Production Status Of Pig In Nepal 56c1n

PRODUCTION STATUS OF PIG IN NEPAL 1.

General overview

Nepal is a landlocked country situated in the lap of the Himalayan bordering with China in the north and India in the South, East and West. Nepal is located between the latitude of 80: 4’ to 88: 12’ east. The elevation ranges from 90 to 8848 metres. The northern range of the country is covered with snow throughout the year where the highest peak the world the Mount Everest, stands. The middle range is captured by gorgeous mountains, high peaks, hills and valleys whereas the southern range is characterized by the gigantic plain of alluvial soil which consists of a dense forest area, wildlife reserves and conservation areas. The country exhibits tropical, mesothermal, microthermal, taiga and tundra types of climate. Nepal is divided, istratively into 5 development regions and 75 districts, whereas geographically in 3 regions; Mountain, Hill and Terai. The land use pattern shows that the agricultural land cultivated is 30,91,000 ha which is 21% of the total area(147181sq. km) of the country (MOAC, 2010/11) The total population of the country is 29,391,883 with annual growth rate of1.596% (CIA World Fact book, 2011 est.). About eighty percent of the country’s population lives in rural areas and agriculture is their primary livelihood where the rural poverty rate is over three times that of urban areas, 35 percent compared to 10 percent (NARC, 2010).Nepal is the part of the under developed countries where 31 percent population lives under poverty line (MOF, 2007). Agriculture sector contributes 35.65% whereas non agriculture sector contributes to the total GDP (Economic survey, 2010/11). Annual growth if GDP in the sector of agriculture and forestry was 1.05 (Economic survey, 2009/10).

2.

Livestock Sector in Nepal

Adistinct pivoted role of livestock is well established in the farming system of Nepal as a supplier of manure and high value animal protein. The livestock population of the country, namely cattle, buffalo, sheep goat, pig and fowl are (in million) 7.19, 4.83, 0.8, 8.84, 1.06, 25.76 respectively (DLS, 2009/10). Livestock is an integral part of agriculture system in Nepal. Its contribution to the Agricultural Gross Domestic products (AGDP) is about 25.68% (MOAC, 2009). The agriculture Perspective Plan (APP, 1995) has prioritized livestock sector as an important output of agriculture. It has targeted to increase livestock growth rate from 2.64% to 6.25% and livestock share to AGDP from 31% to 43.2% by the end of its plan period 2014/15 A.D. (APP, 1995). Agriculture development bank/ Nepal has contributed Ncr. 124 million in livestock and livestock related fields last year (ADB/Nepal, 2010/11).

3.

Status of pig farming in Nepal

Pig husbandry and pork production in Nepal is at an early stage of development compared to other livestock systems. Traditionally, pigs have been associated with low social groups, and so these animals have been neglected in improvement programmes. Religious prejudice has also imposed restrictions. Pigs are reared on a poor plane of nutrition with an indiscriminate breeding pattern and in poor housing. Consequently, the animals grow at a slow rate and the meat is of poor quality. As the pig is only reared by certain groups of people,

its production does not combine well with the whole farming system, in the way that that of other livestock does. However, for certain ethnic groups such as the Rai, Limbu, Magar, Kami and Damai living in the Eastern hills of Nepal, the black pig has religious and social significance, particularly at sacrificial ceremonies. By contrast, in other parts of the country the white skinned pig is preferred at the market. In Nepal, two main types of indigenous pig are kept, these are the Chwanche, which are small in size, black in colour and mostly reared in the hills, and the Hurra which are rust brown or black in colour, are relatively large in size and are reared in the Terai region. Over the years, government institutions and non-governmental agencies have imported some exotic breeds like the Hampshire, Landrace, Tamworth, Saddleback and Fauyen, with a view to upgrading native swine.

3.1.

