How to start Animal Feed Business in Nigeria will be discussed in this article and we hope this guides you into executing your animal feed business plan.
How to Start Animal Food Business
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The agriculture sector has always been and is every growingly lucrative and productive. Any business venture planned in the line of agriculture is one that has good prospects for success.
Before now, most of the inputs used in agriculture were imported but with growing awareness and knowledge, the processes of production of these inputs have become local and even improved. Such things as fertilizers, special breeds, or modified species of crops and livestock, have been developed in Nigeria.
Animal feed production is one of such areas that are yet to be fully explored for its business potential. As long as there is rearing of livestock in Nigeria, the animal feed production business is sure to thrive.
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However, relevant knowledge in this area is required in order to produce quality feed that can penetrate the market and meet the demands of many farmers.
Animal feed production is done based on the animal parameters involved whether they are young or adult or aged.
They are feed formulations for each stage of the animal, for instance, the poultry, there is a special kind of feed for the chicks (starter mash), then grower mash, then finisher mash or layers mash.
All these offer great opportunities for the prospective entrepreneur to grab profitable business engagement. Livestock that needs such supplementary feed include cattle, poultry, dogs, pigs, fish, etc.
How to Start Animal Feed Business in Nigeria
Starting this business can be very simple and easy if the requisite knowledge is acquired. The interesting thing is that animal feed production can be started with even little capital.
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Here are the requirements that need to be considered in How to Start Animal Feed Business in Nigeria:
1. Know the formula
This involves knowing the right proportion of the ingredients to combine, for the kind of feed required to be made. This is due to the nutritional requirement of the livestock you are making the feed for.
Carry out some research and come up with a helpful formula. Some formula appears as 40:30:20:10 (Carbohydrate, Protein, Fats, and minerals).
2. Acquire the ingredients
It is the formula for the feed derived that will determine the type of ingredients to get for production. The proportion of the formula also will determine the number of such ingredients. Some common ingredients include maize, cassava grits, wheat offal, shells, minerals, salt, soybean, etc.
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3. Get the equipment
Grinders, mixers, cookers, freezers, sifters, boilers, packaging machines, etc. are some of the machines required for the processing and packaging of animal feed.
They can be fabricated by technicians or purchased from the market. They also come in sizes based on the scale of the production capacity.
4. Determine your packaging
The packaging of the feed is very important, as this determines the sizes. Some feed produced is packed in sacks, waterproof bags, sealed bags, etc. according to sizes, which need to be indicated on the pack. Proper packaging ensures the safety and shelf-life of the feed.
5. Strategize for marketing and distribution
The market for animal feed is everywhere. With good publicity and a good product, good sales can be expected. The intending entrepreneur needs to establish supply links with farmers and animal feed shops, in order to have an effective distribution of his product.
In the Nigerian agricultural sector, livestock farming is greatly attracting investors and this has in turn given rise to the increase in feed production.
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A great secret to the feed production business is that this is not much competition compared to other businesses and this is because people are concentrating more on farming because of what they are making from that alone.
The strategic thing to do is to both engage in farming as well as produce your own feed, thus, saving cost and maximizing profit.
With the above steps and requirements, one can become very successful in animal feed production, and even grow the business to a scale, large enough to supply the feed nationwide, and even abroad.
