popular article handique (2021) commercial pig farming in
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Commercial Pig Farming in India: A Profitable Business
Bornalee Handique*
PhD scholar, Division of Animal Nutrition
ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, UP-243122
Corresponding Author
Bornalee Handique
Email: [email protected]
Keywords
Pig, Farming, Business, Breed.
How to cite this article:
INTRODUCTION
s per 20th livestock census, India’s pig
population is 9.06 million which
amounts to about 2% of the country’s
entire livestock. The total pigs in the country
have decreased by 12.03% over the previous
census. Highest share of country’s pig
population was found in Assam (2.1 million)
followed by Jharkhand (1.28 million),
Meghalaya (0.71 million) and West Bengal
(0.54 million). In India commercial pig farming
for meat production is one of the best and
profitable businesses. There are numerous pig
breeds are available throughout the world but
for pig farming we can choose the local breeds
which are easily available and adopted in our
area. A few years back, pig farming had a bad
picture in the social order (only socially back
warded down-trodden class Indian people have
used to raise pigs since the time immemorial
and they were not respectable people). At
present the scenario has changed tremendously
and commercial pig farming in India is no more
confined to lower class masses. Now-a-days
people are conscious about the economic value
of pigs like other domestic stock animals.
A
ABSTRACT
In India, majority of pigs are reared in traditional small-scale production systems. Besides
providing protein for human consumption, pigs are often one of the main sources of cash
income in rural areas and provide manure for cropping. Further it provides a financial
safety umbrella in distress and playing a role in cultural traditions of communities. Among
tribal communities in India, smallholder pig rearing provides for nutritional, financial
benefits as well as providing for conversion of household waste into fertilizer for
agricultural crops. Considering these fact pig farming can be considered as a profitable
business.
OPEN ACCESS
Handique, B. 2021. Commercial Pig Farming in India: A Profitable Business. Vigyan Varta 2(2):
34-38.
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Pig production in North-East India
In the states of North-East India, almost every
household has a small piggery farm. There is a
huge demand for pigs because people of this
state prefer pork as compare other meats.
Majority of the pigs in this hilly region are
reared in intensive production system and fed
with homemade cooked feed (kitchen waste and
locally available plants). Pig rearing under a
low-input production system in the Nagaland
State of India where nonconventional feed
resources contribute majority of the feedstuffs
offered to the animals. Small land holders in
Nagaland are adopting more profitable and less
labour intensive backyard pig production to
increase cash returns and accumulate capital in
banks. In Mizoram and Sikkim, it has been
observed that crossbred pigs were preferred for
better growth performance, higher weight gain,
larger litter size and greater back fat thickness.
Indigenous breeds of pigs in India
There are several indigenous breeds of pigs in
our country. Some of them are listed below:
1. Ghungroo – Pigs of this breed are found
along Indo-Nepal border, Jaipalguri and Cooch
Behar in West Bengal and North Assam.
Animals are mostly black coloured with typical
Bull dog face appearance.
2. Jovaka – Pigs of this breed is found in
Mizoram and Manipur. Animals have small,
compact body with long legs and weigh around
40 -50 kg at maturity.
3. Ankamali – This breed inhabits states of
Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil
Nadu. Typical characteristics of this breed
include black to brown coat colour, small, body
with long legs and mature body weight of 40 to
50 kg.
4. Desi – It is found in all states of India.
Animals have brown to black coat colour,
small, compact body with long legs and weigh
around 40 to 80 kg at maturity.
Exotic breeds of pigs
1. Large white Yorkshire – It is mostly used
exotic breed in India. White coat colour with
occasional black pigmented spots, erect ears,
snout of medium length and dished face are
unique characteristics of this breed. Mature
body weight ranges from 300 to 500 kg.
2. Middle White Yorkshire – Typical
characteristics of this breed include white coat
colour, long muscular neck and long back with
a mature body ranging from 270 to 360 kg.
3. Landrace –This breed is typically white
coloured with black skin spots. They have a
long body, large drooping ears and long snout.
Mature body weight ranges from 250-350 kg
4. Berkshire – Black coloured with white
patches on feet, snout and tail. Small head, face
depressed in middle and saucer shaped body
with flexible ribs are typical characteristics of
this breed. Mature body weight ranges from
280-350 kg.
5. Hampshire – Animals are black with white
strip across forelegs to shoulder. Typical
characteristics include small and erect ears,
small and compact body. Sows have good
mothering ability.
Advantages of pig farming
Pigs transform inedible feeds, forages,
certain grain by-products obtained
from mills, meat by products, damaged
feeds and food waste into valuable
nutritious meat. Most of these feeds are
either not edible or not really palatable
to human beings.
Pig grows fast and is farrowing 10 to 12
piglets at a time. It is able of raising two
litters per year under optimal
management conditions.
The carcass yield of pig is quite high
which is 60-80% of live body weight.
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Low investment is required for
housing, feeding and for control of
disease.
The ratio of total consumable meat and
total body weight is higher in pigs.
Pig meat is higher in fat and energy and
lower in water. It is also one of the
most nourishing and tasty meat.
Pig fat also has anenormous demand in
poultry feed, paints, soap and chemical
industries and this demand is
continuously increasing.
The faeces of pigs can be used as a
manure to maintain soil fertility.
