Every morning, Dolrawee Phatarakulwimon is busy milking his goats. A computer programmer by training, Dolrawee first started his goat farming as a hobby, which he says helps him relax from his stressful job. But soon he found out that the baying creatures can make money for him as well.
At Dolrawee Farm in Nongchok district in the outskirts of Bangkok, 70 goats yield over 50kg of milk per day. When he began, he kept just a couple of Saanen goats as pets. But he soon realised that goats could make money from offspring and milk, which goes at the price of 70 baht a kilogramme (compared to around 20 baht for cow's milk). Today his goat milk supplies can hardly match the rising demand.
"The Asean Community is opening up the gate. I see a good opportunity in the goat dairy-farming business when free trade allows. But Thai farmers require more training and technology. Keeping goats is different from keeping cows," he says.
Dolrawee is among a number of people who see goat farming as a business opportunity. Even though goat farming may not sound mainstream among the Thai husbandry circle, earlier this year the Livestock Department came out to promote the activity in the Southeast Asia market -- particularly Vietnam and Laos, which have high consumption of goat meat. For the domestic market, the South has the highest number of goats -- over 250,000, according to department statistics -- though the central provinces have seen an increasing number of goat farmers in the past five years.
"Goats can be called the cow for the poor. Raising goats is far easier and cheaper than raising cows. Moreover, the goat can make money five times faster than cows," Chaovarat Aumpo, former president of Thailand's Sheep and Goat Farmers Group, explains.
"A goat can be sold within 11 months. It can eat around a hundred kinds of grass and leaves. Goats can eat even jackfruit rind, mango and lime. They thrive on less medicine than cows," Chaovarat says. "Goats originate in desert areas; thus they can live comfortably in tropical Thailand."
Today Chaovarat is busy training farmers to raise goat properly, from preparing the farm to contacting buyers. New players are coming into the business, as the investment is lower than raising cows.
Presently, there are some 2,000 registered goat farms keeping over 400,000 goats. And the number is rising as the number of goats is far lower than demand.
Goat meat may not be the first thing an average housewife thinks about, due to unfamiliarity and price, but goat meat is huge in other parts of Southeast Asia and is considered a sophisticated ingredient in restaurants.
"There is great domestic demand for goat meat. For some 7 million Muslim people in Thailand, goats and goat meat are widely used in rites. Goat meat is also a favourite diet for Myanmar labourers working in Thailand. As you may know, over a million Myanmar people are now living in Samut Songkhram and Ranong. Demand from overseas is also huge. A buyer from Malaysia recently contacted me asking for 2,000 goats in his first order. Laos and Vietnam also show demand for goat meat."
Demand for goat milk is rising as well. In the past, Thais have been put off by the smell of goat milk. But today there are many farms producing high-quality milk without the strong smell.
The growth of Yana Farm in recent years is an example of this rising demand, despite there being some big players in the marketplace. Starting with five goats 14 years ago, the farm now has 14 subcontracting farms that keep over 2,000 goats supplying 3 tonnes of frozen goat milk weekly.
"Demand for goat milk is rising. More kids who are allergic to cow milk are turning to this alternative. For me, goat milk means more income. From the farms, the price of goat milk is 40 baht per kilogramme while cow milk is 18 baht," Pairote Phumala, owner of Yana Farm in Saraburi, explains.
Now his products, goat milk and yoghurts, are available in big retail outlets in Bangkok such as the Mall department stores, MBK and Foodland supermarkets.
Who knows? Goat meat may become a trendy dish on your table soon.
Products from Dolrawee Farm include milk, yoghurt and goat milk soap.
