FARM BUSINESS MANAGEMENT [Research paper about Wild Boar (Native Pig)]

I.                   History and Description

Wild boars are not native to North America. They were brought here from Europe, first by the Spanish explorers in the 1500’s (for food) and later in the 1900’s by people who wanted to hunt the pigs for sport. The wild boars you see today are the great grandchildren of the European boars brought here a long time ago. They are NOT pink with curly tails. Wild boars are large - sometimes 5 feet long, and weigh up to 300 pounds. They have stiff black fur and straight tails. The males (boys) have tusks that curl out of their mouth. They are not long tusks like an elephant’s, but they are still 2-5 inches long and can really hurt you! Sometimes wild boars will breed with pot-bellied pigs. The babies will grow up to have black fur and straight tails, but they may have fat bellies and a white stripe on their foreheads.

There are 23 subspecies of hogs worldwide (most of them warty), but there is only one species in the US: Sus scrofa. (The family is Suidae, thus the hog call, "sui".) Just as our countless breeds of dogs were all derived from the wolf, our varieties of domestic hogs and their feral relatives were all derived from the Eurasian Wild Boar. They are incidentally not at all related to the southwest's javalina (collared peccary). 

The ancestors of the hog go back to the Ice Age, and their domestication was somewhere between 5000 to 9000 years ago. The American continents have no native hogs as the cold, snow and glaciers of the Ice Age blocked the hog's access to the North American Continent.

Columbus in 1493 brought 8 hogs to the West Indies. Importation to the American mainland was in the mid 1500's by Cortez and De Soto, and in the mid 1600's by La Salle. Pure Eurasian boar were not brought here until they were imported for sport hunting in the early 1900's. 

In the US the pure Eurasian hog is classed as an exotic, and the rest of the wild boar--originally domestic animals gone wild--are technically feral, but in common use the term feral is reserved for only the domestic hogs that have more recently gone wild.

II.                Wild Boar found on the Philippines

"BABOY RAMO" (WILD PIG)

"Baboy ramo" refers to several wild pig species found in the Philippines. There are four (4) recognized wild pig species that are endemic to the Philippines and occurs through most of the country, the Philippine Warty Pig(Sus philippensis), the Visayan Warty Pig (Sus cebifrons), the Mindoro Warty Pig (Sus oliveri) and the Palawan Bearded Pig (Sus ahoenobarbus).

Philippine Warty Pig (Sus philippensis)

Status: Vulnerable

The robustly built Philippine warty pig has a coarse, bristly, blackish coat with a scattering of silvery white hairs on the sides. Long, stiff hairs form a crest running down the middle of the back, which is particularly conspicuous in males during the breeding season when if forms a prominent mane over the head crest and neck. The medium-length tail has a tuft of long, black hairs at the tip, used to swat away flies and signal mood.

The Philippine warty pig has a long snout, terminating in a flat, mobile disc with the nostrils in the centre. The teeth are well-developed, with the large upper and lower canines forming laterally and upwardly protruding tusks in males. It has relatively small eyes and ears, and its narrow feet have four toes, but only the two central toes are used for walking

Visayan Warty Pig (Sus cebifrons) - also known as Oliver’s Warty Pig

Status: Critically Endangered

The Visayan warty pig is a little-known, small, forest-dwelling pig that has only recently been recognised as a separate species. The males (boars) are much larger than females (sows) and, uniquely amongst wild pigs, develop crests and manes that are up to 23 cm long during the breeding season. Sows have only 3 pairs of nipples, a feature that was previously thought to be unique to the pygmy hog (Sus salvanius).

Mindoro Warty Pig (Sus oliveri)

Status: Endangered

The Mindoro Warty Pig was recognized as a separate species from Sus philippensis. It is known from four skulls and a mounted head collected in 1993 now in the Field Museum in Chicago, USA.

Palawan Bearded Pig (Sus ahoenobarbus)

Status: Vulnerable

Palawan bearded pig has an elongated skull and a dense tuft of coarse, white hair surrounding the cheek and snout. Supported on long legs, its large body is reddish-brown to black and sparsely haired. The male is slightly larger than the female and has small but marked facial warts, which are thought to provide protection during head-to-head fights.

Threat and Conservation

The Philippine wild pigs are technically fully protected by Philippine law. Unfortunately, however, the generally extreme levels of deforestation on most islands on which they occur, coupled with intense hunting pressure, inadequate legal protection and the poor enforcement of existing legislation even within most protected areas, have resulted in the systematic decline of all Philippine populations of these animals. To improve these pigs’ situation, programs to educate local people and to alter their negative attitudes towards wild pigs have been recommended. Further research into its exact distribution, status, and biology has also been suggested, which will help inform any conservation or management plan for the Philippine wild pigs.

