In the Philippines, most businesses in the agricultural parts of the provinces involve raising pigs. While some families do it for a source of food, most venture further and expand by establishing facilities to run a large-scale piggery business.
Filipinos are no stranger to eating meat, pork is one of our common staples of food along with rice. Pork has its qualities in that it is affordable, tasty, and can be cooked in a variety of ways. It is in these reasons why setting up a piggery business is a viable and profitable venture that make your return of investment worth it.
Before considering starting up a piggery business, however, it is important to know what you will be needing to do to succeed in this line of work. That is why this article will provide the information you need to know when you start up a piggery of your own.
It is important to know the inherent risks in your investment in raising pigs before thinking about the profit you will rake in. Pigs are vulnerable to many types of diseases which can obtained from dirty living conditions, contaminated feed, and being close to other pigs during transportation. Most of the time they are slaughtered to save the others from being contaminated.
Another risk you should note is the typhoons that visit as every year as they wreck farms often and destroy livestock.
Lastly, keep in mind that because we eat these pigs we have standards on the quality of the livestock that is raised and as such, their feeds cost are expensive.
The first method is procuring the pigs when they are young, at about 12 to 20 kg in weight. You then sell them when they reach 90 kg. A starter pig costs approximately P1,600 to P2,000 and will take usually three months to feed until it can be sold.
The second method involves pig breeding, by purchasing a sow that usually costs about P12,000, which will give birth 4 to 6 months later.
The first method is more popular due to the shorter time it takes to sell the pig compared to a year of pig breeding. The important thing to note is there are less risks of loss in acquiring starter pigs instead of pig breeding, so you should keep that in mind in making decisions.
Now that you know what kind of set up you will take, the next step would be legalizing your business by providing the required documents:
You may need a conservative amount of Php 40,000 to Php100,000 anywhere to start a pig farming business, depending on how you want to start. You can always start small and buy them one by one but you can go full blast and start everything right away.
How Much Capital Piggery Farm In Philippines
Do you also know how much a pig farmer earns?In general, in the United States, you can make a net profit of $ 100,500 from 1 pig after six months of breeding in the United States, depending on how you sell the pig (whether or not you plan to process the meat and how you plan to feed it). 1 pound of pork is usually $ 24. Often times, the price is around $ 3.5 per pound.
Business Risks of a Piggery Business
1. Vulnerability to Diseases – Over the years, we’ve read stories of people getting sick or afflicted with certain conditions after eating pork. Many pigs were slaughtered to prevent further contamination of livestock. Pigs are vulnerable to diseases which could be a consequence of the following:
You will have to factor in contingencies in the budget that will prevent your pigs from getting infected and sick or reducing the risks of an outbreak.
2. Inclement Weather – In 2015, Typhoon Lando destroyed 517,000 Pesos worth of livestock in Ilocos, the Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and the Cordillera regions.
It is very important that the pens are constructed from a sturdy concrete material. You should also install efficient drainage systems to keep water from overflowing.
3. High Cost of Feeds – Regular and systematic feeding schedules are important to ensure the size and quality of the pig. But an increase in the prices of feed can seriously impact your profit margins. As a matter of fact, in 2013 62,000 tons of pork was imported from the US and Canada because locally grown commercial pigs became too expensive.
These risks are very real in the Philippines which is a net importer and has unpredictable weather.
As contingencies, make sure you have a veterinarian on duty at your piggery. It may add to your monthly budget but consider the veterinarian as insurance versus diseases.
To manage your costs on feeds, you can try to source cassava, camote, corn and corn by- products that have been discarded from nearby farms or slaughterhouses as options. But make sure these items are properly cleaned and thoroughly cooked before feeding to the pigs.
Adhere to the location requirements
Because piggeries involve environmental waste, they are to follow these location requirements to consider when evaluating an area:
FAQ
How much money do you need to start a pig farm?
How much is 1 piglet in the Philippines?
How much land is needed for a pig farm?
- Know the risks. …
- Determine your set up. …
- Submit the business requirements. …
- Adhere to the location requirements. …
- Provide comfortable housing and feeding schedule.
