By MICHAEL DOM
SWEET potato and pigs are a central part of subsistence living in Papua New Guinea.
This farming practice has the potential to raise the livelihoods of rural people through commercialisation and application of appropriate technologies that provide improved productivity and efficiency gains.
The sweet potato-pig feeding system had been enhanced by the introduction of an adapted ensiling technique, which allowed long-term storage of the perishable nutrients in sweet potato tubers and vines for up to seven months. There are economic gains to be made at farm level by making full use of sweet potato and, particularly, for raising pigs for commercial purposes.
Like in the traditional practice of feeding sweet potato, either cooked or raw, to any class or breed of pig, sweet potato silage, which is a fermented grated mix, can be fed to pigs from the age of three months. Sweet potato silage is a suitable energy source in balanced pig rations.
The sweet potato ensiling technology is useful for both village pig-keeping and commercial grower pigs. This bodes well for PNG pig farmers who keep two types of pigs – native (or village) pigs and the crossbreds (exotic by native) pigs – with the major part of feed sourced locally.
For those who wish to maintain village pigs for their own use, sweet potato silage is a convenient stored feed source, easily offered to pigs without the need to source new feed daily. Apart from added flexibility in the feeding practice, this technology frees up valuable time for other productive work.
A growing number of smallholder farmers are venturing into maintaining crossbred stock and raise grower pigs for sale to local fresh meat markets. For these farmers, the sweet potato ensiling technology enables them to plan and allocate time, labour and resources towards specific production schedules based on determined units of output.
The technology allows the farmer to make full use of harvested sweet potato crops and maintain feed supply consistently throughout the growing to fattening phase. As feed constitutes a major cost item in the pig-growing enterprise, having a good handle on the cost item enables proper planning of cash flows.
The rising market price of commercial pig grower feeds is discouraging the business case of smallholder farmers.
The National Agricultural Research Institute is encouraging farmers to use locally available resources to feed their livestock.
The sweet potato ensiling technology advances this approach by allowing the preservation and extended use of the sweet potato long after the growing season. There are different balanced rations appropriate for different classes of pigs based on the sweet potato silage mixed with protein concentrate feeds such as fish meal, copra meal, pig grower feed and even broiler concentrates.
Research had shown that a grower pig diet made up of sweet potato silage, combined with commercial grower feed or a simple ration of fish meal and copra meal, could provide sufficient nutritional balance for good growth performance and carcass yield.
Faster growth means that pigs are ready for market sooner, provided the market is readily available and that adequate feed and other resources are at hand.
But, for the majority of the smallholder farmers, input costs and markets remain their major constraints. Such constraints are discouraging farmers to expand their production and be competitive with the well-to-do.
To achieve greater productivity, smallholder farmers need to be empowered to make the best use of locally available resources.
There is also a need to develop mechanisation options for speeding up the processing steps for ensiling sweet potato. Models of such mechanical processing tools and equipment already exist and these need to be developed and tested for different economies of scale.
Transportation and bulk storage of protein concentrate feeds is another challenge.
To meet this challenge, community-based organisations such as the Highlands Farmers and Piggery Association (HFPA) in Western Highlands are supporting their members.
The HFPA had taken on the responsibility to source protein concentrates from Lae and distribute in smaller quantities to local farmers from a central point. Such encouraging initiatives need to be supported to assist smallholder farmers realise their dreams.
Through organisations such as HFPA, farmers could provide a consistent supply of pigs to local markets which would lead to competition and economical viability.
Smallholder farmers also need to be supported to ensure their products are of acceptable quality meeting food and health safety requirements. This can be achieved through availability of appropriate slaughtering, processing and chilling facilities.
The HFPA and other similar local organisations are attempting to meet these challenges in an effort to assist village farmers struggling to advance their pig production.
NARI is ready to support smallholder farmer organisations and farmers with free technical advice. Such initiatives should be complemented by other services such as access to affordable credit facilities and markets, transport and other services to improve pig production and agriculture.
Other enabling services such as animal farm inspection, meat quality inspection, local abattoirs and storage facilities are also required to promote pig production.
