Pig Farming Idea: a Business-wise Opportunity for Youth

Pig farming consists of animal husbandry that is profitable depending on how one conducts it. Just like any endeavour in life, it demands most of the attention of the person in charge in order to achieve the desired objectives. However, this is a type of farming that ensures any young man/ woman who gets involved in a good economic situation.

Raising pigs has very outstanding long term benefits such as availability of the pork market as well as its end products; besides this, a pig farmer with a pregnant pig is assured of twelve piglets minimum. Pigs give birth in large numbers, what not only does it add assets to a farmer but also increases the income generation. 

How to start a pig farming activity?

It is good to raise pigs on pasture by leaving them occasionally to root around in the fields where they can find plants to eat, and that can only be achieved when you have a large enough farm land to cater for this. Starting a pig rearing activity begins with securing a plot in the case of small scale farmers, building a standard pig pen and buying healthy piglets from a farmer who understands the overall well-being of pigs. This will guarantee that their vaccination history will be known from a trusted source.

Likewise, the number of piglets to start with should not be too high as it helps to minimize the risk. Then, when the farmer will acquire the necessary experience, he/she will be able to gradually increase his/her stock. The following step in developing a pig farming business is to make sure you have the contact of a veterinarian for regular check-ups as well as for the nutritional feeding of the pigs. Regarding the care, a small scale farmer with less than 100 pigs would need one to two caretakers to clean their environment as well as to feed them.

Careless leads you to failure

The third and last action of this pig rearing idea is to arrange how to feed your pigs. This task demands devotion and caution, otherwise you will lead your farm to loss. This is why it is so important to pay attention to provide clean water that is replaced often, for example. As pigs enjoy swimming and cooling themselves from the day’s heat, having a clean pool of water nearby ensures that the pigs are neat at all times. In the same way, spacious, strong and strategically placed feeding troughs should also be standardized to prevent food being wasted.

Usually, it takes about seven-eight months for a piglet to grow to market size. With the current shift from beef to pork consumption increasing for health reasons, it makes that more and more young farmers venture to initiate a pig rearing activity as they see it as a lucrative idea. Moreover, as this business expands more, pig rearing multiplies income by a greater percentage. 

My experience so far within this sector has brough me to the conclusion that it is worth to invest in it, therefore I encourage everybody to learn more about it and try to develop the pig farming idea!

Picture credit: Piggy upclose, by Gareth Weeks.