Commercial goat farming in Bangladesh is getting popularity gradually, though it was just a subsidiary way of income to the poor women in rural life. Within recent few decades, the concept has changed and, goat farming in Bangladesh has achieved a position in the world economy in commercial goat farming, and has already an established and profitable business model.
According to Prof. Ensminger, and Prof. Parker it is a clear concern of us that goats were among the first farm animals to be domesticated. As argued by the proper archaeological evidence, they have been consociated with a man in a dependent relationship for up to 10,000 years.
The livestock sector has been playing a very significant role in the socio-economic development of Bangladesh. This sector also has a great potential for the perspective of the economic development of the country. The contribution of the overall agriculture sector in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is very significant. Fisheries (aquaculture) and livestock sub-sector contribute 35 to 40 percent alone to the overall agriculture sector. This contribution is about 7-8 percent of the total GDP, among which around 3.57 percent comes from the fisheries sub-sector and 1.53 percent from animal husbandry. More than 90 percent of animal protein comes from this sub-sector which is much important to meet up the internal demand.
Goats are small-sized livestock animals and it is very easy to raise some goats in the home yard with less taking care. Even the woman and children can also raise and take care of them easily along with their daily homework. Now Bangladesh is the third-largest goat-producing country in the world. The number of goats in the top ten countries, the ratio of goats to sheep, and their percentages from the total number in the world are third, second in milk-producing, and also third in meat-producing.
The popularity of the commercial goat farming business in Bangladesh is increasing very rapidly to young commercial goat farming entrepreneurs. Nowadays more and more people are engaging with this business commercially. Here we have included the benefits and steps for starting commercial goat farming in Bangladesh.
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Advantages Goat Farming In Bangladesh
There are many advantages of starting a commercial goat farming business in Bangladesh. We are describing the most benefits of goat farming in Bangladesh.
Easy Farming: Goats are small livestock animals. They require less space and care than cattle. Goat care and management process are very easy and simple. Women can easily raise some goats alongside their regular household activities, and therefore the children also can raise them perfectly with their studies.
Govt. Initiatives: The Govt. of Bangladesh is continuously inspiring the people for fixing small-scale goat farms and creating many opportunities necessary for the goat farming business.
Multipurpose: Goats are multipurpose small-sized livestock animals and that are suitable for commercial milk, meat, fiber, skin, and manure production. Goats require less lebensraum, care, and extra facilities compared to other livestock animals like cattle.
Easy to Manage: They will manage themselves with less management, care, housing, and feeding. In small-scale production, you’ll keep your goats with other animals like cows or sheep. Infrastructure, feeding, treatment, and other production costs are less.
High Productive: Highly productive goat breeds are available and suitable for farming in Bangladesh consistent with their weather, climate, and other circumstances. Goats are smaller in size but reach the slaughter age faster. Many highly productive local and foreign goat breeds are available and suitable for commercial production.
Market Demand: Goat meat features a great demand and value within the local Bangladeshi and international markets. Goat milk is extremely suitable for human health and therefore the popularity and consumption rate of goat milk is increasing rapidly. So, you don’t need to believe in marketing your products.
Sources of Income: Commercial goat farming in Bangladesh is often an excellent source of income and employment for the unemployed educated people of Bangladesh.
Steps For Commercial Goat Farming In Bangladesh
Farming anything for subsidiary income or commercial framing these two concepts are totally different. To start commercial goat farming in Bangladesh is not as easy as we think. But if anyone wants then he/she has to flow some rules and steps for a commercial got farming business. For a large-scale commercial goat farming business, you must have to make a proper business plan and flow it perfectly. Here, we are describing the process/steps for setting up commercial goat farming in Bangladesh.
1. Business Plan
A perfect business plan means half success, so you have to make a perfect business plan and have to follow it perfectly. A perfect business plan comprises a business model, an operational model, and a financial projection. A business model shows the way or path of business, where an operational model indicates the operational activities of the model or implementation of the plan. Finally, a financial projection tells us the flow of money into the operation plan and analyses of revenue and as well as profit or loss.