III.             Wild Boar

Wild boar classification and evolution

The Wild Boar is a species of Wild Pig, native to the forests of Europe, north-west Africa and it is also found throughout Asia. The Wild Boar has an extremely wide distribution with the number of estimated Wild Boar subspecies ranging from 4 to 25. Naturally, it is hard to classify them all as they can easily interbreed, so it is widely agreed that there are four main subspecies which are determined by their location. They are all very similar in size and appearance, but tend to vary somewhat in colour, depending on their geographic location. The Wild Boar is an extremely adaptable animal as it is found in a variety of different habitats, eats almost anything that will fit in it's mouth and not only runs fast, but also swims well too. They are also commonly known as European Wild Pigs, Hogs or simply Boars.

Wild boar Anatomy and Appearance

The Wild Boar is a medium-sized mammal with a large head and front end, that leads into a smaller hind. They have a thick and course double coat of fur, that consists of a harder, bristly top layer, with a softer undercoat beneath it. The hair that runs along the ridge of the Wild Boar's back is also longer than the rest. The Wild Boar varies from brown, to black, to red or dark grey in colour, something which generally depends on the individual's location. For example Wild Boar individuals found in Western Europe tend to be brown, where those inhabiting the forests of Eastern Europe can be completely black in colour. The Wild Boar has incredibly poor eyesight due to it's very small-sized eyes, but they also have a long, straight snout which enables them to have an incredibly acute sense of smell.

Wild boar Distribution and Habitat

The Wild Boar is the most widely distributed land mammal on Earth as it's native range extends from Western Europe, right across to Japan to the east, and down to the rainforestsof Indonesia in the south. The four separate subspecies are determined by their location with one inhabiting Europe, north-western Africa and western Asia; another is found across northern Asia and in Japan; the third inhabits the tropical jungles of India, South East Asiaand the Far East, with the last being found only in Indonesia. Wild Boars are found in a variety of different habitats including tropical jungles and grasslands, but they tend to favour deciduous broad-leafed forests where the vegetation is incredibly dense.

Wild boar behavior and Lifestyle

Wild Boar are nocturnal animals that only come out at night to forage for food. They spend around 12 hours sleeping in a dense nest of leaves during the day, before waking up to find a meal under the cover of night. Female Wild Boars are relatively sociable animals, inhabiting loose territories in groups known as sounders which can contain between 6 and 30 individuals. Sounders consist of breeding females and their young and can often be found in the same area as other groups, although the two tend not to mix. Males however, are solitary for the majority of the year, with the exception of during the breeding season when they can be found in close proximity of both the sounders, and indeed other males. Male Wild Boar compete with one another by fighting for the chance to mate with a female.

Wild boar Reproduction and Life Cycles

Once mated the female Wild Boar gives birth to 4 - 6 piglets in a nest found in a dense thicket, which is made up of leaves, grasses and moss. The mother remains with her piglets solidly for the first couple of weeks to protect them from hungry predators. Wild Boar piglets are incredibly distinctive animals as they have light brown fur, with cream and brown stripes that run the length of their backs. Although these stripes begin to disappear when the piglets are between 3 and 4 months old, they prove to camouflage the Wild Boar young into the debris on the forest floor, very effectively. Once they are two months old, the piglets begin to venture out of the nest on short foraging trips, before they become independent at around 7 months old and are almost red in colour. The fur of the Wild Boar does not reach adult colouration until the animal is about a year old.

Wild boar Diet and Prey

The Wild Boar is an omnivorous animal that primarily feeds on plants. Plant matter comprises around 90% of the Wild Boar's diet as they feed on young leaves, berries, grasses and fruits, and unearth roots and bulbs from the ground with their hard snouts. Living in highly seasonal regions, Wild Boars have had to adapt to the changing fruits and flowers, and are known to favour the protein-rich nuts (such as acorns) that become available in the autumn and prepare them for the winter ahead. They will however, eat almost anything that will fit into their mouths, and supplement their diet by eating eggs, Mice, Lizards, Worms and even Snakes. Wild Boar will also happily finish off the abandoned kill of another animal.

IV.              Wild boar Facts

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Suidae
Genus:	Sus
Scientific Name:	Sus scrofa
Common Name:	Wild Boar
Other Name(s):	Wild Pig, Wild Hog, Boar
Group:	Mammal
Number Of Species:	4
Location:	Throughout Europe and Asia
Habitat:	Deciduous broad-leaf forests
Colour:	Brown, Red, Black, Grey
Skin Type:	Fur
Size (H):	55cm - 100cm (21.6in - 39.3in)
Weight:	80kg - 175kg (176lbs - 386lbs)
Top Speed:	48kph (30mph)
Diet:	Omnivore
Prey:	Berries, Roots, Worms
Predators:	Tiger, Wolves, Humans
Lifestyle:	Nocturnal
Group Behaviour:	Sounder
Life Span:	15 - 20 years
Age Of Sexual Maturity:	7 - 10 months
Gestation Period:	3 - 4 months
Average Litter Size:	5
Name Of Young:	Piglet
Age Of Weaning:	2 - 3 months
Conservation Status:	Least Concern
Estimated Population Size:	Sustainable
Biggest Threat:	Habitat loss
Most Distinctive Feature:	Long, hard and straight snout
Fun Fact:	Males have a top tusk to sharpen the bottom one!

