Swine raising learning center opens in Cebu
Excelsior Farms Inc., along with four industry partners, opened the first swine raising learning center in the Philippines, in Cebu.
Excelsior Farms, which operates a 20-hectare pig farm in Pinamungajan, Cebu, has partnered with Big Dutchman, a global market leader in pig production; Animal feed supplier Cargill, and the Londonbased Pig Improvement Company (PIC) to establish the Swinenovation Learning Center in Mabolo, Cebu City.
According to EFI chairman and chief financial officer (CFO) Alvin S. Hing, the opening of the free learning center is prompted by the industry’s bid to uplift the standard of farming in the Philippines, particular in swine farming and pork production.
Helped by global experts in the swine farming technologies, Hing said the facility aims to communicate modern and sustainable pig farming practices, which employs technology to produce quality pork in an efficient, responsible, sustainable, environment friendly, and profitable manner.
The center is open to students, universities, and industry stakeholders in the local swine industry to avail of the center’s crash courses, which offers different modules in modern swine farming and production.
It covers farm management and production from breeding to harvest, genetic technology, facility design, operation maintenance, feeds and feeding, animal health, and biosecurity.
“The center will act as the catch-basin or landingpad for all latest technologies in pig production in the Philippines—hopefully in Asia,” said Patrick Ty, BD Agriculture (Philippines) Inc., the Philippine distributor of Big Dutchman products.
Because of slow adoption of modern farming technology in the Philippines, production of locally produced meat is outgrown by the local demand, resulting for the Philippines to import at least one-third of the actual demand.
The Philippines at least consume 1.5 billion kilos of pork a year. About 400,000 of the actual pork demand is sourced from other countries like United Kingdom.
In 2017, the UK shipped nearly 4,500 tons of pork and 6,500 tons of pig offal to the country, making the Philippines the seventh largest destination for UK pig meat exports.
Cebu, as the Lechon capital of the Philippines is the fourth largest pig producer in the Philippines, closely competing with Bulacan, Batangas, and Bukidnon.
“The industry has to collaborate and share. I don’t mind sharing our best practices to the industry, because this is how we will grow. We are here to grow the Philippine swine industry and help bring food security in the country. Why buy it outside? Buy Filipino pork,” added Paul T. Holaysan Excelsior Farms president and chief executive officer.
Based on the “Hog Industry Roadmap’ the industry is moving towards addressing some of the major challenges facing the domestic industry over the next decade. The plan involves increasing the number of pigs sold/sow/ year from 18.8 in 2015 to 30 in 2027 and doubling carcase meat production/ sow/year to 3.5 tons.
These targets reflect a need for the Philippine pig industry to modernize if it is to keep up with growing consumer demand.
The latest OECDFAO (Organization Ecooperation and Development and Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations) outlook anticipates consumption grew to 15.4kg/capita last year (+3% year-on-year), and is now expected to reach 17.0kg/ capita by 2027. —