National scenario:

Pig shares about 7.04% of the total meat production of the nation (MOAC, 2009). Pig meat contributes 0.5% of the AGDP. Pig meat is becoming popular and the production volume has been estimated at 16,453 metric tons in the year 2008 (MOAC, 2009). However, demand of the pig meat has not been fulfilled from domestic production. Profitability in pig enterprise primarily depend upon overall reproductive performance comprising age at farrowing, farrowing interval, litter traits, sex ratio, pre-weaning mortality (Singh and Khanna, 2000). These traits are important to reduce cost interval and increase genetic gain per unit time (Das et al., 2005). For the farmers with small land holding ,pig play an important role in providing meat for home consumption and also as a household instant income, which often acts as an insurance against crop failure(Ghimire and Aryal, 1999). Due to increased scope of swine farming, piglets are produced seasonally and also exported to different parts of India such as Sikkim, Darjeeling, Meghalaya and to the Bhutan. It has been estimated that 687 live pigs were exported in a year from the country (MOAC, 2010/11) indicating it’s potential as a source of household income and also as an areas of employment generation. Pig is known as mortgage lifters. Rapid growth in pigs is considered a major component of profit determination. They grow rapidly from a few kg. at birth to 100 kg weight in about 6 months. The generation interval is short and also it is possible for females to farrow when they are about one year old. Pigs are polyestrous, which means that they come to estrus or heat at 21 days intervals throughout the year. It is possible therefore to farrow pigs at any time of the year. Pigs are also prolific. At each estrus, they ovulate about 16 to 18 live pigs at the completion of each pregnancy (Ensuminger, 1983).

3.2.

Geographical distribution of pig population in Nepal:

The pigs are raised for meat production and religious purposes in Nepal (Aryal et al., 1995). The estimated population of pigs in Nepal during the year 2009/10 was 10.64 million with the distribution of 51 % in Eastern region, 18% in Central region, 11% in Western region, 14% in mid-western region and 5% in far-western region (DLS, 2009/10). The population of pigs has been increased by 8 thousand during the last four years (2006/07 to 2009/10) at the rate of 2.82% per year (MOAC, 2009) Table 1: Population of pig by eco-zones; Eco-zone Mountain Hills Terai Total Source: DLS, 2009/10

population 103520 553219 408119 1064858

% of population 9.72 51.9 38.32 100

Table 2: Population of livestock by development regions; Development region Mountain Eastern 86868 Central 13830 Western 143 Mid-western 1271 Far-western 1408 Total 103520 Source: DLS, 2009/10

Belt Hills 274381 100874 87291 85721 4952 553219

Total Terai 177652 79758 34400 67240 67240 408119

538901 194462 121834 154232 55429 1064858

Ecologically, pig population is highest in hill zone containing 51% and lowest in the mountain with only 9.72% of total population pig in the country. Likewise Eastern development region contains thehighest pig population regionally which occupies 51% of the total pig population and the far-western development region contains the lowest pig population i.e. 5% of total pig population in the country. The fact behind the higher pig population in the eastern development region is that the cultural and religious value of pigs in certain ethnic groups of hills people like rai, limbu, kami, magar and damai.

3.3. Pig meat production, marketing and consumption in Nepal Total net meat production (from buffaloes, sheeps, goats, pigs, fowl and duck) of the country is estimated about 250213 MT. during fiscal year 2009/10; it is expected to grow by 3.53% compared to last year.Net meat production of which 17.059 thousand MT (6.9%) from pigs. This is the second highest amount after the buffalo meat consumption. Table 3: Pig meat production in different belts of different dev. Regions Unit: Mt Development Belt region Mountain Hill Terai Total Eastern 928 4374 2399 7701 Central 178 2125 1367 3697 Western 0 1577 897 2474 Mid-western 1 1359 1122 2482 Far-western 39 42 624 705 Total 1146 9504 6409 17059 Source: DLS, 2009/10 Meat production in Nepal is based on the small subsistence production system except for some recently developed units of commercial pigs in some few pockets of the country (Joshi and Shaha, 2003). In Nepal 52.4% of the pig are slaughtered per year. There are evidences that poor conditions in the slaughter facilities and the meat handling in the country contribute to spread of zoonotic diseases ( joshi et al., 2001). The department of livestock services, the department of food and agriculture marketing and the central food research laboratories are indirectly related to the control of the animal slaughtering for the market. Due to the lack of implementation of the ‘Animal Slaughterhouse and meat Inspection Act-1999’, there is a reluctant absence of meat inspection in Nepal. Because of this legislative problem the meat from sick or parasitic-infected animal is serving as amain source of infection to human as well as to other animals (joshi et al., 2003).

