High income from goat herd

Before 2021, Mr. Chuc had worked many different jobs but his life was still lacking. Not discouraged, he continued to learn and find new directions for economic development. Through research, he learned about the Boer goat breed originating from South Africa, which has the advantage of growing quickly, is less susceptible to disease, is adaptable and can be kept in a barn without requiring much space. He boldly borrowed more than 100 million VND to build a barn with an area of 200 m² and bought 30 goats to raise. Initially, due to lack of experience, the goat herd grew slowly. To overcome this, he renovated the barn to be 1.5 m higher than the ground to ensure it was always dry and airy, adjusted the diet, and proactively vaccinated. Thanks to that, the goat herd grew healthily, and the loss rate was significantly reduced.

Nguyen Van Chuc's family (right) has a stable income thanks to raising goats.

“In the past, there was a time when I had to go to many provinces to work for a living, which was very difficult, but the income was not worth much. Since raising goats, I have time to stay at home and still have conditions to develop the economy. Raising Boer goats is convenient because the investment cost is low, the main food is grass, leaves, and a little bran and soybean residue. After each batch of 6-8 months, the goats reach 50-55 kg/head,” said Mr. Chuc. Currently, his family regularly maintains a total herd of 400-500 goats, of which about 300 are commercial goats, the rest are breeding goats. Each year, he sells 2 batches, earning more than 400 million VND in profit. Seeing the obvious results, he encouraged relatives and villagers to follow suit; many households have had a stable income.

The highlight of the model is the use of agricultural by-products as feed, which both reduces costs and protects the environment. In addition to growing elephant grass, the family also collects jackfruit leaves, tamarind leaves, etc. to feed the goats. The goat manure is packaged and sold to ornamental plant growers for 30,000 VND/bag, helping to increase income.

The consumption of Boer goat meat is very favorable now, traders come to buy directly, sometimes there is not enough stock to sell to customers. Besides, Mr. Chuc also accepts processing dishes from goat meat to serve parties, weddings, creating more jobs and income for people in the village.

According to Ms. Do Thi Quyen, Director of Nha Nam Commune Public Service Center, the goat raising model of Mr. Chuc's family brings high economic efficiency, is suitable for the weather conditions of the North, so it has the potential to be replicated. In the coming time, the Center will continue to connect and bring farmers to Mr. Nguyen Van Chuc's family for sightseeing and study. Advise the Commune People's Committee to establish a goat raising cooperative, promote linkages in production and consumption, contributing to sustainable rural economic development.

Article and photos: Mai Toan

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/thu-nhap-cao-tu-dan-de-postid431036.bbg