Native pigs in big demand at Christmas time
Many people really love native lechon, according to Ferds Medina of Ecopig Development Corporation of Mabalacat, Pampanga which is specializing in the production of the native black pigs for making lechon.
Medina said that this month of December, they have already sold 500 native lechonS. The problem is that there is a big demand but there is not enough supply of pigs. His company, according to Ferds, can sell as many as a few thousand pieces a month if there is enough supply. His company has institutional buyers who buy ten or more at a time, not only in Central Luzon but also in Metro Manila.
Ferds and his wife Emely started raising native pigs and making them into lechon in 2010 and have developed a loyal clientele that would like to have a steady supply of cooked native lechon. To increase the availability of animals, they have come up with a joint venture scheme.
The partner invests R180,000 for which he or she will be allocated 20 sows or female breeders and two boars. Ecopig will take care of the animals in its own farm, providing the housing, feeds, labor and other expenses. When the pigs give birth, Ecopig will also buy the piglets at prices agreed upon.
Piglets that weigh 5 to 7 kilos at weaning (two months), the price is R 800; those weighing 8 to11 kilos, R1,000; and those 12 kilos and above, R1,500. The investor will then get 40 percent of the value of the piglets.
The breeders are usually retired when they are three years old after giving birth six times. If each breeder gave birth to 7 piglets every farrowing, that would mean 49 piglets per mother pig. Forty percent of that would be the share of the investor. Say the average price per piglet is R900, the total value would be R44,000. Forty percent of that would be R17,640 per head. Multiply that by 20 (number of mother pigs) and that will give P352,800. Ecopig also gives R30,000 as goodwill money after the contract ends. So the investor makes a reasonable profit.