V.                Breeding Wild Boar( hogs)

Wild hogs will breed year round, but births peak in spring and fall. Gestation is 114 days, and a sow will give birth to anywhere from 1 to a dozen piglets. She can have 2 litters a year.

The sow is a superb protectoress of her young. Sows can form cooperative groups, and in danger will place their piglets in the center of their vicious circle of snapping, foaming jaws. It is not necessary to threaten a piglet to invoke the wrath of the sow...like a bear sow, just being near her young one can be enough provocation.

Maternal family groups can travel together as well as back each other against danger. These groups are called "drifts" or "sounders". The boars though are solitary.

Boars will mate with any sow in season, often battling for the opportunity, and do not remain to perform any familial duties.

One of our wild sows and her nursing piglets.

The same family unit walking off due to my presence at 100 yards. Had I been approaching they would have run off at top speed. The mother sows truly are fearless when they think their pigs are threatened.

VI.             Native pig production

Native pigs are important sources of income, food and manure on small farms. Native pigs are sold to friends and neighbors, used during special occasions or serve as a profitable part-time job for family members. These pigs are considered sturdy and are more resistant to various hog diseases. They can survive on kitchen wastes and farm-grown feeds or farm by-products.

Backyard swine raisers may prefer to raise native pigs than the imparted breeds of swine mainly due to the scarcity of capital resources to purchase initial stock and to build a house/pen and to provide commercial feeds

Comparison.

		UPGRADED	PURE BREED
Age (from birth to market) native	7-9 months	7 months	4.5-5.5 months
Carcass weight	40 kilos	50 kilos	60-70 kilos

Low-cost housing/pen of native pigs

Considerations:

1. Site - Elevated, near water source

2. Orientation - East to west orientation; with this type of orientation, floor of the pen is kept dry.

3. Roofing materials - Cogon, nipa, used G.l. sheets

4. Flooring materials

a. Cement

- Thickness: 3.5-4" (88.9-102 mm)
- Preparation: 1 part cement, 3 parts gravel, 2.5 parts sand, 2/3 parts water

b. Wood slabs c. Bamboo

5. Space requirement for two heads of pigs: 2 sq m

6. Sidings: bamboo

Note: Gliricidia and Leucaena are not applicable since these could be eaten up by the pigs.

Height of sidings:

36" (914 mm) for fatteners and breeders
30" (762 mm) for weanlings and starters

7. Feeding and watering trough materials used:

a. cement
b. wood
c. bamboo
d. halved-tire

Low-cost housing/pen of native pigs

Feeds and Feeding

Common ways of preparing feeds

1. Grinding

This would depend on the age of the animal to be fed. Young animals do not have fully developed digestive system, hence, there is a need for grains to undergo the process.
Example: Corn

2. Cooking

Through this process, the feeding value of some feed stuff is increased. Likewise, calcium oxalate which causes itchiness is destroyed.
Examples: Beans and gabi

Feeding management

Weight	No. of Feeding time	Feeding system	Average Daily Intake
10 kgs (12.2 Ibs)	4x a day	Dry feeding	1-2 kgs a day
45 kgs (99 lbs)	3x a day	Wet feeding	2.2 kgs a day
55 kgs (121 lbs)	2-3x a day	Wet feeding	2.5 kgs a day

Considerations:

1. The number of feeding time presented would minimize feed wastage.

Note: Decrease the amount of feed given to animals with diarrhea.

2. Dry feeding is recommended for starters since they still have less feed intake; that way, spoilage of feeds is minimized.

Examples of Feedstuff for native pigs

	Parts used
A. Protein sources
1. Madre de Cacao	Leaves, stems,
Gliricidia sepium	flowers, fruits
Kakawat
2. Ipil-ipil	Leaves, stems,
Leucaena leucocephala	flowers, fruits
3. Cowpea	Leaves, stems,
Visna sinensis	flowers, fruits
Paayap
4. Hyacinth bean	Leaves, stems,
Dolichos lablab	flowers, fruits
Batao
B. Energy sources
1. Corn	Grain
Zea mays
Mais
2. Cassava	Root
Manihot esculenta
Kamoteng kahoy, balinghoy
3. Sweet potato	Root
Ipomoea batatas
Kamote
4. Taro	Root
Colocasia esculenta
Gabi
5. Ubi	Tuber
Dioscora alata
Ubi
6. Arrow root	Root
Maranta arudinacea
Uraro
7. Tugul	Root
Dioscorea esculenta
C. Vitamin and mineral sources
1 Malunggay	Leaves, stems, flowers, fruits
Moringa oleifera
Malunggay, kalunggay
2. Amaranth	Leaves
Amaranthas spinosus
Uray, kulitis
3. Sweet potato	Leaves, vines
Impomea batatas
Kamote
4. Gabi	Leaves, petiole
Colocassia esculenta
D. Water sources
1. Sweet potato	Leaves, stems,
Ipomea batatas	flowers
Kamote
2. Kangkong (upland)	Leaves, stems
Ipomea aquatica

