Meat and dairy product Tycoon Speaks on first processing Plant in the Gambia
By Femi Peters
Kombo Dairy Farms having established in 2005 and was incorporated and registered in June,2007 ha two sites one a 73 hectares farm primarily for feed production and commercial farming located at Kuloro village in the western region and an eight hectares ranch in Banjulinding Village. Milk production was initiated in July 2009.
Kombo Dairy farms a limited liability company having attained a special Investment certificate from the Government of the Gambia and enjoys Zero percent tax rate and zero percent duty on all imported equipments for a period of five years.
Having close interview with The Agricultural Voice, Sulayman Sait Mboob, the majority Share holder having 70% of the stake while other partners namely Ms Ida Mboob, Mr Biram Mboob and Mr Sait Mboob.
The Agricultural Voice: what prompted you to investing into Meat and dairy Product processing Industry?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: I invested into meat and dairy product processing in 2007 was basically to respond to the need for good quality meat in the Country and dairy product. As you are aware we consume a lot of dairy products such as imported UHT milk, yoghurt and according to statistics we have importing over 8 Million Dollars per annum over the years worth of dairy products. My purpose was to establish a company that is capable of providing safe quality dairy products to curtail on the importations and create employments for Gambians.
The Agricultural Voice: how many cows do use for milk production?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: we have 25 pure breed Holstein and jersey milking cows, a number of pure breed heifers and F1s.
The Agricultural Voice: what kind of equipments do you have in place?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: we have succeeded in establishing a modern dairy farm of international Agricultural Voices, this comprise a ranch in Banjulinding, where we have imported European pure breed milking cows as the local cows don’t produce milk in large commercial quantities. We have European Agricultural Voice milking equipments called a milking parlour for milking our cows because we don’t milk our cows by hand. We have put a supplier network in place, including suppliers for milking cows, machinery, spare parts, and packaging.
The Agricultural Voice: have you attained you target in respect to Milk Production?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: we are still at a very earlier stage, so we cannot say that we have can produce to substitute for imports but we would still get there. Hopeful in the nearest future we would able to produce milk to stop the importation of UHT milk products, powdered and cream (evaporated) milk.
The Agricultural Voice: Can you also process dairy by products like Cheese and Butters?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: Yes it is all possible, these are in our plans but right now we are in consultation with Potential partners to go into this area, to diver size our products but first of all our objective is to increase our production by addition of 28 more pure breed dairy cows for future expansion enough to produce UHT milk for the supermarket shelf.
The Agricultural Voice: what is the daily milk production capacity per cow?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: the Breeding herds produce a maximum of 20 litres per cow.
The Agricultural Voice: in terms of employment, how many people are on your payroll?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: Kombo farms employ over 40 Gambians
The Agricultural Voice: what is the safety precautions put in place during processing of Milk?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: Our Milking parlour put together by a Dutch company that also trained the staff and the Modern factory where the fermentation and pasteurization was setup by a French company who trained the staff on handling and safety regulations. we do have this measures put in place to ensure the safety of our staffs and products.
The Agricultural Voice: do you have a quality control laboratory on ground?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: we do have a quality control Laboratory where quality and Agricultural Voice of the products are checked and maintained, like for very batch produced is taken to the laboratory for checks before released for circulation. The dairy industry is a industry with its specific set of regulations that we have to adhere to strictly.
The Agricultural Voice: have you had any situation, a batch had been rejected by the laboratory?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: yes, it occurs at times. Like in a situation where the milking process which is automated from the milking parlour and is passed through pipes to the cooling tanks and if there is a break in power supply for a period of over three hours, this would compromise the quality of the milk which would affect the dairy products, so that batch would be rejected and discharged .temperature is a very important factor in milk and dairy production.
The Agricultural Voice: Do you receive inspectors from the Ministry of Health on your facility from time to time?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: The ministry of health normally carries out certification of the facility at interval and also carries out health screens on the member of staff handling the processing. We also have our own inspectors who do this inspection all the time.
The Agricultural Voice: Who mans your quality control laboratory?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: we have Gambians trained to carry out tests and run this Laboratory.
