Purity Mbae Musyoka, a Kenyan-born farmer, is making great strides in the goat-rearing business in Uganda.
The proprietor of Mashambani Diary Goat Farm, located in Banga village, Mpata Sub-county in Mukono District, says she started goat farming in 2016 after realizing her son was reacting to cow milk.
The farmer who started with one goat currently has 300 Swiss and Toggenburg goats of which 200 are female.
The female goats produce 70-120 liters per day with the milk sold to supermarkets and individuals at a cost of Ksh278 per litre.
She explains that the biggest threat to dairy goat farming is diseases which she says killed 100 goats of the 124 goats she had some time back.
”This was a big setback to our business but we didn’t give up. We got to know that dairy goats are so prone to diseases which come from living in water. A bad foothold can cause a goat to slip and when a goat falls in water is more vulnerable to catching bacteria,’’ she says.
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She explains that some of the diseases affecting goats include foot and mouth disease, goat pox, Salmonella infection, brucellosis and tuberculosis among others.
She advises farmers intending to venture into the goat business to focus on growing their own feeds to cut production costs as well as address the devastating feed scarcity.
In addition, they should construct houses that are well-lit with natural lights and suitable ventilation.
”A mud floor at ground level is the best option because it doesnt attract dampness as a concrete floor does. However building a wooden floor when the goat shelter is elevated or slightly slanting to prevent water and urine stagnation is another good option,’’ adds Mbae.
Goat milk is superior to cow’s because it is rich in calcium and amino acids, which are necessary for the development of healthy bones. It is also low in cholesterol and, therefore, safe for people who are keen on cholesterol intake.
While goat milk is said to yield more per liter than cow’s, production in Kenya is way below cow’s milk.
The low dairy goat farming uptake can be attributed to the myriad of challenges facing the sector, which include a lack of quality breeding stock, cartels in the industry, and poor funding for research by the government.