Raising ecological pigs is more profitable than feedlot pigs

In the photo, Liu Debin grazes ecological pigs on the hillside. Text and photo by Zuo Liyun

Inventory numbers and market-ready rates are the two figures that large-scale pig farmers value most, but in Liangshui Village, Futian Town, Wushan County, Chongqing, university-educated pig farmer Liu Debin has his own ideas.

He does not raise many pigs, but he insists on green feeding and lets the pigs move freely on the hillside. Although each pig takes a year to raise, Liu Debin believes that the economic benefits of this kind of ecological pig are more considerable than those of feedlot pigs.

“Green feed + free movement”

So-called ecological pig farming means not feeding commercial feed and raising the pigs in the wild, combining domestic raising with free-range raising.

Through market research, Liu Debin found that green food is gradually becoming popular in the market; people are no longer satisfied with simply having enough to eat, but hope even more to eat healthily.

So Liu Debin invested more than 600,000 yuan to build a new pig farm and bought 80 piglets, feeding them pig feed mixed from platycodon, corn and sweet potato starch. Each pen also has a small door, so the piglets can freely run out to the hillside to move around, and when hungry they return to the pen to look for food.

To make the pork even greener and more environmentally friendly, Liu Debin also taught himself traditional Chinese medicine to treat the pigs. “Rhubarb, banana leaves and so on all have the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying and sterilising. Usually, when the pigs have minor ailments such as a cold or fever, I add the decocted herbal medicine to their feed and let them take it; not only are the side effects small, it can also strengthen the pigs' immunity.”

“Applying for certification + WeChat sales”

Ordinary feedlot pigs can be sent to market once every 4 months, while Liu Debin's “environmentally friendly pigs” must be fed for a year before they can be sold.

Even so, Liu Debin is not at all worried about losing money. He explained: “Feed pig prices follow the market; once there are too many farmers, the market easily collapses. But the pigs I raise focus on ecology and health, and each jin sells for 18 yuan. At present, demand basically exceeds supply, so I do not need to worry about the market collapsing and prices being forced down.”

Last year, Liu Debin successfully applied for a “pollution-free pork” certificate. Then he set up his own WeChat official account, wrote sales information with both text and pictures, and posted it in his WeChat Moments.

Through word of mouth in WeChat Moments, Liu Debin's WeChat official account now has more than 6,000 followers.

He also plans to open a physical store in neighbouring Fengjie County town. “Combining online sales with a physical store gives more assurance of credibility. This year, my pig inventory has reached more than 200 head, and sales will be even better.”

“Pig manure fermentation + self-supplied feed”

Not long ago, Liu Debin renovated the pig pens again, digging a deep septic tank beneath them to ferment the pig manure.

The pig manure is processed into biogas residue, biogas slurry and biogas. The biogas slurry flows through pipes into the fields, providing fertiliser for the growth of more than 1,000 mu of citrus trees in the village; the biogas residue is used to produce organic fertiliser; and the biogas can be used to light a fire and cook. Nowadays, when you walk into the pig farm, you cannot smell any stench. Liu Debin is very satisfied with this environmentally friendly ecological treatment system.

Within the year, Liu Debin also plans to transfer several dozen mu of land to grow cash crops such as corn and sweet potato. “After I grow corn and sweet potato myself next year, I will use all farmyard manure. This not only solves the problem of pig manure, but also further guarantees that the pigs eat green and healthy food,” Liu Debin said.