Shri. Ram Pal, a dynamic 37-year-old entrepreneur from the Valmiki community in Village-Satuiya Khurd, Nawabganj, Bareilly, left school after completing the 10th grade and embraced his family's traditional pig farming business. He informed that his father used to rear 10-15 local pigs at a time (which takes almost a year to attain 50-60 kg body weight) from which his father could earn Rs. 40,000 (approx.). After the demise of his father in 2018, he continued his father's work for some time but realized that the work was not very remunerative due to low production/productivity, high incidence of disease, and difficulty faced in the daily management of pigs left on scavenging. Therefore, he thought to start the business again following the scientific pig farming practices. In 2022, he connected with KVK-IVRI experts during the Kisan Mela, expressing his desire to transition to scientific pig farming.
KVK- IVRI imparted 4 days of training on pig management in November 2022 and this helped him acquire skills for scientific pig management. He was provided with constant technical and logistic support for the construction of the Pig shed, selection of breed, care and management of piglets, breeding plan, and disease management. KVK-IVRI experts also advised him regarding the procurement of various inputs, and strategies for the marketing and sale of pigs and linked him with other successful pig farmers. KVK-IVRI also provided critical inputs such as grower feed and conducted field visits from time to time under the institute's Scheduled Castes Sub Plan project.
Empowered by KVK-IVRI's guidance, he sold his local pigs and invested in a 1 Bigha land for a pig breeding-cum-fattening farm. Constructing five pig sheds (10 x12 ft) with 8ft covered and 4ft open area for the rearing of breeding stock at the cost of Rs. 79600 and purchased 02 pregnant gilts (01-year-old), 03 growing gilts (6 months) and 01 Boar (6 months) of Large White Yorkshire for breeding at the cost of Rs. 75000. Given the requirement for housing growing piglets, he spent Rs. 78900 for the construction of a 12x25 ft. size shed with 15 ft covered and 10 ft open area well in advance. He provided commercial feed to Pigs based on their nutritional requirement at different stages. Understanding the importance of waste management, he dug a 20ft x 20ft area to collect the runoff water containing the pig farm waste and purchased 1000 fish fingerlings at Rs. 3000 for rearing in the collected water. This helped him save the cost of fish feed and generate additional income. He has also constructed a 25ft x 12ft shed for rearing 200 improved rural poultry and meticulous health measures showcased his commitment to excellence.
In 2023, Shri. Ram Pal's farm produced 45 high-quality Large White Yorkshire finished pigs, yielding 44.5 Quintal live weight. Selling at Rs. 170/kg, the gross income and net income reached Rs. 7, 56,500 and Rs.3, 37,000 respectively. Fish farming contributed 2.7 Quintal fish, earning him an additional Rs. 18,900. Backyard poultry farming of improved Rhode Island Red (RIR) and CARI Shyama birds brought in Rs. 37,500 through eggs and bird sales.
As a result of these interventions, Shri. Rampal noticed the improved performance of his pigs with a reduction in disease incidence. The Large White Yorkshire pigs at his farm attained an average of 99±3 kg at 7 months of age. Adoption of a well-planned breeding strategy and best management practices allowed him to expect production of 80±10 finished pigs/year, thus helping him to utilize the available space and resources most efficiently. The sows at his farm on average produced 2.1±0.12 litter/ year with an average litter size of 9.98±0.14. Further, constructing a proper Pig housing facility helped him manage his farm operations easily and efficiently. Utilization of the pig waste for fish feed helped him to generate wealth from waste. Moreover, the clean pig production technology allowed him to get easy access to his market rate of Rs. 170/kg. All this helped him gain income and recognition in his village. Now he is serving as a farmer change agent for KVK-IVRI and motivating other community members to come forward and start animal husbandry practices on scientific lines to reap greater returns.
(Source: ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly)
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