The marketing of pork tends to be organized, informally, for the local consumption but it is much more organized for animal destined for urban centers like Kathmandu and Pokhara where the demand for pork is increasing, significantly. The actual consumption of meat and meat products in the country is influenced by religious, cultural and economic factors. In Nepal only 2% of the people are vegetarian. Most consume their staple diet of rice and lentils. The imported live animals from India, rather than the local supply, meet much of the urban demands for consumption.The general meat consumption is highest in between August-November since it coincides with the Hindu festivals. Pork, however, mostly get consumed during the winter months. In Nepal the consumption of pork through the practice of low heat barbecuing is becoming more popular. That will substantially increase the meat borne parasitic zoonotic problems (joshi et al., 2003). The market price of meat is influenced by the cultural and seasonal aspect of the country. The market price of the pork is highest (av. Rs. 175.59/kg) in winter season due to high demand of pork than other months of the year. Table 4: Monthly Average Retail Price of pork, 2009/10 National average :

unit: Rs/Kg.

Mont h

Baisak h

Jestha

asar

Shrawa n

Bhadr a

Ashoj

Kartik

Mangs ir

Paush

Magh

Phagun

chaitr a

price

143.23

157.58

156.56

160.51

165.51

164.67

166.67

165.91

170.63

173.9

180.36

177.47

Source: MOAC, 2009/10 Pork price was considerably low in the past n it increased in high rate in last 5 years. The market price of pork was only Rs.89.92/kg in the year 2004/05 and it became Rs.126.11/kg and Rs.165.25/kg in the year 2008/09and 2009/10 respectively with the rate of increase of 83.77% of market pork price in last half decade. This high percentage increase of market price in last 5 years signifies the increasing scope for commercial pig production in Nepal. India is the major country, mainly Darjeeling, Sikkim, Meghalaya and Asam for exporting the live pig and pig products. During the year 2010/11, total of 12,33,400 live pigs were exported to India. Frozen meat of pig is exported to Bhutan as well. Table 5: Export of live swine and swine products: MoAC, 2010/11 Sn. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Description, commodities Live swine weighing less than 50 kg Live swine weighing more than 50 kg Frozen meat of swine Meat of swine Meat of swine

country India India Bhutan hongkong India

unit Pcs. Pcs. Kg. Kg. Kg.

quantity 627 60 470 2 400

Values(Rs) 933,400 300,000 23,585 4,428 3,428

5.

Pigs,hogs or boars bristle

India

Kg.

4,313

973,973

Source: Trade and Export Promotion Centre

Likewise India is the major country from where the live swine are exported. Total of 150 live swine were exported from India, of which 142 live swine were less than 50 kg. Fresh and chilled meat of swine is exported from India, China and Thailand as well. Table 6: Import of live swine and swine products: MOAC, 2010/11 Sn. Description, commodities country Unit 1. Live swine India Pcs. 2. Fresh or chilled meat of swine India Kg. ’’ China P.R. Kg. 3. Frozen meat of swine Thailand Kg. ’’ China P.R. kg Source: Trade and Export Promotion Centre

Quantity 150 2,325 260 191,0 8,630

Values(Rs) 256,979 161,466 11,623 191,711 1,698,825

3.4. Pig Rearing System in Nepal:Traditionally two or three indigenous pigs are owned by resource poor farmers in Nepal. However, the recent introductions of improved breeds in different parts of the country have introduced the possibility of developing small piggeries to generate cash. Pigs are now reared under two systems in Nepal.

3.4.1. Scavenging System:Both indigenous and improved pigs are allowed to roam freely by the road side, and many other open areas, rooting for available food. They are usually shut up at night to protect them from theft and predation. Under this system the opportunity for eating contaminated food and picking up disease is very high. Therefore, it is likely that they suffer from internal parasitic infestation and other disease problems.

