General Manager of Manasseh Farms Ghana, Mr. Richard Yeboah, has identified pig farming as the most lucrative in the livestock industry. He attributed his ascription to the effect of the “disease resistance abilities”, abilities of pigs.
The pig farmer made the allusions during an interview with Edwin Larbi on Rite FM’s ‘Kuapa Yo.’
“Pig farming is the most profitable in the livestock industry and this is due to its ability to resist some diseases and reproduce more in a short time,” he said.
Pig production is a lucrative economic venture that can be practiced by low income livestock farmers at the farm level.
The Pig farming business is booming in Ghana presently particularly due to the high demand of pork especially in some regions like the Greater Accra and Ashanti among others.
Mr. Yeboah explained the different types of pig farming which he described as sustainable.
“Pig farming can be done on small scale, medium scale and on commercial basis and it’s a very sustainable business for our youth to venture into,” he told host Edwin Larbi.
The female, the Sow can deliver between twelve to twenty (12-20) piglets at a time unlike other livestock like sheep which can only deliver one or two within a whole year.
Since pigs produce more and easily multiply in number, Mr. Yeboah therefore advised pig farmers to do the farming on a permanent land or farm to avoid the inconveniences of moving them from one place to another.
The Manasseh Farms General manager further called for more education for pig farmers in order to abreast themselves of new farming methods.
“The old methods of rearing livestock are fading out and there’s a need for more education for pig farmers to equip them with modern ways of feeding, vaccinating and others,” he called.
He also advised that pigs are kept intensively to prevent the possibility of them getting infested with diseases.
Though there are several breeds of pigs, the common ones include Duroc, Hampshire, Landrace, Large White, Large Black and Camborough. The sow has a short gestation period and farrows several young ones at a go.
When properly managed, pig production can improve the economic, social and health status of farmers.
The success of any pig enterprise depends first and foremost on the feeding of stock with a well-balanced diet.
The nutritional needs of pigs in the various phases of their life cycle vary, hence to achieve the maximum benefits of fast growth and efficient feed conversation; there is the need to meet the feed requirement of the critical stages.
Source: Joyce Bedeley/ritefmonline.org/jbedeley@9357.com
