want to raise or be involved in the production of grasscutters . According to him, one can start the business with minimum of N50,000 on a small scale.with a family of grasscutter (made up of 1 male and 4 females) for the sum of N30,000 and use the remaining N20,000 for other preliminary expenses like cage,transport,trappling equipment,feeders and drinkers. Grasscutter has been overhunted during bushmeat hunting expeditions .
The demand for grasscutter meat is so large that it is not being met. A female grasscutter gives birth 2 times a year.It can litter between 4 to 8 animals at once,but usually 5 animals.So ,a female grasscutter can litter up to 10 animals in a year.Therefore, if everything works according to plan, a family of grasscutter of 1 male and 4 females can produce another 40 new grasscutters. Grasscutters are mainly herbivorous; require neither imported component food nor expensive medical expenses if strict hygiene is maintained.
According to him,they are easy and very cheap to raise. Gestation period of the grasscutter is about 154 days or five months. They can easily be reared at home It is a business venture that can be started on small scale with a space of less than one room. They command a very good selling price as a family that is made up of five grasscutters is sold for N25,000 or more
Grasscutter farming is a business that does not require electricity or fuel for a successful operation and the feed is sourced locally.
Mr Azeez said grass cutter is one business one can depend on for livelihood and conveniently earn income from .
He assured that there are more prospects for grasscutter farming in Nigeria,because it is an emerging market yet to be known to a lot of people and so earlier investors will reap good return on their investments. He added that it could become or be run as multimillionaire business, if one can take the courage of breeding them on commercial scale.
There are few Nigerians today that are making brisk business in grasscutter rearing. Grasscutter farming, if undertaken with the benefit of the right information and knowledge now available, is a very viable commercial venture.
Depending on one’s experience, grasscutter can be packaged to outfits as pepper soup meat, suya, frozen or dried meat. Most Chinese are looking for the meat as regular meal and also to entertain most of their guests from abroad. Said he "If you rear grasscutter in commercial quantity under good hygienic condition, fast food outlets will be your regular customers. They will only need your assurance of regular supply per week. There is also good market for grasscutter meat in the international market if only you can do a good packaging. Nigeria`s economic recovery programmes have necessitated a radical shift from total dependence on government for job to self employment. One such attractive area for self employment is Grasscutter farming. It is a great money-spinning business that can provide a substantial source of protein to complement carbohydrate meals. For now, only very few Nigerians have penetrated the lucrative market and reaping good profit without stress.
Mr Azeez who trains people on how to start the business says his organisation offers practical on the farm training,so that people can learn it practically.We also provide trainees with comprehensive manuals and VCDs and after training follow up.Comparing Snail Commercial Viability To Grasscutter Farming,Mr Azeez maintained that The commercial viability of both is almost the same adding that the two projects are compatible and complement each other, in that the left over of feeds of grasscutters like maize,cassava,P.K.C,G.N.C can still be served to snails.The manure from a grasscuttery can be used on regular basis to ferterlize the soil for snail farming purpose.
Mrs Janet Anuwo ,a grass cutter entrepreneur says g
rasscutter farming, is a project which offers profitable opportunities for small and medium scale businessmen in both rural and urban areas of our country. It does not necessarily require a huge capital investment to start off. Grasscutter domesticationresearch carried out over the last two decades has allowed the selection and improvement of stock for captivity with much knowledge and techniques for grasscutter production.
Practical information is readily available for anyone interested in grasscutter production.
According to Food and Agricultural Organisation(FAO). Grasscutters favourite food is savannah grass In captivity, they will also take sugar cane, corn stalks and cassava peelings.
The animal is a wasteful feeder, cutting the grass at a characteristic angle with its very powerful incisors to eat the more nutritious, succulent inter-nodes, leaving behind scattered pieces of stem on the feeding grounds. This characteristic feeding behaviour is exploited by hunters who look for the feeding sites, an indication of where the animals were active the previous night and concentrate hunting efforts in such areas. The animal does not burrow but may shelter in hollows and burrows made by other animals. This means enclosures for captive rearing can be fenced in by mud walls.
