Enterprise

Kiambu farmer cashes in on the rising demand for goat milk

goat

Robert Macharia posing for a photo with his male German Alpine goat breed during 2017 Nairobi International Trade. PHOTO | QUEEN MUNGUTI

Robert Macharia Kinyua in 2014 left his job, where he was earning Sh1,500 daily to focus on his dairy goat farming.

Although he wasn’t certain about what the world of business held out for him, he plunged into it nonetheless, hoping for the best.

A few years down the road, he is happy that he made up his mind to be his own boss as he is now raking in Sh5,000 a day from milk sales.

He is also cashing in on the fact that goat milk is increasingly becoming popular thanks to its nutritive value.

According to a 2012 research by Egerton University’s Rebecca Jerop on dairy goat milk consumption in Siaya County, goat milk is superior to that of the cow because its proteins and amino acids are more digestible and absorbed efficiently. This makes goat milk preferable for people on medication.

Mr Macharia worked with a Nairobi-based technology firm, Comtech as a transport manager before being retrenched in 2011. This was a watershed moment in his life. He started researching on a venture that he could get into rather than looking for another job. He decided to pursue farming but would still do menial jobs in order to provide for his family as his new venture took root.

“Since I had a passion for farming, I decided to get into goat rearing. From online research and talking to friends, I gathered that goats are easy to rear as they require less space to keep compared to cows,” says the 39-year-old farmer.

Thankfully, he owned a 40 by 60 feet plot at Githurai 45, Kiambu County. He acquired the plot in 2007 for Sh350,000, which were his savings since 2003 when he started working.

To start his farming venture, he used Sh20,000 from the savings to buy a German Alpine goat breed from a farmer in Embu. Initially the goat only produced enough milk for his family and none for sale. This made him to buy another goat at Sh18,000, which drained his savings, forcing him back into employment. He got a job with SportPesa, a sports betting platform, as a driver.

“I earned Sh25,000 per month as my starting salary. This would later be increased to Sh45,000 per month making it a good source of income for a struggling farmer like me,” he says, adding that he never let his farming ambition to die while under employment.

In May 2017, he resigned from the job to embark on full time dairy goat farming as his herd had increased to 15. Today he has 26 goats, all of which are German Alpine breed.

One of the challenges he faces is getting feeds for the animals. He feeds them on dry matter and silage which helps him preserve green fodder for use in the future.

“I am an urban farmer who cannot easily access green fodder, that’s why I opt for dry matter and silage. At times I hire a truck to Naivasha at a cost of Sh20,000 per trip to purchase hay and grass. One trip has 200 bales that feed the goats for six months,” the farmer says.

Mr Macharia spends about Sh2,600 on the goats daily, including cost of feeding.

Out of the 26 goats, the farmer is currently milking 14 which gives him an average of 25 litres daily. He sells a litre for Sh200 to his customers, many of them being those who have been advised by doctors to take goat milk on medical grounds.

“In a single day, I can make about Sh5,000 from the milk sales and sometimes I run out of stock due to many orders from my customers,” says Mr Macharia.

He also trains farmers at his Mwihoko Dairy Goat Farm on good breeding practices. Besides, he brings together other young people involved in dairy goat farming to discuss how to meet the increasing demand for the produce.

- African Laughter