The Agricultural Voice: what are your views on imported meat and dairy products?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: if you go to the supermarkets to buy a pack of sausages or ham which are imported which are normally cheaper that those from the Kombo Dairy Farm but if you read between the lines, you would notice that most of them are full of meat substitutes with small percent of pure beef, while those from the Kombo farms are made from 100% pure beef. So invariably you are not getting value for your money.
Another issue is the sales of frozen chicken parts on the streets or in the markets, frozen chicken have been subjected to certain conditions so this meats have been frozen in certain conditions so if sold off the counters the proper process of defrosting should be carried out to thaw the meat for cooking because if this products are dropped into hot water like is normally done, it losses most of its nutrients and appeal.
The Agricultural Voice: What are the major products produced by Kombo Dairy farms?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: we produce Fresh milk, fermented/ sour milk (SOOW) and yoghurt of different flavours and various beef products.
The Agricultural Voice: what are your plans on future expansion?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: we intend to increase pure breed herd population to 150 plus, upgrade factory to commence production of UHT long life milk, introduce tetra-pack packaging facilities to facilitate exports, introduce new products as milk volumes increase like cheese, butter, cream. These would all be placed on the position to take advantage of ECOWAS trade liberalization scheme duty waivers making exports to larger markets in the region like Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal a feasible proposition.
The Agricultural Voice: in what ways would you say Kombo dairy farms have contributed National Development?
Mr Sulayman Mboob: well, we have provided a service of production of fresh pasteurized milk, safe hygiene sour milk natural and sweet sealed in containers. The provision of employment, improving in agricultural production, undertaking rice production for feed sustenance, employing over 100 women during farming season, the only meat processing plant in the Country and the training of Gambians to provide quality control laboratories services.
Growing and processing top quality rice will get you top money
This interview was made possible by Farm Radio International and the names and locations were adapted for simplicity to Farmers in The Gambia.
Host 1: Good morning, dear listeners of The Agricultural Voice. Today we’re going to talk about how you can get top money for your rice crop. It’s well known that African consumers are getting more demanding when it comes to their food, and especially their rice. A lot of people don’t even have time anymore to sort and clean their rice before cooking it.
Host 2: That’s right. So if you’re a rice farmer and you want to sell your rice for a high price, you have to make sure it’s a top quality product that customers will want to buy. It needs to be clean, with no dirt or sand in it, and easy to cook.
Host 1: Yes, and we want consumers to buy our local rice, which is better for our health and the local economy. To get high quality rice, there are several things you’re going to have to do. Plant only one variety per plot, harvest at the right time, keeps different varieties separate at all times, and make sure there is no sand or dirt in the rice. Lastly, remember to always use the most effective methods to dry and store the rice.
Host 2: Let’s start by talking about rice varieties. When it’s time to plant, take care not to mix the seeds of different varieties. Otherwise, you’ll get all shapes and sizes when you harvest, and that will cause problems during milling. The smallest grains will pass without being milled if the calibration of the grader is wide. Or, if the calibration is small, the big grains will break before passing through the sieve.
Host 1: So rice isn’t like maize, and it shouldn’t be mixed at planting. If you have several varieties you want to grow, plant only one variety in each plot. That will make milling easier.
Host 2: If you take this advice and plant a different variety on each plot, you’ll have to make sure the varieties stay separate at harvest time. You should thresh, dry and store them separately to have a uniform product at milling. If you mix up the different varieties, the rice is difficult to cook because each variety has its own cooking time.
Host 1: The next thing we should mention is the timing of your harvest. If you harvest too early, the rice will contain too many green grains. These grains will turn into flour when you mill them.
Host 2: That’s true. But on the other hand, don’t wait until the panicles become too dry. The right time to harvest is five weeks after flowering, or five weeks after the appearance of the panicle. You can easily see this yourself.
Host 1: The change in the colour of the grain is probably the best way to tell that your rice is ready to harvest. Usually, it’s ready when the colour of almost all the grains shifts from green to fairly straw-coloured. This partly depends on the variety of rice.
Host 2: So let’s say it’s five weeks after flowering and it’s time for threshing. Threshing is the process of separating the paddy from the panicles. It’s at this time, during threshing, that sand and bits of dirt can get into the rice and really ruin it.
Host 1: However, if you are careful, it is possible to avoid these contaminants in the rice. First, threshing has to be done in a clean place. It may be on a tarpaulin, on sewn bags that you spread on the ground, or on cemented soil.
