If you’re planning to start pig farming in Nigeria, one of the things you’ll want to do is to educate yourself about pig business and the pig industry as a whole.
In this article, I’ll share with you some facts that can help prepare you for your intending pig farming business in Nigeria.
If after going through these facts you’re still interested in starting a pig farming in Nigeria, you can visit one of our associates’ farms for free practical training on the farm.
We have associates’ farms in more than 20 states of Nigeria and you can find one near you for practical pig farming training here
9 Facts you should know while starting pig farming in Nigeria
- Nigeria is the biggest pork producer in Africa
- Nigeria imported 7,779 thousand tonnes of pork in 2021
- The biggest pig farm in Africa is located in Nigeria
- Nigeria and Ghana consume Pork worth $3 billion annually
- Pigs are often pregnant for 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days
- Nigeria lost close to 1 million pigs to ASF in 2020
- Pigs can eat almost anything
- There are only 5 best pig breeds to rear in Nigeria
- Pigs are one of the cleanest animals to rear
- Farmers use growth-promoting drugs on pigs
Nigeria is the biggest pork producer in Africa
According to the National Agricultural Sample Survey, 7.1 million pigs were produced in Nigeria in 2011
In 2020, 44 million pigs were produced in Africa.
Statistics shows that Nigeria produced about three hundred and three thousand (303,000) metric tons of pork in the same year, making us the biggest producer of pork in Africa.
If you’re planning to start pig farming in Nigeria, it should not discourage you to know that Nigeria is producing so much pig because…
Nigeria imported 7,779 thousand tonnes of pork in 2021
Yes, even though we rear a lot of pigs, Nigeria still import 7,779 tonnes of pork meat in 2021, according to this report.
This means we still need more pig farmers who can innovate and breed more pigs for our 213 million population
If your goal is to build a successful pig farming business in Nigeria, the best thing to do is to look for someone who is experienced in pig farming and get them to train you (practically on the farm).
If you can’t find such help, you can easily contact our company.
We allow you (or your employees) to visit our associates’ pig farm for practical training.
You can also use our experienced farmers as your consultant.
See details of our free practical pig farming training here
The biggest pig farm in Africa is located in Nigeria
I bet you didn’t know this, but the largest pig farm in Africa is the Oke Aro farms in Lagos, Nigeria.
If you want to see the Nigerian pig farming in its real form, you at least need to visit Oke Aro.
The Oke Aro piggery sits on over 30 hectares of land located in Giwa, Oke Aro, a town on the border between Lagos State and Ogun State.
It will take you 30 minutes to get to the farm if you are driving from the Agege area of Lagos.
The Oke Aro piggery has been in existence for over two decades and was established by the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture in association with the National Directorate of Employment.
The farm has about 5,000 pens and over 2,000 small and medium-scale farmers.
If you really care about visiting Oke-Aro, one of our associate farmers is there and you can contact us
Nigeria and Ghana consume Pork worth $3 billion annually
According to Euromeatnews, the volume of pig meat eaten by Nigeria and Ghana amounts to a whopping $3 billion annually.
It’s incredible to believe when you consider the popular negative notions people have about pigs and pork.
But currently, many Nigerians have embraced pork as their favorite meat choice despite their religious and cultural beliefs.
Pig meat has become so popular in many drinking spots in Nigeria, creating a higher demand for it and better business for farmers of the animal.
Pigs are often pregnant for 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days
Compared to sheep, goats, and other livestock, pigs stay pregnant for a shorter period before giving birth.
Sheep stay pregnant for up to 152 days, while cows last for 283 days.
The gestation period of a domestic pig is between 114 and 116 days, which is about 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days.
For wild pigs, this period can get to 122 days.
Mature female pigs known as sows can give birth twice a year and produce up to 12 piglets each time.
You can tell if a sow is pregnant by observing her udders and vulva.
They will become swollen with the teats dropping down.
If the sow is actually pregnant, the udders will secrete some milk when you squeeze them gently.
Similarly, you will notice swelling around the vulva.
Nigeria lost close to 1 million pigs to ASF in 2020
Pig farming, like other business ventures, has its downtime period.
In May 2020, more than 600,000 out of the 1 million pigs died as a result of infection with African swine fever (ASF) in Oke Aro farms in Lagos state.
This is regarded as the worst case of the ASF epidemic in the country.
This number excluded the ones that were sick or those killed to reduce the population.
Other Nigerian states like Delta and Abia also recorded their own losses in the tens of thousands.
The Guardian, UK, reported that Nigerian farmers said they lost about $51.6 million to the outbreak of ASF, with many pig farmers expressing fears of running out of business.
If you’re planning to start pig farming in Nigeria, this may scare you, but no business is immune to downtime like this.
Instead, all you have to do is to prepare yourself.
Get as much knowledge as you can about pig farming business.
Visit existing pig farms and get an experienced pig farmer to train you practically on the farm
You can see details about our free practical pig farming training on the farm here
Pigs can eat almost anything
Yes. From your cooked rice and beans to the garbage from your kitchen, pigs do not discriminate when they want something to eat.
You know human beings are called omnivores because they feed on both plant and animal sources. Right? Good.
That is the same with pigs.
Pigs are referred to as opportunistic omnivores with a single stomach chamber.
Now listen.
Even though your pigs can eat anything, that doesn’t mean you’ll succeed in Nigeria Pig farming market by giving your pigs anything
Though they feed on plants, they require an additional supply of food materials such as milk, vegetables, cooked meat, and so on to supplement their diet to be healthy.
Pigs are one of the cleanest animals to rear
Are you shocked? Well, you’re not alone.
That was the same way most people feel when they learn about this fact.
Many people have always had the belief that pigs are very filthy animals that enjoy rolling in the mud.
Many don’t eat or start pig farming business because of this belief
In fact, the popular notion is that pigs cannot survive where there is no mud.
Thank heavens, you now know better.
Pigs are actually among the cleanest domestic animals you can find.
The reason most people think that pigs enjoy rolling in muddy waters is that they love cool environments.
Their lack of sweat pores drives them to crave wet places just to cool their bodies.
Interestingly, pigs do not make their sleeping areas their toilets.
They defecate and urinate far away from where they sleep.
Farmers use growth-promoting drugs on pigs
The use of antibiotics in animal food was first discovered in the United States in the 1940s.
Pig farmers adopted this practice of boosting the growth of pigs with the use of antibiotics when they realized that when they treated small pigs with antibiotics, they appeared to grow faster than normal, even with less food.
This practice became the norm among meat producers in the 1980s.
The downside of this practice is that the microorganisms soon become antibiotic-resistant, the bacteria become harmful to humans upon consumption, and every type of antibiotic becomes ineffective in the long run.
Advice for Potential Pig Entrepreneurs
If you’re planning to start pig farming in Nigeria, our simple advice for you is this; get as much knowledge as possible.
While reading articles online can be a good place to start, human mind really don’t comprehend things until we see and touch.
So, look for an experienced pig farmers that can allow you visit his farm, then get trained on such a farm.
That way, you can see practically for yourself how pig farm is being set up, how pen is constructed, how pigs are vaccinated, feed and clean.
You can touch, watch and ask questions.
If you need our company to help in this regard, you can go through our free practical training on the farm here
Thanks.