Native pig diseases and Their Common causes and treatment

Disease	Transmission	Signs/symptoms	Treatment
A. Bacterial
1. Swine	Dirty feeds, water and pen	Acute form - lameness, vomiting, diarrhea, reddening of skin in thighs and abdomen	Decoction of guava or caimito leaves
Erysipelas	Nose	Chronic form - recurring lameness	Penicillin Streptomycin
	Open wounds	Urticarial form - fever, anorexia, reddening of skin in abdomen, inner thighs, chest and back (diamond-shape)
2. Colibacillosis	Dirty feeds and water	Whitish to yellowish diarrhea	Decoction of guava or caimito leaves
	Unsanitary condition of peo	Anorexia	Coco juice
	Spoiled feedstuff	Swollen eyelids	Antibiotic
			Trimethoprim
			Sulfa preparation
B. Viral
Diseases due to virus are difficult to treat. There is no specific medication to combat the disease. Antibiotics, vitamins and minerals are given to fight secondary bacterial infections.
1. Hog cholera	Contact with discharges from sick pig	Vascular discharge	Serum
	Dirty feeds, water and pen	High fever	Vitamin and minerals
		Diarrhea, then constipation	Tetracycline
			Coco juice
2. Foot and mouth disease	Contact with discharges from sick pig	Drooling of saliva	Gentian violet saturated with alum
		Anorexia (inappetence)
		Vesicles in mouth, hooves and udder
C. Parasitic
1. Mange/Scabies	Contact with infested pigs	Frequent scratching	Apply used motor oil all over the belly
		Alopecia (hair loss)	Extracts of kakawati
		Untriftiness
		Thickening of skin
2. Lice (oflenly seen in less hairy areas of the body	Contact with infested pigs	Unthriftiness	Raw seeds of kakawati
	Voracious eater but poor feed conversion	Thick, rough hair	Raw seeds of ipil-ipil
		Raw seeds of squash

Vaccination program for native pigs

Vaccine	First dose	Next dose
1. Hog cholera	45 days old	after 6 months
2. FMD	1-2 months	after 6 months

Note: Consider disease indicence in the area as to which vaccine would have given first

Herbal medicine

Plant	Parts used	Indication	Preparation
1. Sambong Blumea balsamifera	Leaves	Colds	Boil leaves in water. Give 0.5-1.0 liter as drench 2x a day for 1-5 days.
		Fever
		Diarrhea
2. Ipi-ipil	Seeds	Roundworms	Grind and mix seeds into 5-8 oz of water. Given as drench.
Leucaena leucocephala Note: This is contraindicated with pregnant sows/gilt.
3. Squash	Seeds	Tapeworms	Mix raw seeds in feeds.
Cucurbita maxima
4. Starapple Chrysophyllum cainito	Leaves	Diarrhea	Boil 1 kg of leaves in 1 liter of water for 15 minutes Give 1 cup 2x a day for 1-3 days
5. Saba Musa sapientum	Leaves	Diarrhea	Chop leaves and mix with feeds.
6. Madre de Cacao Gliricidia sepium	Seeds	Roundworms	Mix seeds with feeds.
7. Malunggay Moringa oleifera	Leaves	Anemia	Give 1 cc extract for day old pigs, once 9 day for 3-5 days (if necessary).
8. Guava Psidium guajava	Leaves	Diarrhea	Boil leaves and give 1-2 glasses of decoction 2-3x a day for 1-2 days.

VII.       Success Stories

Native swine project helps raise farmers’ income

 (The Philippine Star) | Updated June 30, 2013 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - A native pig project in Bondoc Peninsula has succeeded in raising the income of farmers by P33,700 in two years just from selling piglets.

It also opens bigger opportunities for them to sell the specialty pigs for “lechon” or roasted pig.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is replicating the success of this  native pigs multiplier project funded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR).

The project is being implemented by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Agricultural Systems Cluster-College of Agriculture  in two barangays located in two municipalities in Bondoc Peninsula, Quezon-Brgy. Latangan of Mulanay and Brgy. San Juan of San Narciso.      

Rural farmers’ income there traditionally reaches  only  between P5,000 to P6,000 yearly according to ipon-philippines.org.   

That income is now  being raised by as much as two to three times by the Native Swine Project (NSP).   

“A farmer with two sows, each producing seven weanlings three times in two years will have added income of P33,700 from piglet sales alone,” said Dr. Mary Jean G. Bulatao, UPLB Native Swine Project (NSP) team leader.

