By Moses Nosike

It is ideal to introduce to interested Nigerians the benefit and business of grasscutter farming, especially in this period where many Nigerians have lost their jobs and unemployment is increasing on a daily basis. The business of grasscutter farming is available to offer people opportunity for self-employment to make money. It is more profitable for retirees to continue to make money if they venture into it. Even those on paid jobs seeking to earn more income can engage in grasscutter farming on a part time basis and they will be surprised how much they can make out of it.

In this interview with the Managing Director/CEO, Jovana Integrated Farms, Prince Arinze Onebunne, he said, “Grasscutter farming is a business venture that can make one have a settled future and that is why a lot of interest has been shown by forward thinking farmers nationwide”.

Excerpts:

What does it require to start grasscutter farming? 

You will require at least half plot of land and build on it 30 x 60 feet wall of block. If you go outside the cities to the villages, this may not cost you more than N450,000.00. You also require lighting equipment, that is, two hurricane lamps (alternative to electricity), which will cost you less than N5,000. After land and light, you will require watering equipment, that is, a well, water reservoir, pumping machine, water buckets, and about one hundred casted troughs. All these would in a village cost you about N100,000.00. The next requirement is the housing equipment, which I would suggest should be about 50 wooden cages which should cost about N900,000.00. The last is the feeding equipment which should comprise of a wheel barrow, hand shovels, plastic troughs, which should cost less than N80,000. All the equipment should cost about N300,000. The last is the working capital requirement. To stock six colonies of one male plus five Females at N150,000 per colony should be about N900,000. Then feeding for one-year gestation period of a mixture of 30 breeders, 50 castrated bucks and 200 weaners should be about N7,000,000.00 This is just a small commercial proto-type, it could be scaled down or made bigger depending on your financial capabilities.

How many colonies of grasscutter are needed to start farming?

This depends on the available fund, land space and desired production capacity. However as a starter on a small scale, one will suggest that you start with two or three colonies, that is, 10 or 15 Breeding Does and 2 or 3 Bucks. Honestly for someone who has lost his or her job and wants to really get involved, six colonies will be a better starting out point.

Can grasscutter farm be sited in the city?

The answer is obvious, yes at the backyard in homestead capacity. For this you could handle on a part time basis, once you could adhere to the feeding times of 7 to 10 am in the morning and 5 or 7pm in the evening. However, if you want to have a commercial grasscutter farm, a site outside the city has the overwhelming advantage for expansion purposes, disposal of wastes and the provision of an environment less stressful to the animals for optimal performance.

Where can grasscutter feeds be obtained in Nigeria?

Grasscutter is an herbivorous animal, it feeds mostly on grass. This can be sourced in the wild and possibly have a garden where other feed items could be cultivated. It feeds on leafy/grass items, tubers, fruits, grains, proteins and vitamins from pineapple leaves. It feeds on sugar cane, ground nuts and other farm products. It must be noted that it is a wasteful eater. It eats little and discards a chunk of whatever is provided, the farmer must come to terms with this.

Are they susceptible to plagues like poultry products?

No. Grasscutter is hardy. It is bullish in its existence, it hardly succumbs to diseases. That is why an investment in it has less risk. It is essential to know that overcrowding into pens could affect them. They are animals that relish in their freedom though they move about in colonies. So, depending on the size of the cages or pens, stocking density of 5 (1 male and 4 females) per colony cages is ideal for breeding animals; 18-24 for weaned grasscutters (of say 6-8 weeks old) and 8-15 for animals that are already up to 3-4 months.

How many times can a grasscutter female farrow in a year and what is the gestation period in a reproduction cycle?

With proper handling and in a good environment either in the backyard homestead or in the bush, a female grasscutter can farrow twice a year with 5 to 8 litters each. The gestation period is usually 152 days on the average, while a range of 150 to 160 days is possible.

Where in Nigeria can grasscutter breeding stock be obtained?

There are reputable grasscutter farmers in Nigeria, particularly in the Southern part of the country. However, Jovana integrated Farms are technically equipped and has the capacity to supply “top genetics grasscutter foundation stocks to intending farmers nationwide. With a population of 200 million, we have an enormous market in Nigeria. I just want to advise all those genuinely interested in this line of business to first under study it before venturing into it. It is good, safer than poultry farming and has higher yield per unit than both fish and poultry. The crux of the matter is learn before you leap into it.

Are there persons online scamming unsuspecting farmers in the grasscutter industry?

Yes. Scammers are all over the online space-Facebook and other social media, using names of popular farms to dupe the public. Because of the various information reaching us of unscrupulous persons using our name or pictures to scam others, we have put together a few steps that will help our clients prove the authenticity of any offer purported to be from us. Many online sites where people can list their livestock has opened a lot of avenues to fraud. Many of the advertisers selling on these sites are selling the grasscutters at significantly lower prices than the rest of the industry. While it seems like a good deal, we caution you to make sure that you are buying from a reputable farms and not someone trying to scam money from you or sell bad animals to you. Many of these operations will provide photos, and information, and upon payment they disappear with your money.