Pig farmers advised on good feed

The need for pig farmers to provide their animals with quality feed for them to be healthy and attract good market was the focus of attention at a seminar organised in Kumasi for pig farmers in the Ashanti Region.

A total of 150 pig farmers attended the seminar which was also designed to sensitise them to appreciate the essence of regularly advertising their stock as one of the best for human consumption.

During the seminar, it came to light that instead of using a mixture of concentrate, maize, soya beans,cotton seeds and wheat bran, among other products, to feed their pigs, local pig farmers use the peels of plantain, cassava, cocoyam and assorted leaves.

The result is that animals bred by local pig farmers do not acquire the right weight to attract good market and generate the requisite revenue for the farmers to expand their farms.

It also came to light that the amateur way of rearing pigs in the country causes the animals to produce too much fat, a situation that make pork products less attractive to the consuming public.

Right concentrate

A pigs concentrate, known as Hendrix, said to be the requisite formula for enhancing the growth of pigs, was thus launched at the seminar.

Speaking on the topic: “Feeding the pigs the right way to achieve maximum weight with less fats for human consumption,” the Chief Executive of Boris B Farms and Veterinary, Mr Boris Baidoo, expressed concern about the lackadaisical manner pig farmers had been feeding their animals.

He said the use of plantain, cassava and yam peels to feed pigs without recourse to the percentage of the nutritional content of such feeds had been the bane of poverty among pig farmers.

“ There is no way that you can use such products to feed pigs for them to acquire the right weight after six months “ he said.

Fatty meat

According to Mr Baidoo, pigs fed with cassava, plantain and cocoyam peels were also not attractive to the consuming public, because they gained too much fat.

Such situations, he said, always cost the farmers much money, explaining that “ fatty pigs do not produce the right weight to attract good market for profit maximisation.”

He said instead of feeding pigs anyhow, it was important for pig farmers to use the right feeds for their animals at all the stages of their lives.

He said depending on the stage at which the pigs were, the right percentage of Hendrix concentrate, yellow maize, wheat bran, soya beans, oyster shells, and cotton seed should be used to feed the animals.

“ With good feed, we can produce the best meat from pigs to attract the consuming public for them to demand our products, thereby maximising profits and expanding our businesses,” he stressed.

Mr Baidoo also challenged the participants to appreciate the need to advertise their products in both the electronic and print media to enhance patronage.

He said good advertising, nutritious feed and a hygienic way of feeding pigs would make the consuming public appreciate pork as good for consumption.

By George Ernest Asare/Daily Graphic/Ghana