6.1 Conducting Market survey

A market survey is the planned collection of information about buyers, prices, competitors and demand before goats or goat products are taken to market. It tells the farmer what to sell, when to sell, where to sell and at what price, so that animals are not sold cheaply to the first trader who comes to the gate. A good survey is done before breeding and fattening decisions are made, because the market should decide how many goats are kept and for which product.

Example: a goat group in Nuu visited three livestock markets and two butcheries before the December season and found that castrated yearling bucks fetched about Ksh 2,000 more each at the sub-county market than at the farm gate.

Purpose of a market survey

• Identify buyers: find out who buys goats and goat products in the area, such as traders, butcheries, hotels, schools, milk bars and tanneries.
• Know current prices: record the price per head, per kilogramme of live weight or carcass, per litre of milk and per skin, so that the farmer can bargain from knowledge.
• Establish demand and seasons: find out when demand is high, for example during Christmas, Eid al-Adha, school opening and wedding seasons, and when it is low.
• Know buyer preferences: learn the type of animal or product buyers want, such as weight, age, breed, colour, condition and whether bucks should be castrated.
• Study competitors: find out who else supplies the market, how much they sell and at what price.
• Plan production: use the findings to decide how many goats to fatten, when to mate does so that kids are ready for peak demand, and whether to add value (for example selling milk instead of live animals).

Information to collect

• Product and quantity demanded: the number of goats or litres of milk buyers take per week or month.
• Prices and price changes: prices on different days and in different months, including the lowest and highest.
• Market location and distance: how far each market is, the road condition and the transport cost.
• Market charges: county cess, market fees, broker commission and permit costs.
• Terms of payment: cash, M-Pesa, credit or payment after slaughter.
• Quality standards: body condition, health certificates, milk hygiene and skin quality that buyers demand.

Methods of conducting a market survey

• Personal interviews: talking face to face with traders, butchers and consumers using a short list of questions.
• Questionnaires: written questions given to many buyers so that answers can be compared.
• Observation: visiting markets on market days and watching which animals sell fastest and at what price.
• Telephone and social media enquiries: calling buyers or using farmer WhatsApp groups to ask for current prices.
• Secondary information: reading county livestock office reports, market price bulletins and cooperative records.
• Group discussions: meeting other goat farmers to share price and buyer information.

Steps in conducting a market survey

1. Set the objective: decide what you want to know, for example the best market for 20 fattened goats in December.
2. Identify the markets and respondents: list the livestock markets, butcheries, hotels and traders to be visited.
3. Prepare the tools: write the questions, prepare a notebook or record form, and carry a phone for calls and photos.
4. Collect the information: visit, interview and observe on the main market days, and record answers immediately.
5. Analyse the information: compare prices, costs and demand in each market, and calculate the likely profit after transport and fees.
6. Make a decision: choose the market, the selling time and the product to sell.
7. Keep the survey record: file the findings so that they can be compared with the next survey.