By Muifha Tshifiwa
“Establishing a pig farming business comes with responsibility especially for first timers who want to become successful pork producers. It is important for new entrants to understand the basic requirements for infrastructure and costs implications to run the project.
“Access to land that will be distance from residential area, conducting of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the farm before the piggery is constructed, design of the pig house (the design must include shelters and divided by number of individual holding pens or compartments that will keep pigs of different ages and sizes apart), construction cost, feed and running costs.
“This is in addition to securing of the market, having good biosecurity facility in place to protect pigs against diseases, proper hygiene and of course, supporting staff”, said Rolivhuwa Mavhetha from South African Pork Producers Organsiation (SAPPO)
Mavhetha was addressing farmers with interest in pig production during the pork producer information day hosted by the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (LDARD) Vhembe District held at Benny’s Sports Academy, Tshiozwi village, Vhembe West Agro Ecological Zone on 18 July 2023.
Ronewa Mavhetha from SAPPO explains the basic requirements to establish pig farming.
The workshop was part of the formal and informal platforms the department strive to create to change lives of the farming community for the better.
In those sessions, the department through agricultural advisors constantly empowers, capacitates, trains, and introduces new farming methods to equip producers to maximise production, hence profit margins.
Mavhetha indicates how profitable pig farming can be if those requirements are put in place.
He mentioned that first timers should start with weaners that are already on solid food. He noted that growing weaners will help the growers to understand the behavioural pattern of the piglets at the growing stage, the feed and management techniques.
Mavhetha finally mentioned about the construction of the drinking trough supported by reliable water supply.
In his concluding remarks, Mavhetha said top of the advantages of producing pork is that it is lower in farming cost and provides high profit margins as compared to other types of livestock farming.
Ronewa Mavhetha tells participants that pig farming is more profitable and lower in running costs as compared to other livestock production.