BAR is committed to implementing Phase 2  which expands the program to Real and Infanta, also in Quezon. The first phase was implemented from July 2009 to October 2011.   

“We want to raise livelihood opportunities in these mostly upland areas. Their increased production of native hogs will also enable them to meet a requirement for a specialty product that has a growing market in Metro Manila,” said 

Dos por Cinco

The Native Swine Project’s production and  repayment  scheme has worked well in the selected Bondoc Peninsula communities.   

Each farmer-beneficiary received two ready-to-breed gilts (the Dos part), enabling the  farmers to have a year-round supply of piglets.   

As observed in the community,   a native  sow normally farrows or gives birth to piglets two times  in 14 months.  This produces an average of 28 piglets.    

The project also provided five weanlings or piglets (the Cinco part) to farmers for immediate fattening.  This generates  cash for the  farmers in three to four months which provides cash while the farmers  waiting for the gilts (young female pig) to produce piglets. 

Hardwork

Dos por Cinco is not just a dole out system that is here today and gone tomorrow. It encourages farmers to work hard by contributing something to the project.

The farmers’ contribution is land, at least a 1,000 square meters (sq.m), and labor.

They have to plant their farms with feed resources such as gabing San Fernando, madre de agua, and some herbal plants for supplements. 

GSF corn is a tubelike portion of the GSF’s stembase and forms part of the main root system. It is also used as a planting material. It is locally called sakwa or bungo in Bondoc Peninsula. 

“The project promoted the use of sakwa (a by-product) as the main source of energy feed for ranging native swine to improve nutrient availability and increase the average daily gain of the animals,” said Bulatao.

GSF, according  to  UPLB researcher Virgilio T. Villancio can  substitute corn as a feed source by 60 to 90 percent as the feed ingredient’s energy source.

GSF is now a valued feed product  with its cormlet as food and sakwa as feed.  Sakwa for native swine feed is now sold at P120 per sack in the market. It was only thought as waste before and given away free-of-charge.

The farmers also have to construct a simple animal shed to protect animals from the  harsh environment.  They have to care for the animals, and put up fences to block stray animals from destroying the farm.    

Profitable

Native pig business can be profitable.    

For a 25-kilo pig, a farmer can enjoy a P780 income per head. 

If a farmer decides to raise five heads in one cycle (five to six months), or a total of 10 heads per year, he will have an added income of P7,800 yearly.   

Based on  the project’s data, native sows can produce an average of   seven live piglets in a litter.  A farmer with two sows producing seven weanlings each, two times in 14 months , can have an added income of about P22,484 in 14 months or  about P33,700 per two years from piglets alone. 

“These may be modest added returns but very important to the farmers.  These become a significant buffer income in times of unexpected needs. Farmers are now starting to treat this activity as a business enterprise,” said Bulatao.

Paying back

Farmers pay for the Dos por Cinco gilts and fattening weanlings by giving back piglets.   

They are considered debt-free once they give back the number of piglets whose price is equal to the purchase cost of the loaned animals.   

Their piglet payments become part of a multiplier program. These are re-loaned to other organization members.  

At the start, the project had 12 farmer partners – six in each of the barangay pilot areas. Beneficiaries are now at least 45   including the original 12 farmers, (as of  May 2013 at least 54 farmers), a 300 percent growth.  

In two years, animal inventory of the farmers increased by 50 to 100 percent, while household income was up by 50 percent. Repayment is placed at 80 percent.      

Because authorities saw how the NSP beneficiaries multiplied fast with good repayment rate, the FAO-International Labor Organization Livelihood Project adapted the Dos por Cinco scheme.   

It operates in the same area.  It provided the Dos por Cinco package or module to  an additional 35 RIC (Rural Improvement Club) members  in the Mulanay site.    

The pig module (with two gilts, five weanlings) per farmer costs around P15,000. 

Moreover, the local government of San Narciso also released some funds to benefit an additional three to five farmers initially.  

Value adding

Phase 2 is stepping up help to farmers by providing options in marketing.  

The first is on value adding, particularly meat  processing. It involves producing finished products like sausage, longganiza, or cut-up pork that will give the farmer-beneficiaries an even higher income.  

A freezer and other basic  equipment like vacuum packaging machine, meat grinder, and some tools will be provided to the organization .   

Good agricultural practice and good manufacturing practice will be observed to assure clean and safe meat for consumers.

The other choice is for the farmer organization to become an assembler or consolidator. It involves gathering the animals from individual farmer members and selling in bulk to the assemblers-truckers.  They themselves may also transport the animals to Metro Manila, acting as an assembler-trucker.

However, they need  to gather at least 200 animals at a single time for the transport to be cost efficient.        

These programs will channel to farmers a portion of the income that goes to assemblers, traders-transporters.  

At present, the link between farmers and lechon processors are the traders. 

But in the future there is  a plan to link the Bondoc Peninsula native pig producers (as an organization) to other processors and lechon retail chains. This will market their hogs not only to Metro Manila but also to nearby urban centers like the cities of Lucena, San Pablo and Lipa.

Smaller margin

Farmers’ direct contact to market will raise their income.  At present, they are losing income opportunities that normally go to middlemen or traders.  

“The animals have to pass through the village agent then to the municipal agent-assembler before they are loaded for delivery to the lechon processor by the trucker-assembler,” she said.    

For instance, for a small 17-kilo or less live pig , a farmer receives a farmgate price of P1,000. The agent resells this at P1,200.  Then the trucker resells it at P1,600.  The lechon processor   sells at P2,244. 

Breeding program

The ongoing Phase 2 will also involve breeding.  It has a partnership with the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI)-National Swine and Poultry Research and Development Center based in Tiaong, Quezon.  BAI is engaged in a study on “Animal Genomics to Increase Productivity of   Part of the BAI-NSPRDC  project is to characterize and conserve the Philippine native pigs.  Bulatao said this is of the essence.

“While native pigs are considered disease resistant compared to commercial breed, the project still encountered mortality due to disease,” she said.  

Native pigs, unlike the imported white breeds, are usually colored black or have spots.

Production

As of July 2011, the San Narciso site produced a total of 173 animals.  These were 15 breeders, 110 weaners, and 48 piglets. The Mulanay site produced 189 animals. These were 15 breeders, 128 weaners, and 46 piglets.  

After six-seven months of planting GSF, farmers’ fields yielded an average of 240 kilos of fresh GSF tuber per 1,000 sq.m.(2.4 tons per hectare).     

In Brgy. San Narciso, after seven months,  farmers produced 2.2 tons per hectare of sakwa; 2.4 tons per hectare of gabi; and 7.6 tons per hectare of herbage)  

In Brgy. Mulanay, after six months, farmers produced 390 kilos of sakwa per 1,000 sq.m., 6,420 kilos of gabi over the same area, and 760 kilos of herbage.  

San Narciso farmers sold their pigs at P94 per kilo of live weight while Mulanay, at P90 per kilo.  

Weanlings were priced P800 to P1,000 per head.    

Average farm gate price of native pigs per head was P2,161 for Mulanay  for an average weight of 24.49 kilos and P1,787 per head for San Narciso for an average weight of 19.03 kilos.

Bondoc Peninsula

The farmers in the pilot program in Brgy. Latangan, Mulanay came from the Rural Improvement Club (RIC), a women’s group supported by the town local government unit.  A total of 22 out of 43 RIC members became partners at the end of two years.  

“The number is continuously growing as other members await their turns to receive five heads of native swine,” said Bulatao.    

In San Narciso, the farmers already formed a group – San Juan Native Swine Producers Association.  

Farmers underwent training and visited   the National Swine and Poultry Research and Development Center in Tiaong, Quezon and the Animal and Dairy Sciences Cluster Farm in UP Los Baños.  

They were trained on good agricultural practices to  improve their native pig production practices including prevention and management of  common swine diseases. It also included  preparation of common herbal supplements to improve animal health and reduce mortality.  

Native pigs bring P140M to Marinduque

By Gerald Gene R. Querubin
Inquirer Southern Luzon

11:17 pm | Tuesday, June 26th, 2012

BOAC, Marinduque—Raising native pigs has grown into a P100-million industry in this province, according to Marinduque’s top veterinarian.

Last year alone, according to provincial veterinarian Dr. Josue Victoria, the province sold 64,016 native pigs with an estimated value of P140.8 million.

Records at the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) showed that in 2010, 48,960 organically grown pigs were sold, earning for pig raisers in the province a gross income of P107.7 million.

Victoria said the amounts could be higher since PVO came up with the figures based only on what he said were modest estimates.

If the weight of each pig sold would be taken into consideration, Victoria said the figures would be much higher because native pigs in the province weigh from 20 to 35 kilograms each.

Half of the province’s pigs are shipped out while the other half are consumed locally, said the provincial veterinarian.

The province appears to be on track to maintain its sales record this year. As of May 31 this year, Victoria’s office has recorded at least 17,343 pigs sold.

Live pigs from Marinduque are usually sought by meat traders and dealers from Metro Manila because the island has long been declared free from foot-and-mouth disease and because the province’s native pigs are considered ideal for roasting.

Hog growers in other parts of the country are not as fortunate, however.

Many hog growers in Central Luzon are complaining of declining sales as a result of the unabated smuggling of pork into the country.

No action has been taken, however, on the continuing smuggling of pork and other meat products into the country despite protests made by local hog growers that their industry is dying as a result of imported meat flooding the markets.

