I will be an employer soon – youth
MBABANE – All he wishes for is to see more youth employed. That is 28-year-old, Andile Ngwenya, a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science graduate, has said that he plans to be an employer soon in his pig farming project.
Ngwenya said his love for animals, especially cattle and pigs, saw him delve into the livestock rearing path, because he was having a difficult time securing employment after tertiary. “After two years of job seeking with no luck, I made a decision to create employment for myself and others who are experiencing the same challenge in the country,” said the young entrepreneur.
Worth noting is that, according to a study by Trading Economics, unemployment rate in Eswatini is expected to reach 26 per cent by the end of 2023.
The study reveals that the rate would be 26 per cent in 2023 and 25.80 per cent in 2024.
Ngwenya, who hails from Ngudzeni, but now located at Kudzeni under the Manzini Region, disclosed that over 10 people would gain employment with this project, very soon.
Unemployment
This is one of His Majesty King Mswati III’s wishes, that the youth of the country venture into job creation so as to decrease the unemployment rate.
“I started my piggery project in 2017 and am still growing. My pig farming journey began with one sow and I have expanded to 10 sows now. After attending some workshops conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Taiwan ICDF (International Cooperation and Development).
“I also did six months’ attachment with the Ministry of Agriculture, veterinary and livestock services, so I had the benefit of being a student and sometimes being a teacher. Being an Animal Science graduate works as an advantage as well,” opined Ngwenya.
Further, Ngwenya said that he was trained in pig base, feed formulation, ecometrix and artificial insemination (AI) to name a few.
“It opened my mind about other things that we overlook as farmers like keeping proper records so that it becomes easy to know the cost of your business and how to reduce them if possible. Pig Industry Enhancement Project (PIEP) is a Taiwan funded project that is enhancing pig production in the country. They introduced artificial insemination in the country and improved the breeds at Mpisi pig breeding station. They also help in extension services together with the Ministry of Agriculture,” Ngwenya narrated.
According to Ngwenya, there was a huge difference, small farmers no longer kept boars unnecessarily anymore because gilts were readily available at Mpisi.
“Number of pokers you sell per week/month on average is between 20 and 30 per month. The number depends on two factors; demand from my market and my production at that particular month.
profitable
The graduate when asked if pig farming was profitable, according to him, affirmed that it was indeed profitable.
“It is profitable, although it has ups and downs, mostly because of feed prices and scarcity of markets that are willing to buy at my price (E45/kg for now) and PIEP should continue, so that more of emaSwati can have access to the gilts and semen from Mpisi and also benefit from the workshops organised by the specialists from PIEP,” pointed out Ngwenya.
The young farmer disclosed that he never thought even for a day that he would fall in love so easily with pig farming, especially as a business with prospects to expand and run it commercially. “The journey has remarkably impacted my life positively. I was not very hopeful when I bought my first pigs but after my first sale batch, I was confident that I needed to buy my first breeding sow.
“While I am still energetic in my youth days, I will continue to invest all my energy in my business, more so because it keeps me busy and at the same time, it pumps me money day in and day out. I just hope that my business will one day grow to be a big business so it provides job opportunities for some people,” he gestured.
Furthermore, Ngwenya then passed words of encouragement to my colleagues and the youth of Eswatini and advised them to wise up and discover something to pump in money rather than sitting and expecting money from somewhere.
“A small business just to keep your hands busy can do rather than bad habits and remember that an idle mind is the devils’ playground,” he advised.