(BGO) - In order to improve economic efficiency, many households and farm owners in Bac Giang province have actively researched and applied science and technology in pig breeding, helping reduce cost, labor and disease risks, and especially ensuring disease-free breeding.
“One coin can make four coins”
After the herd of pigs was “wiped out” by the African swine fever, in 2020, the household of Hoang Van Thuan in Ngoi Lan village, Lan Gioi commune (Tan Yen district) embarked on improving the barn system with support from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. He demolished all the bathing pools in the barns and stopped bathing the pigs; renovated the drinking water supply system and feeding troughs and built a path leading to the gate.
The well-designed breeding area of the Thanh Thao Business Cooperative. |
The barns are equipped with sliding doors with stainless steel mesh outside. According to Thuan no bathing both saves water and minimizes swine diseases while ensuring all feed intake will serve the growth of the pigs. The sliding doors with stainless steel mesh are easy to open in case of power outage to welcome the wind to the barns without worrying about the penetration of flies, mosquitoes and insects. “In the past, my family had to spray mosquito repellent in the barns once a week, but now we need to do it only after 5 to 6 months.
Especially, with no pig bathing, breeding costs have significantly decreased. Before, it took six months for pigs to weigh 120kg but now they can gain the same weight after only 5 months and 15 days without coughing or diseases. My family earned nearly 800 million VND (34,960 USD) in profit from the first herd of 130 pigs raised since the barn renovation,” said Thuan.
By the end of last year, the province's total pigs exceeded 1 million, up 20 percent over the same period in 2019. Notably, the revenue from pig farming hit about 9 trillion VND (393 million USD), accounting for nearly 70 percent of the animal husbandry’s total value. |
According to the Sub-Department of Animal Production and Health under the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, after suffering losses from the disease in 2019, the province's total pigs now reach more than 1 million thanks to efforts made by the specialized agencies in guiding farmers to raise new herds properly and strictly follow the standard farming process, as well as households’ active technology application. For example, the farm of Duong Duc Viet in Nguon village, Thuong Lan commune (Viet Yen district) developed a post-biogas wastewater treatment model using Wetland technology while the Thanh Thao Business Cooperative in Xuan Huong commune (Lang Giang district) has built a system of standardized barns and pursued a biosafety, disease-free pig farming model.
Developing hi-tech animal husbandry
In fact, the application of high technology in animal husbandry in general and pig breeding in particular has been implemented by households, especially in their farms, for many years. Applying modern technology in all farming stages has contributed to raising economic efficiency, reducing costs and labor, and especially minimizing disease risks. The Tin Nhiem Clean Food Service and Livestock Breeding Cooperative (Bac Giang city) is an example.
For good growth of pigs, the cooperative has signed a contract with an organic feed provider and installed camera systems in all barns, so that partners can see the pigs through the screens instead of coming to the site. In Tan Yen district, with support from the Low Carbon Agricultural Support Project, seven households have developed a water-saving pig breeding system. This is a new model that helps save water in pig farming and reduce the rate of pigs suffering diarrhea, thus helping the animals to grow well.
The local relevant agencies have developed a specific plan to realize the provincial People's Council’s Resolution No. 44 dated December 9, 2020 on support for and cooperation in the production and consumption of agricultural products. Accordingly, in 2021, two pig breeding support chains will be deployed in Hiep Hoa and Luc Nam districts with about 1,000 heads per chain.
Sy Quyet