By By Nikky F. Necessario
Pig farming is one of the top agricultural sectors in the Philippines. Around 12.7 million pigs are raised and it is set to progress more in the next 10 years making the Philippines one of the top pork producing countries in the world. If you are planning on venturing into pig farming, these are some of the factors you should take note to make it productive and profitable.
At the 28th National Hog Convention last April, a representative of Pig Improvement Company (PIC) Philippines noted the things to consider to make pig farming profitable.
A good farmer should know all the important data about their farm. One must know their production cost and revenue per pig and per year. The speaker quoted management thinker Peter Drucker, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” That is why everything should be taken into account.
First to be taken into account is productivity. To have a productive farm is to have a huge litter size per gestation. The sow must also take care of her young ones and the farmer must ensure the quality of the sows’ teats for good milk production. A productive farm produces piglets that survives and are not easily affected by diseases. The weight of the pigs must also be recorded because it is one way to compute whether the farm gains or loses via the formula Profit = (Revenue per kg – Cost per kg) x #kg.
Next is the cost to produce. This component is one that the farmer can control. Under this factor is the accounting of the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR). This is the ratio between how much a pig needs to eat to gain a kilogram. Expenses on food should also be recorded. Quality food can be pricey, but it could cut down medical costs in the future. Also included are costs in utilities such as water and electricity, as well as land and labor fees.
Maximizing revenue is the last thing to take into account. What comes with it is recording the meat quality produced by the pigs, how fat or how lean it is. The consumption of the market should also be reviewed. A smart farmer would also look into ways on how to add value to his/her meat, such as by producing cold cuts for markets and groceries.
There are factors to consider in productive pig operations, and like pillars, everything should be given equal significance because if not, it would collapse. These are genetics, proper management, nutrition, administration, housing, and health. All of these are interconnected to each other.
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