3.4.2. Intensive System: In this system mostly improved pigs are reared, although some indigenous pigs may be reared in this way. Although the animals are protected from inclement weather they are confined in the same place until they are marketed. Therefore, they are prone to suffer from diseases associated with poor sanitation and crowded accommodation. Government and modern piggery farming adopted intensive housing system. These farms take care following consideration; Air, temperature, humidity, rainfall, solar radiation, wind velocity, mode of housing, shade / shelter, types of floor surface, stocking /space/ pigs and effect of cooling. But these factors are not considered in tradition or scavenging housing system.

Government and modern commercial farm are adopted following factor;      

Properly designed building and equipment for pigs should be provided for sleeping, feeding and furrowing. The requirements of pig differ from other livestock in that. Pig are more sensitive to temperature variation that cattle or sheep. Pigs are confined more than other stock and therefore require better ventilation and sanitation arrangement. Particular care must always be given to the furrowing sow, particularly in view of the fact that her litter is large and small pigs can easily be trampled or laid upon by the mother with disastrous result, if housing is bad. Temperature desirable for pigs are; Furrowing pens should be around 16 degree to 21 degree centigrade.In the nest or creep area baby pig like a temperature of 27 degree shiver when it drops to 21 degree and are

 

quite cold at 16 degree for the first few days after birth a minimum temperature of 29 degree is in the fact desirable. Growing pigs and pigs being finished from weaning to 57 kg do best at a temperature of about 21 degree while heavier pigs do better at a lower temperature, say 18 degree centigrade. Pigs can be housed in either permanent or portable type house.

2.5. Feeding Management Applying in Nepal: Feeding of pigs is a vital component of management and constitutes about 70 % of the cost of production. Feeds are required birth to end of life. In Nepal, mostly pigs are farmed by low cast and janajati cast of people. A very small amount of purchased feed is fed to pigs under village conditions. If they are managed under a free range system, the diet comprises kitchen waste, garbage, roots and other green forage. Some supplement may be offered depending upon the availability of rice bran, brewers' residue, distillers' residue and other crop by-products. If they are reared indoors, the bulk of the diet will be cereal by-products like rice-bran, maize, husks and vegetable waste. However, no special provision of feed is made for pregnant or lactating sows or for flushing. The Formulated balanced rations are only available on Government Farms The farm pigs traditionally few of them adopted commercially in private level and government farm and they consideration following factor:   

   

When attempting to formulate rations for pigs it is essential to that; the total food cost usually as high as 80- 85% of the cost of production aim for 70-75% . Young pigs are able to grow exceedingly fast i e 10-12 times as fast as calf. Their need for highly digestible foods is therefore obvious if their potential growth rate is to be realized. Though the pig is omnivorous it cannot utilize large quantities of fibrous materials and therefore complete with human being for much of its food, principally maize nevertheless it can utilize certain by produces unsuitable for human being and provided these are kept to a reasonable level and supplemented with more expensive and nitrous feeds, reasonable growth rate at economic levels can be achieved. It is essential that when comparing the cost of a ration its effect on the eventual quality of the carcass be judge in addition to the total cost of the ingredients. Since pigs are require rations containing different proportion of proteins, and vitamin in relation to the energy requirements the following minimum requirements of pigs should be available. Up to18 kg a highly digestible food with low fibers content, high protein minerals and vitamins content. Most of the protein should be of animal origin and should total 20% crude protein. 18-54 kg live weight a low fiber ration containing 16-17 % C.P. with a high proportion of animal origin but including some vegetable protein foods.

3.5. Breeding Management Applying in Nepal: Government farms operate sound breeding practices, but under village conditions negative selection is often practiced due to lack of knowledge. In this way, vigorous and active male pigs are castrated to sell in the market, and ones which are weak, lean or small are retained for breeding. Pure breeding or cross breeding system is being followed only in case of exotic breeds such as, Hampshire, Landrace Yorkshire, and Duroc Crossbreeding and criss-crossing among these breeds is being practiced for commercial pork production.

