Pig farmers in Lagos state lament  lack of financial and infrastructural support from the state govt.

By Kenneth Afor

Adelegan said that piggery farming is capital intensive and with that it has led most of its members to abandon the business due to lack of access to credits made available by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), he, therefore urged the state government to assist them in getting credits to execute most of the areas in the business that requires huge amount of money.

Also, Adelegan added that they are facing huge infrastructural deficit in the estate adding that most of the farmers provide for themselves the basic infrastructures required to efficiently carry out the farming business because piggery farming is like caring for a human being.

He said, “We can’t access money from the central bank, they need put in place what will make it easy for us to access funds, we are not saying they should do everything for us, no we are ready to work. Also, we need infrastructure development, we don’t have a drainage system, at the Gberigbe Estate, you provide for yourself, the water, electricity, drainage system, and in such an estate we use water every day, and where do you discharge the waste generated to? So, one would have to provide for himself its own suck away and within a very short time it is filled up.”

Adelegan also stressed that they spend a huge amount of money to buy feeds for the pigs which are the animal’s main source of living and also, the cost of maintaining the pigs’ health.

He buttressed that the profit margin from the sale of the pigs is very low because their previous turnover have been used to provide the basic things the pigs would need in order to maintain a conducive environment for them.

He, however, reiterated that buyers who buy from them often reap them off thereby calling on the government to support by subsidizing the market and buying from so that buyers can buy at a reduced rate.

“We lack food support (feeds) for the pigs, the feed we use is very expensive, and if you don’t have food, there is no way you can succeed in piggery farming. Another thing is sales, those who are buying from us is like they are reaping us off, so the government need to come, support and buy from us at a reasonable price that we can have something from it then the government will make it cheaper for the people. They promise us loans to support the scheme but we are not seeing anything, it is like taking what you have inside that is meant for personal development and using it to execute the farming itself.

“Piggery farming is not business you can expect an immediate return, it takes a year. Then when it comes to the prevention of diseases, as a matter of fact, you are everything, you are a doctor, a worker, in fact, everything in the farming. When you provide everything for yourself, where would the return come from?” he added.

Moreover, in terms of economic benefit, currently, in China, the world’s largest consumer of pigs are in dere need of the animal and other Asian countries, this is one of many areas the government can come in to help the farmers in making pigs an export commodity to China considering the friendly bilateral trade existing between Nigeria and the Asian economic powerhouse.

Also, another economic value in piggery farming can be traced to its various value chain such as the oil gotten from it can be used as another source of cooking oil, as well as its stock, can be put into commercial use for those who would like to add pig flavour to their traditional meals and also a good source of cheap protein for consumers.