Two weeks ago I wrote an article on pig farming, stressing the need to start with an economically viable stock of 36 sows grouped in units of six sows.
A reader says I was terribly wrong in my calculations and advice. The thinking was captured in an article written by one Mwangi Muiruri.
The article "Mugachia was awfully wrong on pig enterprise" was emailed to my editor by another reader and promptly forwarded to me.
As a scientist and an expert in livestock health and production, I take criticism positively and seriously. In all scientific work, criticism is an animal we must embrace and address the issues it raises. It is one of the ways we learn from our mistakes, rethink issues and even debunk doctrines. I recall reading a few weeks ago that a long-standing fact of chemistry had been shown to be inaccurate.
The respected journal Earth.com reported that a century-old rule of organic chemistry had been shown to be false by scientists using modern technology to study the bonds that hold organic molecules together.
Furthermore, when I was studying veterinary medicine, drugs such as metronidazole were only used to treat diseases such as amoebiasis and guardiasis.
Years later, researchers proved that the drug was effective in treating a wide range of a group of bacteria that inhabit the digestive system and contaminate surgical wounds.
Metronidazole is now used as an antimicrobial agent against some bacterial infections. It is also widely used to prevent bacterial infection of surgical wounds.
Muiruri's story read: After reading Joseph Mugachia's article "Vet on Call" in the November 24 issue of Seeds of Gold , Damaris Irungu, chairperson of the Murang'a Grassroots Disabled Network, strongly disagreed with his calculations.
Among other things, the network sponsors members to raise pigs.
“Dr Mugachia gave us his dynasty maths about pig rearing. He submitted that for economic viability, you need at least a stock that disposes at least 50 baconers per month into the market,” said Ms Irungu.
She added that Dr Mugachia did not take into account that Seeds of Gold is a magazine read by big investors and "hustlers".
“Here is the Hustlers’ version. Don’t buy the 36 sows he said are starting stock. Just buy three good breed female piglets at a cost of Sh6,000,” the article said.
It added that a piglet consumes Sh40 of commercial feed per day until the fourth month, so Sh80 per day for the two starter stock, totalling Sh4,800 for the two months.
From the fifth to the eighth month, when the pigs become pregnant, they consume a further Sh19,200.
A further five months of the same ration is needed to cover the birth and marketability of the piglets, which is another Sh24,000.
Artificial insemination for a sow costs Sh3,000, so Sh6,000.
“Let us have 10 piglets per litter on average per sow and assume you will have 20 piglets for the market at Sh3,000 each. This will give Sh60,000 income against husbandry expenses of Sh60,000, hence a profit of Sh0 and a loss of Sh0,” she said.
Ms Irungu adds that the profit lies in the two mature females, which are worth Sh25,000 each at this stage, totalling Sh50,000.
In the second cycle, the pigs are already in their ninth month of pregnancy, so the above expenditure is more than three months when another round of litters starts.
“This means the second litters of 20 piglets at a disposal value of Sh3,000 each, brings in a net profit of Sh60,000 plus the Sh50,000 of the mothers; hence an aggregated profit of Sh110,000,” the letter continued, advising Dr Mugachia to visit low-income breeders and see how thinking small but working smart is changing lives.
The argument presented is good for the subsistence pig farmer, but not appropriate for one who wishes to make a decent living from the venture.
I will purpose to visit the farmers in the group soon to get a better understanding of how they calculate their costs and achievements.
In addition, the case of farming with two piglets does not take into account the long period of 13 months the farmer will have spent without making a profit from the animals.
It is also wrong to count the value of the two adult pigs as profit at 25,000 each, because this is wealth, not cash.
If the sows are converted to cash through sale, the business would stop functioning as there would be no more piglets.
The mature pigs also require maintenance and veterinary costs, which will reduce their earnings.
Another reason for keeping a large number of animals is that a small herd cannot sustain the farm's production.
If an animal falls ill or dies, it is a total loss and there are no other animals to compensate for the tragedy.
Subsistence farming is good for contributing to family needs, but not for commercial production where one expects to earn sufficient income for financial security.
I appreciate the fact that the column is read by people from different economic backgrounds and levels of farming. Sharing the knowledge and experience of farmers and experts is essential to improving people's livelihoods and food security.
