Small-scale pig farmers in the North West are decreasing production, while others are closing their doors. They say expensive feed and difficulty in penetrating the market are making it impossible for them to keep farming sustainable.
One of them, Mogorosi Modisaotsile, who lives in Taung, says due to the expensive feed he opted to rather sell his sows and piglets.
“I used to farm with 70 to 85 pigs at my place, but due to market and the price of the feed, I end up wanting to sell. In a month, I spend R10 000 to R14 000 on feed because they eat different feed. The bigger ones have their own, the pregnant ones and the milking one have their own, piglets too. That is why I pay so much for feed because I don’t like to give them waste food as pork meat is sensitive,” says Modisaotsile.
Modisaotsile says he is also struggling to penetrate the pork industry.
“Big shops are not willing to take our product, when we go to them and tell them we have this huge number of your product (sic), maybe we can supply. We are still struggling to due to skin colour. Someone will come and they will give them the contract, the same person will come to my farm to buy my own product and resell it to them but they will take it.”
Another local pig famer Tshabaesele Gaoraelwe is facing the same challenge. He says, he can’t afford top quality feed.
Agricultural Economist Thabile Nkunjana says the increase in feed prices, which is affecting all provinces, was caused by international markets.
“The bigger issue with the feed prices is coming from the global market and there’s nothing that the South African producers can do about it. South America, especially Brazil and Argentina, where we have seen a lot of a drought that has persisted there. It’s been a problem for all the provinces of South Africa. Now a lot of pork is being produced within the domestic industry and unfortunately, we’re not exporting a lot of it,” says Thabile Nkunjana.
Meanwhile, the South African Pork Producers Association alludes to the fact that biosecurity standards are looked at before small-scale farmers are given contracts to supply their product.
Sappo CEO Johann Kotze, says, “There is a great demand for biosecurity. So, people buying pork are more conscious of buying from people with great infrastructure, looking after biosecurity on the farm. So, the market for small scale people becomes even more difficult.”
The North West Department of Agriculture says they will look at ways to support up and coming farmers.
Small scale piggery farmers in North West clamp down on production:
