Guizhou mini fragrant pig farming paves the way to prosperity
Li Guanghong and his wife, villagers from Songkan Town, Tongzi County, returned home to start a business three times; they took out a loan to build a farm covering about 8 mu, and it is expected that in the second half of the year the breeding sow herd can reach 100 head, with 800 commercial fragrant pigs on hand, achieving an output value of 900,000 yuan——
In the bright May sunshine, at the Hongyang Fragrant Pig Specialized Farm in Yanyi Village, Songkan Town, Tongzi County, groups of mini fragrant pigs forage leisurely on the slopes around the pens, while two neat rows of small pen compartments house sleeping sows.
Around 12 noon, Li Guanghong and his wife, dressed as "pig keepers," poured some cooked feed into the troughs in the pigpens. Hearing the sound, the surrounding mini fragrant pigs immediately crowded over, scrambling for the food.
"In just a few months, these dozens of fragrant pigs will be ready for market." Looking at the mini fragrant pigs growing fatter and sturdier by the day, Li Guanghong and his wife wore expressions of gratification.
Once, "pig keeper" Li Guanghong was a migrant worker drifting from place to place. The couple worked away from home for more than 20 years, and twice returned home to start businesses, both of which ended in failure. Their savings from years of work were exhausted, and the neighbors mocked them, saying that Li Guanghong "if you don't have the diamond, don't take on the porcelain work."
The turning point came in 2014.
That year, Li Guanghong was visiting a friend's home in Qijiang, Chongqing. Under his friend's guidance, he inspected a fragrant pig farm in Qijiang, and the couple independently developed the idea of returning home to start a business again. But at the thought of their previous two failures, the couple became anxious and hesitant again. When staff at the Songkan Town Agricultural Machinery Service Center learned of Li Guanghong and his wife's idea, they came to their door to encourage them and gave strong technical support, strengthening their confidence in raising fragrant pigs.
"We decided to try one more time. Seeing how well other people's fragrant pigs sell, I also want to be a good 'pig keeper.'" Li Guanghong was full of confidence.
During the 2014 Spring Festival, with the help of town and village officials, Li Guanghong took out a bank loan to build a farm covering about 8 mu, and bought 25 breeding pigs from Qijiang, Hechuan and other places in Chongqing, investing 200,000 yuan to set up his own farm. Today, Li Guanghong's farm pens hold 35 breeding pigs and more than 100 commercial fragrant pigs on hand. Li Guanghong said that through self-breeding and self-raising, it is expected that in the second half of the year the breeding sow herd can reach 100 head, with 800 commercial fragrant pigs on hand, achieving an output value of 900,000 yuan.
"Pigs are all raised in pens, but our fragrant pigs are free-range." In one sentence, Li Guanghong revealed the "secret" of fragrant pig farming.
"Free-range fragrant pigs have meat that is more fragrant and chewier than ordinary pork, and they sell for a higher price." Li Guanghong did the math for the reporter: when fragrant pigs are ready for market they average 20 kg, and at a market price of 70 yuan to 80 yuan per kg, one fragrant pig can sell for about 1,500 yuan.
Seeing the good prospects for fragrant pig development, the Party committee and government of Songkan Town guided it along the trend, adopting a "farm + farming households + cooperative" model, in which the cooperative provides 2 sows free of charge to each impoverished household; after the sows give birth to piglets, the cooperative buys them back in a unified way and sells them to Chongqing, Zunyi and other places. Calculated on the basis of each sow producing 2 litters per year and 10 piglets per litter, 2 sows can turn out nearly 40 commercial fragrant pigs a year, achieving an output value of nearly 60,000 yuan.
"According to the current poverty alleviation standards, impoverished households participating in fragrant pig farming need only one year to escape poverty. In the future, we must actively seek industrial poverty alleviation projects and funds from higher authorities, give preference to specialized crop and livestock farmers, truly blaze a new path suited to Songkan's industrial poverty alleviation, and drive more fellow villagers to increase their incomes and become prosperous," said Wang Yi, Party secretary of Songkan Town, in a firm tone.
Industrial poverty alleviation is the most direct and effective vehicle in the battle against poverty. At present, relying on the leadership of large specialized crop and livestock farmers and industrial cooperation, many returning migrant workers, with the support of the Party committee and government of Songkan Town, have joined the crop and livestock farming industry, advancing step by step on the road to moderate prosperity.