Host 2: That’s right. In some parts of The Gambia, farmers thresh manually on a tarpaulin under a mosquito net. In this way, they avoid mixing the grains of different varieties and keep dirt out of the rice. Even if they have a pedal thresher or power thresher, they still work on a tarpaulin so that dust and dirt doesn’t get into the rice.
Host 1: But all that is not enough. Winnowing has to be done repeatedly after threshing to ensure that all the contaminants are removed from the rice.
Host 2: Before we go further, let’s quickly summarize all the steps we’ve mentioned so far.
Host 1: Okay, we’ve explained why mixing varieties should be avoided, when to harvest, and how threshing should be done so you don’t get dirt in the grain.
Host 2: That’s right. But these precautions alone do not always ensure good quality rice. We still have to dry and store the grain. Indeed, without these last two steps, you cannot be sure you will get high quality rice.
Host 1: Let’s talk about the best way to dry rice.
Host 2: If you dry your rice on the ground or at the roadside, impurities may get into the rice. It’s much better to dry your rice on a tarpaulin. And remember; at all times avoid mixing different varieties.
Host 1: Don’t dry the rice for too long under the sun. If the rice becomes too dry, it breaks. Instead, dry your rice for just a couple of hours in the sun, making sure you turn it over every now and then so it dries evenly. After a few hours, continue drying it in the shade.
Host 2: To make sure the rice is dry enough, take a bit of it and rub it between your hands. If the hull rubs off easily, this means the rice has the right dryness. You can also take a grain and test it with your teeth. If it crunches, then the rice is dry and ready for storage.
Host 1: Even if your rice has dried well, you can’t be sure of its quality. You have to make sure that your storage place does not allow moisture to enter the rice. If you’re not careful, the rice can take on more moisture and grow mouldy. For example, this could happen if you store rice directly on the soil, even cemented soil.
Host 2: So it’s definitely not a good idea to store paddy directly on the ground. Instead, make sure there is a barrier between the rice and the soil. For example, when you store rice in a bag and put it on top of some dry wood, it preserves well and does not decay. Make sure to leave a space between the bags so that air can flow around them and pests can be easily controlled.
Host 1: Remember that all of these practices must also be followed during and after milling. They will help you to better conserve your milled rice.
Fade out background music and hold under host
Host 2: Processing and storing high quality rice is the best way to compete with imported rice. Dear rice growers, collectors and processors, now that we have talked to you about the best practices to improve rice quality, please go ahead with producing good quality rice. It is in your best interest! That’s all for today’s program. Thanks and goodbye!
A Gambian farmer uses water hyacinth to feed chickens
This interview was made possible by Farm Radio International and the names and locations were adapted for simplicity to Farmers in The Gambia.
Program host: Good morning, dear friends and listeners of KWT Radio. Welcome to
Today’s program, whose theme is "using water hyacinth to feed chickens.”, Let us listen to how a farmer from Mansajang village in The Gambia uses water hyacinth to feed chickens. Our guest is poultry farmer Mr. Peter Baldeh. I am your host and presenter, Femi Peters. Stay tuned!
Reporter: I am in Mansajang village in Basse, Upper River Region, in the compound of Mr. Peter Baldeh, a poultry farmer. Welcome to the program, Mr. Baldeh.
Mr. Baldeh: (Clears his throat) Thank you. My name is Peter Baldeh. I am a poultry farmer. I
raise local breeds. Our country has had food shortages for quite a while, particularly in grains
like maize and millet. Most poultry farmers like me are faced with difficult choices and do not
know what to do.
Reporter: I can see your compound is occupied by chickens of different colours, a very clear
sign that you are a poultry farmer. What can you tell us about the poultry farming that you
practice?
Mr. Baldeh: Let me begin by saying that poultry farming is the raising of chickens for either
eggs or meat. In most cases, people use hybrid chickens for eggs, raising chickens known as
layers, or for meat, from chickens known as broilers. My case is different because I raise one
type of chicken for both eggs and meat.
Reporter: Can you describe to our listeners how you do it?
Mr. Baldeh: I raise local breeds of chicken which are used both for meat and for eggs. Raising
local breeds is not as complicated as raising hybrid animals. The local breeds are fertilized by
cocks. They lay eggs, which hatch without much attention. The hens which lay eggs for sale are
kept away from the cocks that might fertilize them. Fertilized eggs go bad quite quickly and
can’t be sold or stored for long.