How to Start Pig Farming in India
To start commercial pig farming you must have
proper knowledge regarding pig farming. For
successful pig farming you have to go through
some step-by-step process.
1. Selection of suitable land
Choosing a suitable land or place is very
important and foremost step in start pig
farming. Following points keep in mind while
selecting the land:
Ensure availability of sufficient
amount of clean and refreshing water in
your selected field.
Select a calm and noise free area.
Attempt to select or purchase land in
rural region. Because land and labour
are easily set up in rural areas within
very cheap rate.
Consider the facility of making a
browsing place for your pigs.
A suitable market near your farm area
will be very helpful. You will be able
to trade your wares and buy necessary
commodities, vaccines and medicines.
A good shipping system with the
market will be very efficient.
While selecting land considers the
status of veterinary services in your
chosen area.
2. Selection of pig breed
After choosing a desirable land, it’s time to buy
some highly productive pig breeds. In our
country most of the pig farmers are raising low
productive small sized pigs. As a result they are
not getting desired production. For commercial
pig farming should be rare highly meat
productive pig breeds.
3. Housing of pig
For successful pig farming a better housing and
all necessary equipment are very important.
Housing not only provides protection but also
hold them safe from inclement weather, leeches
and various cases of pig diseases. There must
be proper ventilation system. Make proper
facility for keeping the boar, farrowing, weaner
and dry sow separated from each other.
Class of
animals
Covered
floor
area per
animal
(m2)
Open-
yard
area
per
animal
(m2)
Water
required
(litres)
Boar 6.25-7.5 8.8-
12.0
45.5
Farrowing 7.5-9 8.8-
12.0
18-22
Weaner 0.96-1.8 8.8-12 3.5-4
Dry sow 1.8-2.7 1.4-1.8 4.5-5
Feeding of pigs
Feed alone represents more than 75% of total
cost of production in pig farming.
Development, production and animal health
depend on feeding high quality and nutritious
feed. Therefore, select most economical
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ingredients for preparing pig feed. The basic
components of pig feed are oat, grains, corn,
wheat, rice, sorghum and other millets. You can
add just about protein supplements like oil
cakes, fish meal and meat meal. Add all types
of mineral and vitamin supplements. Keep the
different aged pigs separately and feed them
according to their age and weight. Along with
feeding nutritious food, constantly serve them a
sufficient amount of clean and refreshing water.
Many farmers are unable to support costly
feeding ingredients due to high cost of feed
ingredients. Therefore, you can use
unconventional feeds in order to reduce the feed
cost. The alternatibe feeds for pig are colocasia,
steamed flakeed rice byproduct, water hyacinth,
bakery byproducts, suger beet, sweet potato,
banana tree, tea waste, crab meal, snail meal,
hatchery byproduct meal etc. The
unconventional feeds can be used which are
available in large quantities at cheaper rate,
however presence of one or other anti-
nutritional factors like tannin, gossypol, oxalic
acid, phytic acid reduce the productivity of
animals by hampering digestibility of nutrients.
Food demand varies according to the age and
body weight of pigs.
Breeding of pigs
Breeding processes are very gentle and
uncomplicated. Generally, both male and
female pigs become suitable for breeding
within their 8 months of age. The heat period of
female pig length for 2 to 3 days. First day
during the heat period of gilts is the best time to
breed and second day is best for sow. A sow
become suitable for breeding again after 2 to 10
days of weaning. The gestation period of pigs is
not more than 115 days. A sow can give birth
of piglets twice a year and about 8 to 12 piglets
each time.
Moost common diseases in pigs
Infecteous diseases: Tuberculosis,
anthrax, dysentery, swine plague etc.
Contagious diseases: Hog cholera, foot
and mouth disease etc.
Parasitic diseases: Ascaris, Tapeworm
etc.
Skin disease: Examithama, hair loss
etc.
Diseases of reproductive Organs:
Metritis, Brucellosis etc.
Diseases of digestive Tracts:
Stomatitis, Diarrhoea, Dysentery,
constipation etc.
Miscellaneous Diseases: Rheumatism,
Crippling, Ricket etc.
Diseases could be prevented by segregation,
quarantine, personal hygiene, keeping the
grazing place free of parasites, vaccination and
medication for cure.
Anaemia in piglets
Anaemia is a common nutritional disease in
piglets. Suckling pigs are highly susceptible for
iron deficiency. Piglets kept in confinement to
concrete stalls are more susceptible due to their
non accesssibility to greens or soil. This
condition can be prevented and cured by
supplying iron either orally or by injection. Oral
administration consists of spraying or swabbing
the sow’s udder with a saturated solution of
ferrous sulphate (0.5 kg of ferrous sulphate in
10 liters of hot water). This solution must be
applied daily from birth until the piglets start
eating creep feed. Intra muscular injection of
iron dextran compounds at 4th and 14th day after
birth is the more efficient method of preventing
anaemia.
CONCLUSIONS
Commercial pig farming in India is really a
profitable business and the social scenario of
pig farming business has shifted greatly. But
there is need for strengthening the pork
marketing mechanisms at the local level to the
marketing channels and integrate production
programme with slaughter houses to ensure
better sustainability. Piggery has the potential
to have a positive impact on the livelihood of
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millions of resource poor, under-privileged,
landless and marginal farmers.
REFERENCES
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Patr, M.K.,Begum, S. and Deka, B.C. (2014).
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