2. Location Selection
Generally, for small-sized goat farming, we don’t require to think about the site selection. But when we think about commercial goat farming then we must need to think of a suitable and proper place for starting commercial goat farming in Bangladesh.
Selecting an appropriate farm location for starting commercial goat farming in Bangladesh is very important as a commercial project. Though, most of the places of Bangladesh are suitable for setting up goat farming business. Generally, we prefer a place that is far from the residential area but having good communication for commercial goat farming.
Selecting a suitable place for commercial goat farming we commonly take into consideration several things these are:
Common Facilities: While selecting a location for setting up a commercial goat farm, we need to keep in mind the available facilities that are very much vital to proper growth and maximum level of production. The common facilities for commercial goat farming in Bangladesh include good housing, nice grazing place or pasture, sources of freshwater, availability of veterinary services, good transportation and communication system or infrastructural development, suitable market, etc.
Water & Grass: The selected location for commercial goat farming must have a great source of sufficient clean and fresh water. The selected location must have to be suitable for crop cultivation, grass or pasture cultivation, and other green plant production. As grass or other green plant production helps to minimize the feeding costs for goat, though some commercial goat farm produces grass in their own farmland. Natural grazing keeps them healthy. and productive. If you don’t have this, try to make a grazing place for your goats by producing grass cultivation.
Transportation Facilities: Good transportation facility in the selected area for any kind of commercial farming is an important factor. On the other hand, you have to ensure the availability of all types of necessary veterinarian service in the area. As labor and lands are highly available at very cheap prices in those areas, try to establish the farm in rural areas. And some other management costs are less in rural areas.
Pollution and Noise Free: The selected area must have to be free from all types of pollution and noise. In a word, select such a location that is suitable for proper growth and ensure maximum production.
3. Goat Breeds
There are many recognized breeds in the world and it is almost 300 in numbers. For commercial goat farming, selective breeding of goats generally focuses on improving the production of fiber, meat, dairy products, or goatskin, though breeds are generally classified based on their primary use. There are several breeds that are considered dual- or multi-purpose. So, before selecting proper breeds, determine what type of products you want to produce.
All goat breeds do not perform the same, they are different like meat production, milk production, again location or weather is another important factor such as Bangladeshi goat breeds, Indian goat breeds, and Pakistani goat breeds, though some goat breeds are reared in Bangladesh commercially are exogenous breeds.
So first determine what type of goat farm do you want to start first? For this, you have to think about the market demand and even international market demand. If goat milk has huge demand then you’ll start raising dairy goats. On the other hand, if you think that goat meat has a huge demand in the local and international market. So, you’ll easily choose any highly meat productive goat breeds for commercial production.
After determining your desired production as your business plan, choose suitable breeds. Black Bengal goat may be a native Bangladeshi goat breed. It is high meat productive indigenous or deshi goat breed. The meat of Black Bengal goat is extremely tasty and features a great demand within the local and international market. Black Bengal goat skin is also famous in the international market as Kushtia Grade. Boer goat and Sirohi also is highly meat productive goat breed. For commercial milk production, you can farm some high milk-producing dairy goat breeds like Saanen, Jamunapari, etc. All those foreign breeds are very suitable for commercial goat farming in Bangladesh. However, choose proper breeds consistent with your required production.
4. Housing
Most of the small scale goat farmer keeps their goats with other livestock animals. But for commercial goat farming you have to make a proper house for your goats.
Making a suitable house or goat-shade is the most important part of commercial goat farming in Bangladesh. A safe house keeps the goat safe and free from all types of adverse environments and predators.
Nowadays, the modern stall feeding goat farming system has been introduced and proved as the most profitable farming system. The stall feeding goat farming system is becoming popular day by day in modern and commercial goat farming. This method is applicable for goat farming, sheep farming, pig farming, and even cow farming.
As commercial production stall feeding is system is very effective, this modern farming method is gaining popularity day by day in Bangladesh.
So, you have to build house by keeping in mind this factor.
Goat housing design mainly depends on the type of breed and production type. So, the goat housing design may be of various types according to the breed and production type. Consider the following while making a house for your goats.