The grasscutter has a long gestation period, about five months, a relatively small litter size, maximum of four in the wild but up to twelve has been recorded in captivity. The young are born with their eyes open and the coat fully developed and are able to follow the mother immediately after birth. Females can be re-fertilised after parturition if paired with the male, thus two litters are possible in a year.
Average weight of wild grasscutters is 4 - 5kg, males can reach up to 10 kg. Captive grasscutters can be kept in cages or boxes but are best kept in open areas enclosed within mud walls or other fencing material where males and females can be kept together. Depending on the size of cages used, stocking rates of one male to five females are possible. Pregnant females must be separated at full term since cannibalism of males on the newly born ones is common.
The popularity of grasscutter meat led to the choice of the animal as the subject of several studies during the early 1970s, aimed at domesticating the species for large scale farming and production of the meat for human consumption..
. Feasibility reports on grasscutter farming ventures indicate that the long term profitability is comparable to that of poultry farming and higher than cattle ranching but high costs of initial inputs (cages. breeding stocks), and the limited technical expertise has hampered the adoption of back-yard grasscutter farming by rural households and the development of large scale commercial ventures.
The market for both fresh and smoked grasscutter meat is unlimited and there is therefore the need to invest in research to develop cheaper ways of production and extension services to enable the transfer of appropriate technologies to small scale farmers.
Source: www.thenationonlineng.com/dynamicpage.asp?id=47820
A lot of Nigerians heading for the towns would make money if they joined the little leaque of Nigerians investing in Grass cutter farming . Grasscutter meat is a delicacy in Nigeria today, and are served in big hotels and restaurants as well as some joints patronized by the highly placed.
In the West African sub-region, grasscutter is the favourite bush meat species and accounts for the greater proportion of bushmeat sold in markets. In most of the countries in the sub-region, grasscutter meat fetches higher prices than that of beef. The business of producing, processing, transporting, storing, financing and servicing grasscutter products should give employment to many people.
For people like ,Mr Ismail Azeez,Chief Executive of The Thy Consulting, who discovered it in time earing grass cutters is one of the simplest ways to earn good money apart from achieving the dream of being a boss. it is a business he is so passionate about ,and he has been in it for a long time. According to him ,the demand for grass cutter meat is so high and it tastes well and highly relished.
Mr Azeez said there is high demand for grass cutter meat and with just a small garden plot or backyard, one can begin a journey out of poverty.
To him ,the desire for the meat is becoming insatiable and that is why people are going so much into the wild to hunt grass cutter .But this offers opportunities for Nigerians who want to raise or be involved in the production of grasscutters . According to him, one can start the business with minimum of N50,000 on a small scale.with a family of grasscutter (made up of 1 male and 4 females) for the sum of N30,000 and use the remaining N20,000 for other preliminary expenses like cage,transport,trappling equipment,feeders and drinkers. Grasscutter has been overhunted during bushmeat hunting expeditions .
The demand for grasscutter meat is so large that it is not being met. A female grasscutter gives birth 2 times a year.It can litter between 4 to 8 animals at once,but usually 5 animals.So ,a female grasscutter can litter up to 10 animals in a year.Therefore, if everything works according to plan, a family of grasscutter of 1 male and 4 females can produce another 40 new grasscutters. Grasscutters are mainly herbivorous; require neither imported component food nor expensive medical expenses if strict hygiene is maintained.
According to him,they are easy and very cheap to raise. Gestation period of the grasscutter is about 154 days or five months. They can easily be reared at home It is a business venture that can be started on small scale with a space of less than one room. They command a very good selling price as a family that is made up of five grasscutters is sold for N25,000 or more
Grasscutter farming is a business that does not require electricity or fuel for a successful operation and the feed is sourced locally.
Mr Azeez said grass cutter is one business one can depend on for livelihood and conveniently earn income from .
He assured that there are more prospects for grasscutter farming in Nigeria,because it is an emerging market yet to be known to a lot of people and so earlier investors will reap good return on their investments. He added that it could become or be run as multimillionaire business, if one can take the courage of breeding them on commercial scale.
