REARING grass cutter is one business one can start from home and make a great fortune

REARING grass cutter is one business one can start from home and make a great fortune.

The reason is because a lot of Nigerians love the meat and want to buy it any where it is found. A family made up of five grass cutter is sold for N30, 000 or more. You can also raise them as pets.

            The managing consultant, The Thy Consulting, Mr Ismail Abdul Azeez, said the demand is huge and cannot be met.

            According to him, grasscutter meat constitutes an important food for many Nigerians. He said the nutritional value of its meat is comparable to that of the beef, pork and mutton.

            Besides, pharmaceutical companies have found that the brains, the blood and various organs of the grass cutter produce substances that can be used to prepare some medicine. For instance, science has found that the pancreas of insulin used to produce a drug used in curing diabetes.

            Apart from the money that can be realized from the sale, he said grass cutter is one of those rare animals that are almost wholly edible; most of its parts can be eaten smoked, the only expectations being the claws and pattlet of feaces and fur (which are used in traditional medicine). Their stomach and gut content are also used to flavour food.

            According to him, big eateries, like Tantalizers, have huge demand for it on a regular basis.What they require is an assurance of a regular supply per week.

 Depending on one’s experience, he said, grass cutter meat could be package as pepper soup, suya, frozen or dried meat.

            Today, most Chinese people are looking for the meat as regular meal. They also entertain their guests from abroad with it.

            He said there is good market for grass cutter meat in the international market, adding however, that the exporter needs to package it well.

Returns is huge for Nigerians who are prepared to spend millions and breed a large number on commercial quantities, he said.

Azeez said grass cutter business could provide employment for many Nigerians in both urban and rural area, including young school leavers, retirees and housewives. One can start it from the backyard or inside a room, within a flat. Families of grass cutters kept in wire net pens built to the wall of his flat.

            On the average, gestation period of the grass cutter is about 154 days or five months.

            One thing that should be ensured is cleanliness of the space where the grass cutters are kept. Azeez sells to those who want to rear and those who slaughter them for meat.

Feeding, according to him, is not costly. They feed on grass but one can also buy specially made feeds for them.

To many, grass cutters meat is a cherished delicacy preferred over other sources of meat, he said. Before now, he said, people hunt grass cutter from the wild, but now a vast majority of grass cutter and edible animals have been over hunted and are nearing extinction.

Azeez said grass cutter hunting puts the environment at risk. During the dry season as bushfires, lit during bush meat hunting expeditions could wreck havoc.

Grass cutters, he said are not the most prolific of rodent species, but the high demand, for it, attractive market price and small amount of investment required make it suitable mini livestock activity for income generation in many parts of Nigeria.

This offers opportunity for those interested to go into commercial breeding of grass cutters in captivity. They can easily be reared at home.

A serious and dedicated farmer  can have close to 200 families at a time.

Azeez runs a one day seminar on grass cutter rearing at his farm in Sango Ota. Students are taken through practical exercise on how to begin a grass cutter farm and manage it successfully. The one-on-one training is an eye opener for people getting to know about grass cutters and their behaviors. The course covers general husbandry practices, behavior, feeding, health care and all that. The training is done with a training manual and a CD.

It is a business venture that can be started on small scale with a space of less than one room, he said. Daily duties include feed preparation, cleaning the pen and all that.

Azeez said grass cutters are easy to raise. With a modest initial investment of N50, 000 one can be on the way to flourishing in the already burgeoning industry.

The amount would purchase a family and some basic equipement needed for grass cutter farming. This is besides having a well- protected and compartmentalizing cage or house. The family consists four females and one male. Along the line, the farmer may consider building a concrete brick housing and dismantling the wooden structures. The wire mesh cages must be strong to prevent them from using their powerful incisive teeth to damage it.

Good housing types will help to prevent snakes having contact with the grass cutters. One’s ability to provide an unparalled quality of attention would be a huge determinant in the business success.

However, there must be a desire to own’s business, a love for animals and a flair for the business marketing and sales and the willingness to invest in a profitable business opportunity.

Azeez offers all his trainees’ outstanding support and guidance in all aspects of operations to help them run a successful business. He believes he has developed a proven system for establishing a successful and highly profitable grass cutter business. He takes a pride in the support level he offers his trainees. 

For one to succeed, he counsels, seek the best sources of quality feeds for the grass cutters.

When the grass cutters are sick or behaving strangely, he said one must seek the advice of the grass cutter farming expert.

The other thing he said  is that the farm must not be too far away from where one is living.

Internationally, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is in the forefront of promoting grass cutter rearing in Africa.

The intention is to encourage more people to undertake grass cutter farming as viable business and minimize hunting of grass cutters in the wild to protect the natural resources base.