Pig Farming Business Guide

Eyeing Uganda piggery as your next African business venture or you're looking online
for some pigs/piglets/pork/bacon or just advice to solve a mind boggling problem on your pig
farm...?

If you've been around Uganda's eating joints lately, then you know
that pork is a popular delicacy among dinners countrywide.
I've watched corporates rapidly emptying the Bacon dish at
one Serena Hotel's five start restaurant during breakfast,
Bacon is a main part of the popular Seven Deadly Sins breakfast
dish served at Emin pasha hotel,
Shreaded dry pork with onions is a favorite lunch order at Quong

xing, a new budget chinese restaurant in Kampala,

Shizziling pork, a dish served on its frying pan while still blazing is an
interesting dinner order I've observed at Arirrang Korean Restaurant,
and it goes without saying that Roasted pork remains an unbeatable
accompanment for an evening drink in most Ugandan towns and
villages today.
If you've been to Nakulabye, and Wandegeya towns near Makerere
University, you will be amazed at how droves of students and young
corporates alike never stop filling up the pork joints every evening.

Well, what ever your quest, I guess you've stumbled on this page because you have
some interest in Uganda's Pig production value chain and as such I suggest you read
on...
You could be just lines away from a possible solution to your current Uganda piggery
puzzle...!
After noting the rapidly evolving pork culture in Uganda today, I felt we should take a
closer look at how you can take advantage of the potentially huge market for pork and
pork products in Africa to start and sustain your own lucrative pig farming/piggery
business.
In this Pig Production Business Guide we share information about:

Why piggery could be good business for you

How to identify the good pig breeds to rare in Uganda
How to decide on a Pig farming System to adopt
How to profit from your pig farming business in Africa
Where you can buy pigs, pig products and farm supplies
You also have the opportunity to seek some free advice from the Pig Production
Business guide

In this guide we also do share interesting Piggery Investment success stories in

Uganda, so you can learn first hand from common people who have made it big in the Pig
production business.
Be sure NOT to miss Racheal Mubiru's story, the one Ugandan Woman who Became a
Millionairess from Piggery!

9 reasons Pig Farming could be good Business for you in Uganda

So why would you zero down on piggery and leave other domestic animals aside...?
Well, consider the points below so you can Know that you've made the right decision to
start planning a Pig Farming Business:

The pig has a high feed conversion efficiency and as such produces more live

weight gain from a given weight of feed than any other class of meat producing
animal, the big comes second only to the Broiler Chicken
The Pig is able to utilize a wide variety of food stuffs like Grains, forages, and

converts them into valuable nutritious meat. Feeding your pig on damaged grains
and other leftovers reduces the stress of buying food stuffs and concequently you will
spend less or no money on food, depending on the system you adopt.
Pigs are comparatively very fertile having a short generation interval; a female

pig/sow reaches maturity as early as 8-9 months when she can start breeding. In one
year your pig can produce/farrow twice, producing 8-12 piglets each time.
You will invest relatiely small on Buildings and farm equipment when starting your

pig Production Business.

You will comparatively yeild more meat from a pig than other animals in terms of

dressing percentage; you could easily get 65-80 percent meat from a pig and yet with
other livestock your dressing yeild would not exceed 65 percent.
Pork itself is a very nutritious meat with high fat and low water content, and has
got better energy value than that of other meats. The meat is rich in vitamins like
thiamin, Niacin and reboflavin. Your pig production business can thus be used to fight
malnutrion a well.

You can use the pig manure from your farm as a fertilizer for plants and fish

ponds
Pigs store fat rapidly for which there is an increasing demand from poultry feeds,

soap, paints and ther chemical industries.

Your pig farming business could provide quick returns since you can achive the

Marketable weight of fattening pigs within a period of 6-8 months.

As I mentioned earlier, there is currently good demand for Pig Farming products
from both the domestic and export markets.

You can make an order for pigs, pig products, farm supplies and advisory services here.

Identify the good Pig breeds for your commercial farm

Use this section to identify the breeds you will take to your commercial piggery unit.
Large white: You will identify this breed by its distinguished erect ears and slightly
dished face. The body is long with excellent hams and fine hair. This breed is very
prolifc with good mothering ability and can be used for pork and bacon production.
Landrace: You will identify this pig breed by its white colour, dropping ears and a
straight snout. Sows produce and rear litters of piglets with very good daily gain and
high lean meat content ideal for pork and bacon.
Duroc: You will identify this pig breed by its golden brown to black colour with a thick
aubum coat and hard skin. Ears are relatively small and slighly dropping. Traditionally
the Durocs hae been used as terminal sires, characterized by quick growth, deep body,
broad ham, and shoulder. The Duroc is good at looking after its young and as such is a
good breed for outdoor piggery. This pig breed is very suitable for anything from light
pock to heavy pig production.
Hampshire: Developed in the USA and now one of the world's most important pig
breeds. Extensively used as the sire of cross bred pigs for pork and bacon production. A
very prolific pig breed. Produces lean meat in abundance and comparatively produces
more meat than Large White and Landrace breeds.

Combrough: Commonly imported from South Africa, grow fast , have considerably less
fat and the females are great mothers who don't lose their babies. They feed babies well
and have enough milk. Give birth to an average of 14 piglets , 3 times a year. Can be
resistant to disease when managed well.
And now you know which breed to ask for next time you go to buy pigglets for your
farm!
You can make an order for pigs, pig products, farm supplies and advisory services here.

