How to Start Grasscutter Business in Nigeria With Little Capital -2020

Have you been wondering if Grasscutter's business is lucrative or is it really a good business idea to start? this is an eye-opener on how Grasscutter Business in Nigeria with less than N100k

Do you wonder if the demand for grasscutter meat is something substantial which you could invest in, or what it requires a huge amount to startup grasscutter business?

At first I made a post on Businesses you can start with N10,000 Naira, however, the truth is, for you to make real substantial money these days you should be ready to invest something reasonable.

In this post, I am going to delight you on how grasscutter business can add more cash to your bank,  and it's even one of the least capital intensive farming business anyone can venture into with a low startup capital of 100k or more

First, let's find out the Market Demand for Grasscutter Meat,

From   2015 statistics alone,  Google queries obtained during targeted Adword advertisements in Nigeria, it was observed that the query for the term ” How to start a grasscutter farming business” had been on a big rising slope, and what this implies is that a lot of people are discovering the huge demands for this sweet proteinous meat.

Physical Observation and Market Inquiry on Grasscutter Farming Business

From Lagos to Porthacurt, Onitsha, Enugu, Cross River, and Abuja; the market price fully grew grasscutter is about N10,000 and above depending on the weight. one Kilogram of grasscutter meat is N2500. 

Grasscutter farming, on the other hand, is very easy and inexpensive; a report got from one of the big grasscutter farms in Enugu state Nigeria reveals that From birth till maturity, and an average cost of raising an adult grasscutter is N250 per month and it matures within six months.

What this means that it takes only 250 X 6 = N1500 to raise a 4kg live weight matured adult of grasscutter

How Much Can I make in Grasscutter Business in Nigeria?

Let us assume you are willing to sell an adult grasscutter at a rate of N5000 each and you had 20 Grasscutters it means it will cost you about N1500 X 20 = N30,000 to Raise and cater for them fully.

The total Sales from the N20,000 Grasscutter will be N5000 X 20  =N100k

Your Return on investment (ROI) will be N70,000

This may seem a bit low because of the number of sales involved but on a business sense of view it's huge, it means for any investment in this grasscutter business, you are sure to generate more than 70% ROI as profit.

It will be a disservice to grasscutter if we did not factor in that they reproduce twice in a year, and each female can give birth 4-7 at once ( that's the litter size).

Now imagine if you had just 20 females and 5 males ( I will explain later) it means that on average each female will produce 3 baby grasscutter X 2 active gestation cycle in a year lets calculate how many you will have at the end of the year

Each female give birth : 3 x2 = 6

Total female: 20 X 6 babies  = 120 ( + 20 Mothers +5 males)

At the beginning of the Year, you started with just 25 adults but in the end, you have 145 Grasscutters, Wow am sure you're punching your calculator on the Sales and revenue? alright, let's break the ice. if all things go smoothly you should be having  N5000 X 145 ( N725,000) Wow!

How to Start a Smart Grasscutter Farming Business as a Side Hustle or Full-Time farmer

Having Seen the business opportunities surrounding this venture, the first  action you should take is to make a plan on how much you intend to invest, tools and how can you sale it

Let us start with Budget Analysis and investment, 

for an average side hustle you should be willing to start up with as low as N100,000 this should be able to get you up to 10 Females 5 males

A good young grasscutter breed will be sold a rate of N5000 -N7500 depending on the breed. Caution must be applied in this phase, you must ensure you got strong does and bucks with good genetic traits.

Grasscutter Housing requirements

Naturally, Grasscutters lives in the wild but due to how hunted and scarce it's becoming and for the commercialization purpose, humans can not depend on the wild supply,  In order to set up a great grasscutter house,  your budget is what will play out here,  you can decide to construct small Pens or cages which will serve the same purpose.

Pen Construction and Preparation for Grasscutter Business

Ideally, it's better to site you are the grasscutters pens away from a noisy environment, and it should also be very free from insects such as ants. soldier ants and snakes are the greatest threats you should try to avoid.

The Pen Should have two compartments because these animals are sensitive, they do not like to eat and sleep in the same space, so the first chamber or compartment will serve as a place for feeding, and pooing the second room will be for their sleep.

Because grasscutters live in colonies ( a colony consists of a male and two to three females) so this means that each pen should be big enough to contain up to three females and a male. The cage dimension is usually up to 180cm in length, 45cm in height, and 60cm in width. The sleeping zone should be shaded to keep light away.

Feeding and Maintenance

Feeding grasscutters is as easy as feeding other herbivorous animals, it feeds mainly on foliage grasses such as elephant grass and sugar cane, but because you are rearing it for commercial purposes you will introduce some concentrates, i.e., they can be fed with chicken feeds such as growers and finishers in order to fatten them to attain market size.

They can also be fed with domestic waste such as rice bran, grain legumes, pawpaw, mangoes, cotton seeds, etc.

For Maintenance Purposes, Grasscutter pens must be cleaned at least once a week, while disposing of the animal droppings,  make sure the environment especially their sleeping area is free from water or mold growth,

To keep away insects such as ants, you should always pour black engine oil around the pens especially during raining seasons. Try to keep the environment neat to keep away reptiles like snakes

A good source of water is something you must always ensure they have access to. Change their drinking water once daily.

Breeding and Weaning of Grasscutters

Grasscutters attain a maturity phase from 6ths months upwards, the females can be ready for mating from the 7th month, its idea to keep them in their colonies.

When the female gets pregnant, it's advisable to separate it from the main colony, then after the gestation period, allow the mother to stay with the young ones at least up to four months before separating ( Weaning) them into colonies for mating.

The mother can be re-introduced into another colony

Marketing and Making Money from your Grasscutter Business

The purpose of every business venture is to solve a problem and generate revenue, in this case providing meat for the teaming population. Grasscutter meat is regarded as “Super meat”,  bushmeat is wildly consumed across West African states and even in western countries,

Selling your farm produce shouldn't be a big problem because of hotels and fast food joints that are littered across the federation. the challenges you are going to encounter should be on consistent supply and price bargaining.

However, if you intend to startup this grasscutter business either for personal consumption or for commercial purposes, I should advise you to join groups or farmers who are into the business,

Grasscutter farming business is least capital intensive but that does not mean you will not give your time and attention for productivity. if harness well, it can change from side hustle to a full-time business especially for unemployed or serious business investors

You should check out the best 15 Businesses you can start with less than 20k but the return is massive

I recommend this page for the full business plan and consultation on grasscutter business plan

Joshua Nwankwo

Hi, I am Joshua Nwankwo, The CEO of Startup Ng and the founder of Afripals Interactive, Well I am a Civil Servant in Day time, a farmer at noontime and a Blogger in the evening.
My passion for being free from Government paychecks and also helping my fellow young people to be self-empowered is why I run this blog
An Animal Scientist by Profession and a blogger by passion, you can always reach me on my contact page for help or support