Chronicle Editor
MANY people often ask me why I have an obvious bias towards large stock that is cattle as compared to small stock such as goats and sheep, or even smaller stock like poultry.
Their argument, which they always front is that cattle are huge investment which is also very slow on return, as compared to small stock which is relatively cheaper in terms of investment and has a fast reproductive rate, hence a quicker return on investment. This is true, but my answer is always simple, it’s just a preference with not much consideration to science or economics on my part.
I probably just like larger animals much more than small stock. However, when you have other reasons of venturing into the livestock based industry you obviously need to do a serious assessment as to which business line would demand less of investment, less of your time and bring a quick turnover.
One fundamental lesson that I have since learned through my involvement with layer production, is that marketing skills are probably more important than production skills.
The eggs have not been moving as I would like, in fact as I write I have sixteen crates of table eggs sitting in my dinning room.
The unpleasant realisation we have since noted is that neither myself nor my wife is gifted in the marketing arena and that is weighing us down insofar as the egg production enterprise is concerned.
It can be depressing to feed very ravenous chickens and religiously collect eggs everyday, only to pile them up because the outlet part of the enterprise is not as oiled as it should be.
My flock empties a fifty kilogram bag of feed in just four days and I definitely need the eggs to move so that I can buy more feed and pocket some profit. The frustration of unmoving eggs is not only on locked up investment as one fails to cash in on the eggs but running out of space and utensils to hold the eggs.
You have all the empty buckets, dishes and all, full of eggs and the birds keep dropping them! It is not the fault of the birds, they are doing what I employed them to do, its just me who is not better prepared in terms of skill to be able to sell the wonderful eggs that I’m producing.
The lesson here being that whatever production enterprise one decides to venture into, be sure that the output market side of things; you have it well covered. We invest in these ventures so that we earn some income and that only happens when you are able to sell the product. You are doing broilers; will you be able to dispose them when they are due? You have a nice pig production enterprise; will you be able to sell when they are due?
If your answer is no, then you are setting yourself for frustration, especially in enterprises that need you to buy feed. Imagine being called to fork out a hundred dollars to buy feed for your porkers, which for all intents and purposes are ready for the market and nothing is keeping them from being sold except your own ineptitude in that department.
Now with cattle, the market is always hungry, I can drive into an abattoir today unannounced with a truck load of twenty five head, and they will go, no questions asked, no begging required et cetera.
Now that is my kind of business, because I will handle the part for which am adequately trained and experienced to, which is production, and there after the market sorts itself out!
So, if you have a limitation with regards to marketing and selling, it is probably ill advised to venture into any production line that will need your active people skills.
This is not a skill you get overnight, in some cases you do not have it at all like me and my wife (I hope she doesn’t get to read this article), such that selling becomes a very painful mission yet it should be the most pleasant part because it puts money in your pocket.
The import of this weeks submission, therefore, is that as farmers and potential farmers let us understand the output market side of the value chain before we commit ourselves to that value chain.
Not all value chains have an organised and insatiable output market, and if your value chain of choice will demand that you do aggressive marketing for your product to move, will you have the skin for it?
If not, do you have someone who can do it for you? If it’s still a no, then you probably have no business meddling in that sector. If you can’t sell it, why produce it? UyabongaumntakaMaKhumalo.
Mhlupheki Dube is a livestock specialist and farmer. He writes in his own capacity. Feedback [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> cell 0772851275
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