Buy weak, fatten, and sell: The secret behind Mwangi’s cattle trade

As livestock keepers cry foul during drought, Kelvin Ndegwa is one man who puts smiles on their faces albeit in a small way.

His mission is simple; buy weak and malnourished cattle, fatten them and sell. As the saying goes,

“One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure”.

The farmer who studied Agricultural Economics says a friend who worked for a milk processor introduced him into the agribusiness.

“He was getting good returns and I decided to venture into the same. I accompanied him during one of his buying missions and I bought some few cattle that I nursed back into good health and sold them later. This was a revelation although I had experienced it on a small scale when I worked as a manager for a dairy co-operative society. We would help farmers nurse back to health their weak livestock and so I knew it is possible. I have been doing this for three years now,” says Ndegwa.

He gets his animals from areas that experience regular dry spells like West Pokot, Baragoi, Wamba and others in Laikipia County. He then takes them to his two farms one located in Rumuruti Laikipia County and the other at Kiawara, Nyeri County.

He then feeds them with food rich in calcium, vitamins and other vital minerals. Among those he uses are pineapple peelings, which he says, are rich in calcium and vitamins.

“I buy about 20-30 cattle but I can buy up to 50 depending with the availability of funds and other factors. I spend some money on veterinary services where one cow can use Sh4,000 to Sh9,000 then feed them with high energy feeds for 90-100 days. A cow can add up to 100 kgs in three months but reaches a point where it stagnates. You sell before that point as the more time you spend with the cow it adds to your expenses. Sometimes the returns can double up as you sell the cow from Sh50,000 – Sh60,000,” says Ndegwa.

Ndegwa says though the activity is a bit seasonal, he cannot compare it with any other kind of farming as there is ready market always. “I sell my fattened cows to butchers and I have never had a meat glut the way we have a milk a glut,” he says.

However, he says it involves a lot of patience and skill to ensure he gets the required results.

“Those who sell us their weak animals have the belief that they will find fodder for their animals or it will rain soon. That is why their animals die as they wait and you have to convince them that if they don’t sell to you the animals will die. You have also to ensure you do not incur many transport costs.

“You need to be careful not to buy very weak animals, lest they die and leave you with losses. The secret is spending time with the animals and even giving them fodder before you buy to be sure, they are eating.

However cheap one is being sold, never buy if it is not eating,” he adds.