Rural pig production and pork consumption in Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined pig production and pork consumption in rural communities of three Local Government Areas in Imo State, Nigeria. The data used for the study were obtained from 120 farmers including 60 pig producers and 60 pork consumers. Random sampling techniques were employed for the study and data collected were analysed in descriptive statistics and multiple regression. Results presented were on the socio-economic, production and management characteristics of pig farmers, resources used for pig production, factors affecting pig production and pork consumption, pig production systems, constraints of pig production and pork consumption patterns in the study area. Result showed that the pig farmers were educated to tertiary education and had not less than 20-24 years of pig farming experience. The study also revealed that majority of pig farmers kept inventories, had animal husbandry training, access credit facilities, and agribusiness cooperatives as management characteristics. The factors affecting pig production include income, cost of feed, farm size, household size, cost of drugs, and cost of labour while factors affecting pork consumption were pork price, environmental conditions, poor hygiene, cultural and religious beliefs, and nutritional values. The major constraints affecting pig production in the study area were high labour, poor housing, high finance, land holding, high incidence of disease, and high cost of feed. In conclusion, crossbred pigs were reared more than indigenous breeds due to their low productivity. However, pig breeders can preserve indigenous pig germlines through on-farm and ex-situ conservation for genetic diversity improvement.

Keywords: Pig farmers, Pork, Production, Consumption, Management, Constraints.