ADOPTING modern pig farming practices is one way to lift the country’s food sufficiency level.
Officials of Excelsior Farms Inc. yesterday said meat production remains insufficient for a country like the Philippines, which has a high population growth and expanding middle class.
This is the reason the country continues to import meat despite it being rich in agricultural resources.
“The biggest challenge is on technology. At the rate we are growing, we can’t stick to the old ways of raising pigs,” said Paul Holaysan, president and chief operating officer of Excelsior Farms Inc., adding that adopting modern best practices in raising pigs is vital in providing food for the next generation.
Excelsior Farms Inc. operates a 20-hectare pig farm in Pinamungajan, Cebu.
According to Patrick Ty, managing director of BD Agriculture (Philippines) Inc., the country is not self-sufficient in meat yet, prompting industry players to import.
He said meat imports now may have gone up by 30 percent from last year.
Meat imports rose by nearly seven percent to a record-high volume of 691,462.564 metric tons (MT) last year due to the growing demand of Filipino consumers for processed meat products.
Data released by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed that total purchase of meat abroad last year surpassed the 646,503.7 MT recorded in 2016.
BAI data indicated that the bulk of the country’s meat imports were pork, accounting for about 44.18 percent of the total volume purchased last year.
Pork imports in 2017 posted the highest increment, expanding by 10.65 percent to 305,479.806 MT, from the 2016 record of 276,066.999 MT.
Unlike backyard-raised pigs, those that are raised in modern farms like those in Excelsior are nurtured with the aid of technology including genetic approaches, among other innovations.
Vino Borromeo, general manager of Pig Improvement Company (PIC) Philippines, said they also look into the nutritional specifications of feeds that are being fed to the pigs to make sure they are healthier for consumption.
The farm environment, likewise, is monitored and maintained to keep pigs away from diseases and other harmful elements.
To help the country accelerate pig raising through modern best practices, Excelsior Farms and its business partners PIC Philippines, Big Dutchman and Cargill Philippines have collaborated to set up Swinenovation Learning Center in Barangay Mabolo.
The center is a venue to share and train swine farmers in the best practices of modern pig farming, animal care and responsible quality pork production.
“This is a way to communicate to the public and to the future farmers about the new ways of raising swine,” said Alvin Hing, chairman and chief finance officer of Excelsior Farms Inc.
The center will be open to the academe, pig raisers and the industry for free and by appointment.
Hing said that with the opening of the learning center they hope to encourage more Filipinos to get into pig farming or in agriculture as well as inspire students to pursue careers in this industry.