Higher Place: Make the house in a relatively higher place so that you can keep your goats free from floodwater. Try to keep the goats in a housecleaning which is free from dampness, drafts, and all sorts of pests. Always keep the house dry, as the goat doesn’t like wet floors.
Ventilation System: Make a proper ventilation system and ensure a sufficient flow of fresh air and enough light inside the house.
Proper Sanitation: Make a drain inside the house for the purpose of a proper sanitation system. This also helps to stay the goat healthy and you’ll easily clean the house. Prevent the entrance of rainwater directly into the house. Goat hates rainwater. In this regard, you can make the house with asbestos or concrete roof.
Temperature Control: Keep an adequate temperature control system. A goat grows slowly in cold temperatures. So, while making a house keeps in mind this factor.
Supply Water: Always clean the feeding and watering equipment inside the house. And include all types of necessary equipment and facilities for proper growth and maximum production.
5. Feeding
As a commercial goat farming, you have to feed your goat breeds well-balanced and nutritious food. Add all types of necessary and vital vitamins, minerals, salt, etc. to their food. Ensure the proper amount of protein in goat feed according to the food menu, age, and body weight that will ensure their proper growth.
Provide them the proper amount of green grasses or other green plants that they like to eat. Never try to feed them contaminated or unhygienic food with their regular food. Along with a good amount of high-quality and nutritious food, you have to serve them a sufficient amount of clean and fresh water.
6. Veterinary Services
Goats can survive in almost all types of environments, and their disease resistance is much higher. In rural area poor women generally provides medicine the sick goat according to their own way or traditional way. But in the case of commercial goat farming, you have to provide modern scientific veterinary services to the goats. You have to always stock some vital and necessary medicines and vaccines in your farm. Finally, you have to keep good relation with the doctor, though you should learn or take proper training on modern goat farming is more important.
7. Farm Management
Taking care of your goats is another important task. The good news is that goat farming doesn’t very serious monitoring and management as it requires commercial fish farming and modern aquaculture systems like biofloc. But it will better to monitor all their activities in the farm. Checking health conditions on a regular basis, following the food menu, and measuring growth is very much important for commercial goat farming. You have to determine whether they are healthy or infected by diseases.
Never allow them to go outside the farmyard. If possible, make a strong fence surrounding the farm. Providing nutritious food, freshwater, and ensure to vaccinate them timely to keep them free from all types of diseases and health hazards.
Keep separately buck and does from each other in the farm, but allow the kids with their mother for several periods and after sometime keep them separately. Feed the kids their mother milk for the first few weeks, if they need extra feed then provide them subsidiary feed. Finally, you have to take extra care of breeding buck and pregnant does.
8. Marketing
Both national international market demands are very high so you don’t need to much think about its marketing. Marketing process of goat products is very easy. You can easily sell all products in your nearest market. The demand of goat milk in Bangladesh is slightly less but it is increasing. Goat-meat demand in Bangladesh is always high specially Eid ul fitr, Eid-ul-Azha, and any other occasion.
We hope in near future a suitable market will be established for both selling and buying goats-milk and goat meat. If you want you can sell goat meat in the international market. Another thing is that the goat skin of Bangladesh is very famous for its special quality.
9. Keep A Note
Finally, take a note to find out your profit or loss. A note is very much essential for you as a commercial goat farmer. This will help you to find out the pitfalls or paradoxes of goat farming and you will be able to take any type of decision on commercially farming.
So, finally, we say that goat farming in Bangladesh has great opportunities like other potential income sources and employment creation for the huge unemployed people. If you are thinking about raising goats commercially, whatever it milk, meat, or skin, then you have to take proper training on gat farming scientifically provided Bangladesh govt. Generally, the training includes housing, feeding, medicines, care & management, etc., and goat farming basics.
It will be better if you complete training on goat farming in Bangladesh from the govt. or non-govt. livestock training centers.
What is Stall Feeding Goat Farming System
Stall feeding is such a goat farming system where goat breeds are kept inside the shed or house and they are not allowed to graze outside or natural grazing. Inside the shed or house, the goats are cared for and kept separate depending on their age, breed, sex, weight, milk-producing, meat-producing, and skin-producing.