So which Pig Farming System should you deploy?

Depending on the amount of capital you can afford to invest on your pig farm; you will
have to choose one of these three (3) Pig farming systems.
Free range/scavenging pig keeping : a less extensive system that would provide your
household with an emergency fund to fall back to while supplying some little meat from
time to time. This is the system you will deploy with little investment of time and money.
Semi Intensive pig keeping: you will use this system when you want to keep your pigs
in a house and pay good attention to health and feeding. Production is higher and the
pigs are also marketed. This system is commonly used by medium scale pig farmers in
Uganda.
Intensive pig keeping: you will deploy this system when you want to produce meat
efficiently for the market and for profit, usually in large numbers. You will have to invest
significant time and money and carefully calculate your costs and resulting benefits. Be
ready to invest in modern housing and on pig requirements for health and feeding.

Further to the above pig farming systems, you have to decide on a Pig
Production System strategy.
Farrow to Wean: here you keep a parent stock of pigs and which give birth to piglets.
Once the piglets are born, you rare them up to weaning and sell to growers and
fatteners. You sell piglets only.

Farrow to Finish: here you raise piglets , wean them, grow them and fatten them in
one unit. You sell pork, and live pigs to slaughter houses. Adopt this strategy if you have
no market for piglets in your locality.
Fattening: Here you do not keep any parents on your farm. You continuously buy
piglets and grow them for pork.
You can make an order for pigs, pig products, farm supplies and advisory services here.

How to work around the business numbers for your Piggery Unit
Just like any other business, you have to plan before you seek to start up your pig farm
business. Whereas today we have increasing markets and prices for pig and pig
products, we're increasingly facing high costs of production that could eat into your
profits if we do not carefully plan for these costs.
No matter what system of production you choose to adopt, commercial pig production is
highly profitable if proper husbandry is followed.
The following assumptions will help you project your business profitability as an average
farmer:

a Piglet at 2 months, average weight 12Kg

Pig Average Weight Gain (ADG) per day is 0.607Kg
Breeding pigs are capable of producing 2 litters per year
Based on a service/gestation/farrowing/weaning/recovery cycle of 183 Days,
each female pig could produce 20 piglets per year.

Factors that will affect your Pig Farm Profitability

Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR): or Feed Coversion Efficiency (FCE): is the measure of
a pig's efficiency in converting feed mass into increased body mass. Specifically, FCR is

the mass of the food eaten divided by the body mass gain, all over a specified period.
Animal breeds with a low FCR are considered efficient users of feed.
Average Daily Gain (ADG): is a significant factor in assesssing growth rates in most
food animal species. Your aim is that you keep a pig that grows faster so that you can
achieve market weights in shortest period of time using the least amount of input/cost
so that you recieve the highest profit. In pig production, the most cost-efficient feed
conversion and the highest average daily gain are the primary factors determing
efficieny of production.
Health: poor health will up the feed conversion ratio and reduce the average daily gain.
Diseases like African Swine Fever (ASF) can wipe away all your pigs and cause a
massive loss.
Genetics: The current market demands leaner carcases , so you should strive to
produce leaner pigs, animals with high growth rate, larger litter size, high heritability and
low conversion ratio. All these are directly influenced by genetics.
Reproduction: poor selection of the breeding stock and choice of a boar or artifical
insaminate will directly affect your pig farming business profits.
Market and price: the market for pigs and pork is wide but has no importance before
you identify your own market and the price it offers.
For the case of Uganda, pig production has become increasingly important; evidenced
by the change in pig population from 0.19 to 3.2 million. In 2011, Uganda had the
highest per capita consumption of pork in sub-saharan africa at 3.4kg/person/year.
We have many butchers, restaurants, hotels and supermarkets establishing today with
pork on their menu both in Urban and rural areas. Pork is a delicacy to many Ugandans
and largely considered a social meat that cannot miss on several parties organized by
non- Muslim communities. Pork joints have also become meeting places for groups of
people who want to eat meat. Unlike other meats, many pork consumers in Uganda
prefer eating close to a kilogram of pork each time they meat at a pork joint!
You can make an order for pigs, pig products, farm supplies and advisory services here.

Costs: Items you will have to spend money on, when establishing your Pig Farming
Business
Fixed Costs: you will incurr these before you start any production. They remain the
same irrespective of any production increases or decreases and include: Building costs,
Purchase/construction of feed troughs, Purchases or replacement of breeding stock,
and Purchase of land.
Variable Costs: costs that will change in proportion to your production levels including
Veterinary costs, stationary , transport , Maintenace of facilities, Marketing costs, wages
and salaries , and losses due to mortalities.
Income: The sources from which your business expects money to come from will also
affect your profits. Your Pig Farming Business could expect to make money from the
sale of Weaners, Porkers and baconers, cull boars and sows, breeding boars and
sows ,as well as sale of Manure.
Profits: This is the difference between your costs and income. The costs should include
labor and any possible risk in your business. The most expensive input in pig production
is feeds because it consumes between 60 to 80% of the total production costs. You
have to implement strategies that will reduce the input costs in your business.