Reporter: Can you briefly describe to our listeners how you feed your poultry?
Mr. Baldeh: Well, I used to feed them on grains such as maize and millet. But currently I am
using feed produced from water hyacinth.
Reporter: Why did you switch from grains to hyacinth and how did you do it?
Mr. Baldeh: It is a long story. But I can say that my chickens contributed to this change. For
quite a long time I used grain. But all of a sudden I ran out of grain. I couldn’t afford to buy grain
to feed the chickens. So I simply left them to look for whatever food they could find within the
compound.
I later learned that the chickens lost weight. They also began to jump over the fence and look for
feed at the Stream.
Reporter: Were the chickens in any danger while feeding at the Stream?
Mr. Baldeh: Yes. A few days later, I realized that a number of my chickens were missing. Then
one day, a cock ran home with a deep cut on its throat. I ran to the shore where they were feeding
on hyacinth, only to find a mongoose ready to pounce on another cock.
Reporter: What did you do?
Mr. Baldeh: I was worried and didn’t know what to do. I could not stop them from searching
for feed, yet I could not provide for them. The next day I spent all day at the shore the, trying to
keep my chickens safe. But most importantly, I wanted to see what they ate there, so that I could
bring it home for them to feed on.
I realized they were pecking and feeding on the dry hyacinth. Occasionally, they could come
across some insects and feed on them as well. So I carried a sack full of dry hyacinth plants
home. Most of the chickens enjoyed feeding on the plants that I brought home, though a few still
went to the shore after briefly feeding on it.
Reporter: But what they are feeding on here does not look like the hyacinth plant I know.
Mr. Baldeh: Yes, this is chopped, dried and ground water hyacinth.
Reporter: At first, you told us that they were feeding from the dry hyacinth. But now this is
chopped and ground. Can you please explain this to us?
Mr. Baldeh: Come over and see.
Mr. Baldeh: Except for some of the cocks, most of the chickens spend their day feeding on the
dry collected hyacinth. They peck at the hyacinth and turn it with their feet as they feed. They
did this for two days when I brought the dry hyacinth home. But the chickens were finding it
difficult to break the hyacinth.
Then I thought that if I chopped and ground the hyacinth into pieces, it would be easier for the
chickens to feed. The small chicks could also easily feed. I continued doing this, and I also
brought termites and mixed them with the feed. The chickens liked this too. I got the idea of
adding termites because, when I was watching them at the shore, I could see them eating the
termites they occasionally came across. So my chickens became fat and healthy and stopped
going to the shore in search of food.
Reporter: It seems that the water hyacinth – which is believed to be a bad weed, or be a bad
omen to the people of the area – is now becoming a useful plant for making chicken feed. Is this
so, Mr. Baldeh?
Mr. Baldeh: Yes. It has really helped me sustain my chickens. In fact, they are healthier than
they used to be when I was feeding them on grain. And now I am using all the grain that I used
to feed them for my own food.
Reporter: Could you please describe to our listeners how to turn the water hyacinth into chicken
feed?
Mr. Baldeh: First you pick the dry hyacinth plants from the lakeshore. Then you chop them into
pieces. After chopping, you place the pieces in the grinding stones and grind them. Add a little
water to make it slightly moist. Then you serve it to the chickens. I have to say that the process is
not easy to undertake. It needs some time, energy and determination. My family members help
me a great deal with this.
Reporter: And this process has been of benefit to you and your chickens?
Mr. Baldeh: Yes, this is how it has worked for me. I believe also that this will greatly help
farmers in the rapidly changing climate. I invite other farmers to try this and join me so that we
can improve on food security and in turning this water weed into a useful plant.
Reporter: Mr. Baldeh, thank you for inviting us to your home and speaking to us about using
water hyacinth to produce chicken feed.
Program host: Dear listeners and my dear farmers, we hope that you have learned one low-cost
way to make chicken feed. In today's broadcast, we have talked about the steps involved in
producing chicken feed from water hyacinth. We have also talked about raising local breeds of
poultry. Thank you, Mr. Baldeh, for speaking with us today. Thank you, dear listeners, for your
attention, and until next time I am your host and presenter, Femi Peters.
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