Sorsogon housewife proves native pig business profitable

June 15, 2013 12:09 pm 

By Danny O. Calleja

CASTILLA, Sorsogon, June 13 (PNA) — Annie Asejo owns two native sows penned up within the backyard of her house in Barangay Cumadcad here.

Her husband, Sonny, is engaged in a medium-scale livestock trading business but not earning good enough for all the family’s needs because of the dwindling stocks of cattle and carabao in the locality.

He buys the farm animals from local raisers, particularly farmers, and sells them in the livestock auction market in Batangas.

Profit most of the time is not so favorable.

Cash-strapped for the recent enrollment of their two sons in college? Not really, the housewife revealed.

Annie said that in their latest litters, her two sows produced a total of 18 live piglets, which she had sold for P3,000 per head or a total of P54,000, an amount that was good enough to settle enrollment fees and buy some school supplies.

Both sows, according to her, produce an average of eight weanlings each, two times in 14 months, giving her an income of nearly P100,000 within the period from piglets alone.

Dozens of households in the neighborhood are also in the same backyard-based venture and doing well in terms of income and profit, she said.

“We prepare native pigs because unlike hybrids, they live on natural feeds like root crops, vegetables and other plants that we grow in our backyard gardens and farms — making their maintenance less expensive, hence, the bigger profit,” Annie told the PNA in the local dialect.

Besides, meat consumers today, particularly those who are health conscious, prepare native pork for having more flesh and less fat being raised through organic feeds, she added.

According to the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), a native pig project could raise good periodic income for farmers in just selling piglets and opens bigger opportunities for them to sell the specialty “lechon.”

It has been a tradition for farmers in most parts of the country to raise native pigs that they sell for full-sized lechon or for “Lechon de Leche,” a roasted piglet in its tender meat and crispy skin.

Its preferable taste compared to commercial breeds may be attributed to its being native breed.

The flavor of native lechon is also attributed to the production system.

Being raised free-range or just roaming around the farm, the pigs become lean from the daily exercise and are able to access vegetation in the area.

The BAR is funding a native pig multiplier project in the Bondoc Peninsula whose success is being eyed by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization for replication in other parts of the country.

The project is being implemented by the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) Agricultural Systems Cluster-College of Agriculture.

“A farmer with two sows, each producing seven weanlings three times in two years, will have added income of P33,700 from piglet sales alone,” Dr. Mary Jean Bulatao, the UPLB Native Swine Project team leader, said in a BAR statement reaching PNA over the week.

BAR is also expanding the project to other provinces as its director, Nicomedes Eleazar, in the same statement said “we want to raise livelihood opportunities in mostly upland areas.”

Production of native swine will also enable farmers to meet a requirement for a specialty product that has a growing market in Metro Manila, according to Eleazar.

The native swine project’s production and repayment scheme called “dos por sinco” adopted in the Bondoc Penisula under the project, he said, have worked well in selected communities.

Each farmer-beneficiary received two ready-to-breed gilts (the dos part). This has enabled farmers to have a year-round supply of piglets.

The project also provided five weanlings (the cinco part) to farmers for immediate fattening.

This should generate cash to farmers in three to four months while waiting for the gilts to mature as sows and produce piglets.

Under the project, Eleazar said, farmer-beneficiaries also plant their farms with feed resources such as root crops and some herbal plants for supplements.

The main feed resource is the Gabing San Fernando whose corm is reported by UPLB to be capable of substituting corn by 60 to 90 percent as the feed ingredient’s energy source.

The native pigs’ feed is a combination of two or three of different feed ingredients that are cooked together.

The choices are gabi tubers, gabi leaves and trunks, rice and corn bran, matured coconut meat, cassava, banana trunk, market wastes, kitchen refuse, kangkong, papaya, oraro rejects, malunggay, mixed vegetable refuse, ipil-ipil leaves, sweet potato leaves and madre de agua.

Boars and lactating sows are given rice or corn bran added into cooked feed. Feeding is two times a day.

Eleazar said the business is profitable, given that for a 25-kilo native pig, a farmer can enjoy a P780 income per head.

If a farmer decides to raise five heads in a five to six-month cycle or a total of 10 heads per year, he will have an extra income of P7,800 yearly.

“These may be modest added returns but very important to the farmers. These become a significant buffer income in times of unexpected needs. Farmers are now starting to treat this activity as a business enterprise,” he said.

BAR has also partnered with the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI)-National Swine and Poultry Research and Development Center based in Tiaong, Quezon, which is engaged in a study on “Animal Genomics to Increase Productivity of Native Pigs” and part of it is to characterize and conserve the pigs native to the Philippines, Eleazar added. (PNA)

 

BAR, BAI look into commercial profit of raising native pigs

by Patrick Raymund A. Lesaca

Dr. Nicomees P. Eleazar during a site visit to the native swine project in Tiaong, Quezon. PHOTO: AVELASCO

Characteristically small, usually black in color, spotted, and are resistant to parasites and diseases, native pigs can adapt to local conditions and can tolerate heat and cold environments better than the imported breeds. They can thrive well on locally-available feeds, including kitchen and farm refuse, and can cope with low quality feeds and maintenance. The usual farm practice, especially in the far flung villages, is the "bahala na" system-allowing pigs to scavenge for their own survival.

