Ecological pigs eat leaves, cutting farming costs by 12%
A kind of "ecological pork" from pigs raised on leaves has recently arrived in dozens of supermarkets in Nanning, Guilin and Liuzhou in Guangxi, quietly capturing the meat consumer market with its safe, healthy, nutritious and delicious characteristics. Liu Shangwen, a professor at Wuhan University, said: "Planting paper mulberry while raising pigs will become a new way for farmers to get rich by raising pigs."
Liu Shangwen has devoted himself to the industrial research and development of paper mulberry for many years and holds multiple related patents. The paper mulberry ecological pig whole-industry-chain model he is vigorously promoting is expected to contribute to the "targeted poverty alleviation" currently being implemented.
"Paper mulberry leaves grow quickly and have a high protein content. Their nutritional components and nutritional balance indicators, such as amino acids, vitamins, carbohydrates and trace elements, are all excellent, making them a high-quality feed resource for livestock and poultry," Liu Shangwen said.
The paper mulberry leaf ecological pigs that Liu Shangwen and his team are vigorously promoting belong to natural farming, raised according to the animals' own living times and eating habits. The manure of paper mulberry leaf ecological pigs contains no harmful substances and has no negative impact on the environment. It can be processed into biogas or fertilizer, and the entire farming process maintains the balance of the biological chain. Pigs raised in this way are ensured to have meat that is not contaminated, does not pollute the environment, and is not harmful to human health.
He said: "Paper mulberry ecological pigs completely avoid the decline in pork quality that feels like 'chewing sawdust' caused by relying on antibiotics and even hormones to make pigs grow frantically. Paper mulberry fermented feed is like green fodder, and ecological pigs fed with it return to the fragrant, tender and delicious flavor of the 'farm mountain pigs' of the past."
To verify the feeding results of Liu Shangwen's proposal to raise pigs with paper mulberry bio-fermented feed, Zhang Ji, a professor at South China Agricultural University, once conducted a comparative experiment in Yangjiang, Guangdong. The results showed that the farming cost of paper mulberry pigs decreased by nearly 12%, while the meat quality received 96.8% approval votes.
The participation of capital forces from Qianhai in Shenzhen has given Liu Shangwen and his team the confidence to make the paper mulberry ecological pig industry bigger and stronger in Guangxi. Liu Shangwen is determined to build a whole industry chain from "paper mulberry planting - bio-feed processing and production - ecological pig raising - slaughtering and quarantine - branded ecological pork on the market - citizens' dining tables," ensuring the safety and traceability of the pork production process.
"Our paper mulberry ecological pork will adopt a direct sales model, entering supermarkets directly, ensuring there are no intermediate links and maximizing the interests of consumers," Liu Shangwen said.
At present, Liu Shangwen's team has developed paper mulberry planting bases in Long'an and other places in Guangxi, and a production base for paper mulberry bio-feed is also under construction. Some customers from other provinces and regions have come because of its reputation, and have reached cooperation agreements on promoting paper mulberry ecological pig farming and helping mountain farmers escape poverty.
Liu Shangwen said that in response to the national call for "targeted poverty alleviation," the team will vigorously support local farmers in establishing agricultural cooperatives and build a complete industry chain of "paper mulberry planting - paper mulberry fermented bio-feed processing - pollution-free livestock farming - ecological meat product sales," striving to ensure that every impoverished household with the conditions to do so masters 1 to 2 practical skills and participates in at least 1 income-increasing project such as farming or planting.
Liu Shangwen's company has proposed two plans for the construction of the paper mulberry agricultural cooperative project: household-based farming and centralized farming. In the former, members join the cooperative with their land and promise in contractual form to plant paper mulberry on the land. The cooperative is responsible for organizing paper mulberry planting, feed fermentation production, disease prevention and control, and technical training. After joining the cooperative, farmers enjoy certain fixed returns and can also enjoy share dividends for each mu of land.
In the latter, the formation of the cooperative is the same as the former, with the difference being that the cooperative builds a pig farm for centralized farming and standardized management. Members can also be hired as workers and managers in the cooperative's feed processing plant and pig farm, receiving salaries.