Comprehensive Guide to Pig Farming Business for Profits

Pig farming also referred to as pig breeding is without any doubt one of the most lucrative aspects of animal husbandry in agriculture but certain challenges often hinders or discourages some existing and intending pig farmers from becoming successful in their pig farming business and makes profits from their investments.

Pig farming or hog farming is the raising and breeding of domestic pigs as livestock, and is a branch of animal husbandry. Pigs are farmed principally for food (e.g. pork, bacon, gammon) and skins.

Pigs are a popular form of livestock, with more than one billion pigs butchered each year worldwide being raised from different pig farms or hog farms.

The majority of pigs are used for human food but also supply skin, fat and other materials for use as clothing, ingredients for processed foods, cosmetics, and medical use.

Today we are going to discuss and give you the comprehensive guide on how to set-up and operate a successful pig farming business within your location and make good profits as returns from your investments from them.

Please for the sake of this guide and to practically analyze this guide, I am going to use my country Nigeria as a case study but that doesn’t mean that every step discussed here doesn’t apply to your location or region as it actually cuts across how to setup and run a successful pig farming business in general regardless of your location or region but because we need to fix some figures on the calculations and analysis below, I had to use our Nigerian currency (₦) to enable me get the calculations right.

Use of Pigs as Food

Almost all of the pig can be used as food. Preparations of pig parts into specialties include: sausage (and casings made from the intestines), bacon, Gammon, ham, skin into pork scratching, feet into trotters, head into a meat jelly called head cheese (brawn), and consumption of the liver, chitterlings, and blood (blood pudding or brown pudding).

Pig Farming Production and Trade in Nigeria

As a pig farmer, you can sell a fully grown pig for as high as ₦50,000Nairadepending on the weight of the pigs.

Now, imagine if you can rear at least a 100 pigs to maturity, you will be making nothing less than #5 Million Naira from the sales.

If you can rear like 2000 pigs a year, you will be making roughly ₦100 Million Naira. Considering how fast pigs reproduce, it won’t be hard to rear 100 pigs in a year.

Read Also: Business Opportunities in Pig Farming Around the World

Guidelines to Set-Up a Successful Pig Farm for Profits

The question now is, how do you go about setting up this business? Below are some guidelines:

(1) Get a Farmland for Breeding

If you are a newbie to pig farming, then a plot of land wouldn’t be bad for a start.

For large scale pig farming, a big farmland will be worthwhile because it will enable the pigs to graze in the open and then retire to the pen where they will continue feeding and playing.

In pig farming business, the land is your primary investment. Once you can secure a pig farmland, you’re halfway near a successful business empire.

Getting a farmland in rural areas can save you lots of money.

You can purchase a very cheap and fertile farmland in Nigeria by contacting us through our website (www.Agric4profits.com) contact us page for more details.

Getting a large farmland favors the growth of pigs because the pigs will be able to graze around and also exercise their bodies by playing.

(2) Build Modern Pens

Setting up a big pen is necessary if you don’t want the pigs to injure themselves.

A well-equipped and spacious pen can save you lots of money which would have been spent on treating diseases.

A proper drainage system is essential to avoid stagnation of water around the pen which could attract disease vectors.

To prevent your pigs from getting dirty, building a water pool water pool where they will play, swim and cool themselves off when hot will be necessary. This concept is essential for their well-being of your pigs.

(3) Buy Healthy Pigs

Doing a proper research on the pigs you wish to purchase can as well save you lots of cash because when you buy piglets with untraceable history without proper vaccination and good hereditary traits, you will end up losing a lot of money. You should consider buying piglets with a history of vaccination.

It is advisable to start with a small number of piglets and then increase gradually. This way you will be able to learn the nook and cranny of pig farming business and eventually, your risk will be minimal.

You will also the need the services of a vet doctor or an expert for regular check-up and vaccination as well as proper feeding and nutrition practices.

Read Also: Different Species of Pigs and their Unique Characteristic Features

(4) Employ Workers

If you’re starting a small scale pig farming business, you can employ at least 3-5 persons to help you out in cleaning the pigs and pens as well as feeding them on a regular basis.

(5) Proper Feeding

Proper feeding is essential for the growth and development of pigs.

Healthy feeding implies good sales. If you don’t properly feed your pigs, your pig farming business is bound to fail.

Pigs need foods containing a high amount of fibre, carbohydrates, vitamins, protein and minerals to grow properly. The sole aim of feeding pigs is to make them market ready, so feeding should be properly done.

Pigs like other farm animals need a constant supply of fresh water. We all know the behavior of pigs and we must ensure that their water is changed regularly.

How much will it cost to Start-up a pig farming business in Nigeria?

Obviously, it is hard to calculate exactly how much money you might need to start your own pig farm.

Depending on your scale of choice, you can start of from as little as ₦200,000 Naira. Your expenses should include buying land, building the pens, making the feed, buying your piglets and hiring a veterinarian.

Reasons why most people find it difficult to venture into pig farming in Nigeria

1. Production challenges

2. Susceptibility to diseases

3. Pigs are not readily everywhere in Nigeria

4. Wrong selection of the initial herd

5. High cost of water and electricity

6. Lack of training for your farm workers

7. Foul smell

Reasons why you should Venture into Pig Farming Business

The primary reason why you’ll make money from this business is due to the high demand of pork meat in Nigeria and the meat sells fast in the market. Another reason to consider this business is that pigs reproduce in large numbers and grow super-fast.

Meanwhile, almost every problem has a solution they say, which is why i listed out some of those challenges the existing pig farmers face that makes it difficult for them to make good profits from their investments to enable you our dear reader as an existing or intending pig farmer to identify them and figure out different ways you can use to manage or work around them within your region and country.

Meanwhile, I will personally advice that you as a pig farmer should think of diversifying into other aspects of utilizing your pigs to make more money.

For instance, you can supply your pigs directly to the end users or consumers thereby eliminating the part of middle men coming to your pig farms or hog farms to price you little or nothing compared to your total cost of production thereby making you run at a loss while they go into the major cities to sell at a very high price and make more money even more than you the pig farmer who owns the hog farm or pig farm and raised the pigs yourself.

You can also decide to go into processing and packaging your pork meats and supply them to places where your consumers and potential customers can be found like the eateries, restaurants, parties, clubs, hotels and other places you can think of where such products can be needed within your location.

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