Written by Joseph Amunya Otieno 2012-07-20 18:50:00 Read 725 Times

Farmers in Lugari District have been asked to take keen interest in pig farming as one way of reducing poverty levels in the area to improve their sources of livelihoods as well as living standards.

Speaking to West FM in his office, Lugari District Animal Production Officer Mr. Zachariah Mwaniki, regretted the small number of pigs being reared by very few farmers in the district yet the area had the requisite climate and environment conditions for pig farming.

Mwaniki attributed this problem to sheer ignorance, but at the same time urged farmers in the district to seek vital information, especially on nutritional and economic values found in pigs.

The officer said that pig farming had been identified as one of the modern farming methods in the agribusiness sector that require little in terms of capital investment with its ability to accrue huge profit margins within shorter periods of time.

He appealed to area residents to change attitudes and embrace pig farming on a large scale in order to help spur economic growth of Kakamega County, a county he said will largely depend on agriculture and livestock production as its pillars for sustainable development.

“One doesn’t require a huge acreage of land to invest in pig farming. Pigs are not prone to diseases compared to other animals like cows and goats. These animals rarely require extra attention,” said Mwaniki.

The Lugari District Animal Production OfficerZachariah Mwaniki

While motivating farmers into pig farming, the officer pointed out that female pigs have the capacity to give birth three times in a year adding that a single pig can fetch up to Ksh18,000 after sales. 

While appealing to the government to consider putting up a pork processing plant in the region, Mwaniki added that his department has embarked on a sensitization programme within the district in which farmers are being educated on the importance of pig rearing.

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