SWEET potato and pigs are a central part of subsistence living in Papua New Guinea.
This farming practice has the potential to raise the livelihoods of rural people through commercialisation and application of appropriate technologies that provide improved productivity and efficiency gains.
The sweet potato-pig feeding system had been enhanced by the introduction of an adapted ensiling technique, which allowed long-term storage of the perishable nutrients in sweet potato tubers and vines for up to seven months. There are economic gains to be made at farm level by making full use of sweet potato and, particularly, for raising pigs for commercial purposes.
Like in the traditional practice of feeding sweet potato, either cooked or raw, to any class or breed of pig, sweet potato silage, which is a fermented grated mix, can be fed to pigs from the age of three months. Sweet potato silage is a suitable energy source in balanced pig rations.
The sweet potato ensiling technology is useful for both village pig-keeping and commercial grower pigs. This bodes well for PNG pig farmers who keep two types of pigs – native (or village) pigs and the crossbreds (exotic by native) pigs – with the major part of feed sourced locally.
For those who wish to maintain village pigs for their own use, sweet potato silage is a convenient stored feed source, easily offered to pigs without the need to source new feed daily. Apart from added flexibility in the feeding practice, this technology frees up valuable time for other productive work.
A growing number of smallholder farmers are venturing into maintaining crossbred stock and raise grower pigs for sale to local fresh meat markets. For these farmers, the sweet potato ensiling technology enables them to plan and allocate time, labour and resources towards specific production schedules based on determined units of output.
The technology allows the farmer to make full use of harvested sweet potato crops and maintain feed supply consistently throughout the growing to fattening phase. As feed constitutes a major cost item in the pig-growing enterprise, having a good handle on the cost item enables proper planning of cash flows.
The rising market price of commercial pig grower feeds is discouraging the business case of smallholder farmers.
The National Agricultural Research Institute is encouraging farmers to use locally available resources to feed their livestock.
The sweet potato ensiling technology advances this approach by allowing the preservation and extended use of the sweet potato long after the growing season. There are different balanced rations appropriate for different classes of pigs based on the sweet potato silage mixed with protein concentrate feeds such as fish meal, copra meal, pig grower feed and even broiler concentrates.
Research had shown that a grower pig diet made up of sweet potato silage, combined with commercial grower feed or a simple ration of fish meal and copra meal, could provide sufficient nutritional balance for good growth performance and carcass yield.
Faster growth means that pigs are ready for market sooner, provided the market is readily available and that adequate feed and other resources are at hand.
But, for the majority of the smallholder farmers, input costs and markets remain their major constraints. Such constraints are discouraging farmers to expand their production and be competitive with the well-to-do.
To achieve greater productivity, smallholder farmers need to be empowered to make the best use of locally available resources.
There is also a need to develop mechanisation options for speeding up the processing steps for ensiling sweet potato. Models of such mechanical processing tools and equipment already exist and these need to be developed and tested for different economies of scale.
Transportation and bulk storage of protein concentrate feeds is another challenge.
To meet this challenge, community-based organisations such as the Highlands Farmers and Piggery Association (HFPA) in Western Highlands are supporting their members.
The HFPA had taken on the responsibility to source protein concentrates from Lae and distribute in smaller quantities to local farmers from a central point. Such encouraging initiatives need to be supported to assist smallholder farmers realise their dreams.
Through organisations such as HFPA, farmers could provide a consistent supply of pigs to local markets which would lead to competition and economical viability.
Smallholder farmers also need to be supported to ensure their products are of acceptable quality meeting food and health safety requirements. This can be achieved through availability of appropriate slaughtering, processing and chilling facilities.
The HFPA and other similar local organisations are attempting to meet these challenges in an effort to assist village farmers struggling to advance their pig production.
NARI is ready to support smallholder farmer organisations and farmers with free technical advice. Such initiatives should be complemented by other services such as access to affordable credit facilities and markets, transport and other services to improve pig production and agriculture.
Other enabling services such as animal farm inspection, meat quality inspection, local abattoirs and storage facilities are also required to promote pig production.
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