Pigs Breeds are broadly divided in to two main types, bacon and pork producers. The majority of improved local breeds are used mainly for pork production, while bacon is produced mainly from British and American type pigs. For commercial production it is essential to use a breed of pig that will reach the right degree of maturity at correct weight. a. Pork: Pig are generally for pork at about 4 month of age when they are weigh 40-54 Kg.as the highest price is paid for chops, ts for roasting and legs of pork. A thickly fleshed back and heavy ham is required. Excess fat is undesirable. The general shape of a porker should be compact and blocky. b. Bacon: The best bacon pig is carrying most meat in the highest priced parts, i .e the back portion and the hocks for ham. The points to look for are: 1 2 3 4

Good body length and Meaty hams Fairly short legs Firm belly undefined Little fat, especially along the back. Whereas pork can be trimmed for excess fat, bacon can’t. Pigs should be slaughtered for bacon between seven and eight month of month of age at 70 -100 kg live weight. Some breeds are especially used for pork production while others are suitable for either bacon or pork following are the breeds found in Nepal. 2.5.1. Pig Breeds of Nepal: A. Indigenous Pig Breeds of Nepal: i). Chwanche ii).Hurrah iii). Bampudke iv).Nagpure i). Chwanche • It is a poor man’s pig raised by underprivileged people of hilly regions in scavenging situation. • Body colour is completely black. • Barrel is dropping type. • Adult weight: Bore-22.5 kg and sow-34.5 kg. • Age at first furrowing is 236 days after birth. Farrowing interval is 5 months. • It has white star in forehead. ii). Hurrah  It is a native pig raised by underprivileged people of central and western terai region in situation. • Body colour is completely grayish black. • Barrel is dropping type. • Adult weight: Bore-50 kg and sow-50 kg. • Age at first farrowing is 348 days after birth. Farrowing interval is 6.5 months. iii). Bampudke • These are locally located in and around “Suklaphant wildlife conservation area.” • Locally known as Bampudke Banel or Sanu Bane. • It is known to be the smallest hogs. • Body colour is rusty brown to black.

scavenging

•

Adult weight: 6-10 kg.

B. Synthetic (Hybrid) pig developed in Nepal: i). Pakhribas Black: Cross between Tamworth, Saddleback and Fayuen, Suitable breed for the hills of Nepal C. Exotic pig breeds in Nepal: i). Landrace: Originated in Denmark, long and droppy ears. ii). Yorkshire: Originated in England, erect ears. iii). Duroc: Originated in estern United States, light golden, almost yellow color, to a very dark red that approaches mahogany, medium length and slight dish of the face. The ears should be drooping and should not be held erect. iv). Hampshire: Originated in England, white belt-like color around the girth.

Hill pigs The hill black pigs are called ‘Chwanche’ amongst the Magar community and ‘Sungur’ in the other communities of western hills, whilst they are known as ‘Pundi’ in the eastern hills. These native pigs are small and their mature weigh do not exceed 25 kg or even below. This small size of this type is attributed to centuries of close breeding and their scavenging feeding habits and feeding on garbage and human waste products, (Epstein, 1977). The characteristic features of this breed are: • Very long, conical and slender head • Short ears • A long and poorly muscled neck • Narrow shoulders and straight back • Pendulous belly, short rump • Long, straight tail with a thin tuft of hair • Occasional white spots on the forehead or legs. Terai pigs: The domesticated native pigs of the terai are called the ‘Hurra’. These pigs are raised by the people in the central and western terai largely as scavengers. General features of the pigs: • Moderate head length with slightly concave profile straight nasal section. • Short prick ears • Relatively short and deep neck • Narrow and straight back • Fairly long and slightly sloping rump • Tail falls straight to the level of hocks. Grey skin densely covered with the bristles of moderate length. • No spots on the body coat Wild pigs: Indian wild pigs, which are considered to be the ancestors of domestic pigs in many parts of Asia including Nepal, are found in the jungles of terai as well as in the hills. While the young ones are striped, mature animals may be either blackish brown or silvery grey. Wild pigs, preferably males are captured from the jungles at a young age for fattening. The males are castrated immediately after capture, but the females are not spayed. Consumption of domesticated pigs is restricted to some ethnic groups but most Hindus consume wild pigs as a

special delicacy. The pygmy hog (Sus salvanius); locally known as ‘Bampudke bandel’ or ‘sanu bandel’ is the smallest of hogs (Source: Statistical year book of Nepal, 2007)

