By Herbert Musoke and Joshua Kato
Of the 2024 Vision Group best farmers, 10 out of 13 winners were keeping livestock. These included dairy cattle keeping, poultry, piggery, rabbits and fish. This is an indicator that if done well, livestock pays. As we start 2024, livestock is a viable money-making enterprise one can pursue.
Livestock enterprises can be categorised into two, that is, quick-paying ones like broiler chicken that take three weeks to mature and those that take long dairy cattle that take about two years to produce.
According to experts, farmers should choose the livestock enterprise based on preference and interest, available resources like capital, land and labour.
Dr Jolly Kabirizi, a livestock nutritionist who formerly worked with the National Livestock Resources Research Institute under the National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO), advises anyone planning to venture into any livestock enterprise, that they should make sure they have enough feed because it accounts for 70% of the expenditure.
She explains that before starting you must have a plan for feeds, that should be enough that can take you to the time of maturity and of good quality. “Livestock farmers must realize that feeds constitute at least 70% of the running production costs. This is why you must plan well for them,” she advises. She adds, “On the other hand, you need to keep hygiene, vaccination and treatment in case of any disease. Since it is a business, you also need to think about markets and marketing strategy before what you are rearing is ready,”