There are few Nigerians today that are making brisk business in grasscutter rearing. Grasscutter farming, if undertaken with the benefit of the right information and knowledge now available, is a very viable commercial venture.
Depending on one’s experience, grasscutter can be packaged to outfits as pepper soup meat, suya, frozen or dried meat. Most Chinese are looking for the meat as regular meal and also to entertain most of their guests from abroad. Said he "If you rear grasscutter in commercial quantity under good hygienic condition, fast food outlets will be your regular customers. They will only need your assurance of regular supply per week. There is also good market for grasscutter meat in the international market if only you can do a good packaging. Nigeria`s economic recovery programmes have necessitated a radical shift from total dependence on government for job to self employment. One such attractive area for self employment is Grasscutter farming. It is a great money-spinning business that can provide a substantial source of protein to complement carbohydrate meals. For now, only very few Nigerians have penetrated the lucrative market and reaping good profit without stress.
Mr Azeez who trains people on how to start the business says his organisation offers practical on the farm training,so that people can learn it practically.We also provide trainees with comprehensive manuals and VCDs and after training follow up.Comparing Snail Commercial Viability To Grasscutter Farming,Mr Azeez maintained that The commercial viability of both is almost the same adding that the two projects are compatible and complement each other, in that the left over of feeds of grasscutters like maize,cassava,P.K.C,G.N.C can still be served to snails.The manure from a grasscuttery can be used on regular basis to ferterlize the soil for snail farming purpose.
Mrs Janet Anuwo ,a grass cutter entrepreneur says g
rasscutter farming, is a project which offers profitable opportunities for small and medium scale businessmen in both rural and urban areas of our country. It does not necessarily require a huge capital investment to start off. Grasscutter domesticationresearch carried out over the last two decades has allowed the selection and improvement of stock for captivity with much knowledge and techniques for grasscutter production.
Practical information is readily available for anyone interested in grasscutter production.
According to Food and Agricultural Organisation(FAO). Grasscutters favourite food is savannah grass In captivity, they will also take sugar cane, corn stalks and cassava peelings.
The animal is a wasteful feeder, cutting the grass at a characteristic angle with its very powerful incisors to eat the more nutritious, succulent inter-nodes, leaving behind scattered pieces of stem on the feeding grounds. This characteristic feeding behaviour is exploited by hunters who look for the feeding sites, an indication of where the animals were active the previous night and concentrate hunting efforts in such areas. The animal does not burrow but may shelter in hollows and burrows made by other animals. This means enclosures for captive rearing can be fenced in by mud walls.
The grasscutter has a long gestation period, about five months, a relatively small litter size, maximum of four in the wild but up to twelve has been recorded in captivity. The young are born with their eyes open and the coat fully developed and are able to follow the mother immediately after birth. Females can be re-fertilised after parturition if paired with the male, thus two litters are possible in a year.
Average weight of wild grasscutters is 4 - 5kg, males can reach up to 10 kg. Captive grasscutters can be kept in cages or boxes but are best kept in open areas enclosed within mud walls or other fencing material where males and females can be kept together. Depending on the size of cages used, stocking rates of one male to five females are possible. Pregnant females must be separated at full term since cannibalism of males on the newly born ones is common.
The popularity of grasscutter meat led to the choice of the animal as the subject of several studies during the early 1970s, aimed at domesticating the species for large scale farming and production of the meat for human consumption..
. Feasibility reports on grasscutter farming ventures indicate that the long term profitability is comparable to that of poultry farming and higher than cattle ranching but high costs of initial inputs (cages. breeding stocks), and the limited technical expertise has hampered the adoption of back-yard grasscutter farming by rural households and the development of large scale commercial ventures.
The market for both fresh and smoked grasscutter meat is unlimited and there is therefore the need to invest in research to develop cheaper ways of production and extension services to enable the transfer of appropriate technologies to small scale farmers.
Source: www.thenationonlineng.com/dynamicpage.asp?id=47820