4. Government Effort for Pig Development in Nepal. There are several types of research and development pig programs to be implemented in Nepal through Department of Livestock Services (DLS), Nepal Agriculture Research Council (NARC), National Zoonoses and Food Hygiene Research Centre (NZFHRC and other INGO and NGO. R&D programmes could be as following; Poverty alleviation programme by introducing new pig farming systems Income generation programme, Women development programme in pig farming, Unprivileged community development programme for different ethnic pig farming group, Pig group formation @10 farmers per group, Piglet distribution @ 20 female and 2 male piglets per group, Drenching and vaccination programme for pig disease surveillance and control, Insurance fund and credit integrated, Training and extension programmes for pig farmers either in group or in community, Formulation and development of policies and standards for poverty alleviation of pig farmers, Establishment of pig slaughterhouse and pig meat markets better hygienic and sanitary condition, Resources matching between commercial farms NARC, government farms and pig farmers, Training programmes to the pig farmers for modern technology transfer, Establishment of breeder pig farms (currently involved in Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Makwanpur Syanja, Kaski, Udayapur, Tanahun, Dang Kailali), Establishment and promotion of commercial farms in different districts (currently 30 farms involved), Implementation of growth axis programme, Maintenance of breeding stock in government farms Supply of breeding stock to the breeder farmers, Distribution of piglets to the farmers through the breeder farms There seems to be great potential for increasing the production of pork meat, and the productivity of pigs in the national system. Since its present contribution to animal protein supply is small, institutional development and “National Pig Policy” are required for the overall improvement of the pig industry in Nepal. Government institutions for pig production and improvement exist at Khumaltar, Jiri, Lampatan, Tarahara and Pakhribas Agricultural Centre. The last institute is placing most attention on the development of an improved black pig called the Pakhribas Cross by interbreeding with the Fauyen, Tamworth, Yorkshire, Saddleback and Hampshire pigs (Gatenby et al, 1990). It is reported that about 350 improved piglets/year have been distributed throughout the country from different institutions since 1985. Though this number appears to be very small in the national context, it does represent valuable genetic material if it can be effectively utilized, by linking distribution with breeding advice and concurrent improvements in management.

5. Conclusion: Pig production in Nepal has good potential to supply animal protein to the market. The increased adoption of improved breeds by village communities is a positive indication of the acceptance of pig meat in society. Pig farmers need training on low cost production technology, modern husbandry practices together with knowledge on zoonotic diseases in order to produce good quality pork from healthy pigs. Marketing mechanism at the local level needs to be established, strengthened and linked to the marketing channels Integrate production program with slaughterhouses to utilize slaughterhouse wastes better Develop technology on low cost production in order to produce pork economically Strengthen government pig farms as a resource center for supplying

breeding animals to the breeder farms Research and Development en hence benefits to the poor pig farmers of Nepal.

References; Dhaubhadel T.S., Sustainable livestock production in the mountain agro-ecosystem of Nepal, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. Joshi, Durga Dutta. Pig farming system in Nepal; how can research and development enhance benefits to the Farmers of Nepal. Maskey, Amrit Kumar. January, 2009. A term paper on recent advances in commercial pig production in Nepal as compare to developing countries of the world. Oli, K.P. and A.M. Morel. Livestock Production in the Eastern Hills of Nepal. MOAC, Statistical year book 2010/11. DLS, Livestock statistics 2009/10. The Himalayan Times, Added At: 2010-09-15 6:13 PM Last Updated At: 2010-09-15 6:13 PM. Pig farming raise Majhi's economic status.