Kikondo, UG – FNS family saves to start pig rearing business – 15 Feb 2021

FNS family members are all smiles because their sow has given birth. In 2020 the family saved money with the Zinabala VICOBA Group to invest in a pig rearing business. In late 2020 they purchased a sow and bred it, and this month the mother gave birth to twelve healthy piglets!

Pig rearing has turned out to be a delicate project that involves time and dedication to the well-being of the SOW and now piglets. It is necessary to maintain a high quality pig enclosure to protect the pig and her piglets’ health. The family expects to sell the piglets after three months when they have been weaned from their mother.

The family’s main challenge will be supplying enough feed to the sow and her piglets during the dry season. Maize bran, the byproduct of milled maize, is an ingredient in their diet. The feed price increase during the dry season will cut into the project’s net income, so Mrs FNS is planning on saving enough to buy in bulk in advance of the dry season as a strategy to avoid the high prices.

In addition to earning income from selling pigs, rearing pigs produces manure for the family’s small banana garden and vegetable garden. The family still dedicates a lot of time to their garden, and has now qualified to participate in Wamukisa’s market garden program.

The family also hopes to rent land to farm corn in the future because this will reduce pig feed costs.