Philippine native pigs are traditionally known as best for "lechon" or roasted pig. This Pinoy delicacy, prepared the roasted way, commands good price and is highly preferred by food connoisseurs during special occasions. Our lechon is tastier, with crispier skin and leaner meat, compared to the imported ones.

To conserve and maximize the potential of expanding the lechon market, the Bureau of Animal Industry-National Swine and Poultry Research and Development Center (BAI-NSPRDC) based in Tiaong, Quezon conducted a study on the "Conservation, Evaluation and Commercialization of the Philippine Native Pigs". This was funded and supported by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) under its banner program, the National Technology Commercialization Program (NTCP). The two-year project is led by Dr. Rene C. Santiago, DVM, also the agricultural center chief of BAI-NSPRDC. Project implementation called for collaborations with the local government units (LGUs) of Quezon and selected farmer-cooperators in Laguna and Quezon.

The objective of the project is to establish a production system involving raising native pigs under farmers' management and propagate such on a commercial scale and improve the antiquated system of swine raising resulting in better production. The socio-economic importance of production and commercialization is a crucial aspect of the project.

Production of native pigs can be a viable alternative for swine producers who cannot cope with the high price of commercial swine feeds and for those who do not have enough capital for housing and feeding. This animal can be raised without the use of chemical inputs and, as a breed, has high economic potential for those engaged in organic swine production. In addition, native pigs are very rich sources of genetic materials for local breed development and improvement programs, hence it is a necessity to conserve and preserve this breed.

Dr. Nicomedes P. Eleazar of BAR (3rd from left) and Ms. Teresa Perez-Saniano (2nd from right) of Earthkeepers during BAR’s visit at the project site of native swine in Tiaong, Quezon. PHOTO: AVELASCO

BAI-NSPRDC started the project where production of breeder native pigs was carried out which were subsequently distributed to selected farmer-cooperators in some municipalities in the second and fourth districts of Quezon province and in the fourth district of Laguna.

The BAI-NSPRDC selected 20 heads of breeder sows with two boars from their stock farm in Tiaong, Quezon for use in the production of breeders to be distributed to the cooperators of the project. The breeders produced piglets that were raised, selected and distributed.

Nine beneficiaries were identified based on their capability, willingness and cooperation. The farmer-cooperators and technicians attended training and seminars on the production and management of native pigs. After the training, each farmer-cooperator was provided with a set of 5 female and 1 male native pigs as breeder stocks. Each farmer was also provided with a one-time subsidy for housing in the amount of PhP10,000 and feeds worth one thousand pesos PhP1,000.

A prototype pig pen was also constructed inside the compound of BAI-NSPRDC for demonstration purposes to farmers. This type of pig pen used locally-available materials such as bamboo, nipa, coco-lumber and coconut husk and coir dust as bedding. One module of pig pen requires a floor area of roughly 4 x 4 square meters.

To validate and ascertain the progress and development of the project, a BAR- Technology Commercialization Unit (BAR-TCU) Evaluation and Monitoring Team composed of Ellen Garces, Eve Juanillo, and Patrick Lesaca conducted project reconnaissance in May 2010. The project visit included interviews with Dr. Rene Santiago, team leader, and Ms Fe Bien, agriculturist of the project. The team also visited the farmer-cooperators in their respective areas and saw the progress of the project.

Dr. Santiago narrated to the monitoring team that the identification of collaborating municipalities is dependent on the need of the locality for the project, environmental considerations and willingness of the local government units. These criteria are of paramount importance to the success of the project. The farmer cooperators, on the other hand, were chosen based on their capability and knowledge in swine raising in general.

The monitoring team noted the good relationship between the project proponents and farmer-cooperators. Native swine cages were well maintained. Feeds and alternate sources of livestock were available. More importantly, the conservation of native pigs can be said to already be achieved. It is expected that the project will boost the needed stocks of native pigs which would be made available for multiplication and livelihood production.

VIII.       REFERENCES

http://www.bar.gov.ph/chronicle-home/archives-list/102-july-2010-issue/467-bar-bpi-look-into-commercial-profit-of-raising-native-pigs

http://balita.ph/2013/06/15/sorsogon-housewife-proves-native-pig-business-profitable/

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/218999/native-pigs-bring-p140m-to-marinduque

http://www.philstar.com/agriculture/2013/06/30/959756/native-swine-project-helps-raise-farmers-income

http://tabi.la/images/stories/TABI_FACTSHEET1_FA_web.pdf

http://www.pvma.com.ph/animals/7049

FARM BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

[Research paper about Wild Boar (Native Pig)]