Is black pig farming profitable? See how pig farmers increase their income

Black pigs "root" out a bright money prospect

When it comes to today's pig market, pig farmers generally sigh and shake their heads. The end of the year is supposed to be the peak season for live pig consumption, and pig prices should rise, but things have gone against expectations, and pig prices are still falling right now.

Since entering 2015, pork prices have generally shown a trend of steady decline, and live pig farming has continued the downturn that began last year.

Just when live pig farming is generally in the awkward situation of losses, breaking even, or thin profits, black pigs are instead "smiling among the crowd": demand exceeds supply, and prices are rising.

Zhou Ronghua, a villager from Xiejiaoba Village, Jianshan Township, Xianfeng County, began farming black pigs in 2009. At first, he was only doing it on a small scale, experimentally raising a few sows, but unexpectedly the market response was very good, and the farm was expanded several times. Today, his farm has reached 2,000 sq m, with 6 sheds for sows, farrowing, nursery, and fattening, capable of supporting a breeding scale of 60 sows and achieving a net income of 400,000 yuan per year.

Wang Wanbing, praised as the "Black Pig Prince", is the hero who brought Xiangyang black pigs back from the brink. Because of the long breeding cycle, farmers felt it was not worthwhile, and Xiangyang black pigs once disappeared from the market. In 2007, cherishing his attachment to Xiangyang black pork, Wang Wanbing set out on the path of pig farming.

Last April, "Xiangyang black pork" obtained national geographical indication status, and Xiangyang black pork rose along with it, selling for more than 70 yuan per kilogram.

The reporter learned that black pork on the market sells for anywhere from 50 or 60 yuan to over 100 yuan per kilogram, which is two to four times that of ordinary pork.

Why is black pork so expensive? Wang Wanbing explained that black pigs fed with traditional feed are half fat and half lean, with deep red meat. One bite gives off a rich aroma, and it tastes exceptionally tender and fresh, something ordinary pork cannot compare with. In addition, black pork also has excellent nutritional value and health benefits, catering to the needs of today's consumers.

Farming black pigs is gradually becoming a hot investment

With fragrant meat and high nutrition, black pigs have built a fine reputation. Besides winning consumers' favor, they have also attracted investors' attention.

Huang Wenbo was originally a sales director at a company in Shenzhen. When he learned that the black pig farming industry had promising "money" prospects, he resolutely resigned, took all his savings back to Suizhou, and founded Boyu Ecological Farming Company to engage in ecological black pig farming. Today, his company can slaughter 6,000 black pigs annually, with an annual output value of more than 12 million yuan.

If Huang Wenbo is still just an investment expert entering the black pig farming industry, then Wuhan Fengze Agriculture and Animal Husbandry can be considered a capital giant in this industry. As early as 2010, the company was listed on the main board of the NASDAQ Global Market in the United States, and it is currently one of the largest pig groups in our province.

In 2011, Fengze Agriculture and Animal Husbandry entered Enshi Prefecture and registered a wholly owned subsidiary, Hubei Tianzhili High-Quality Pig Breeding Co., Ltd., focusing on high-quality black pig breeding and industrial development. In 2013, the company launched the "161" demonstration project in Laifeng County with an annual slaughter of 50,000 black pigs, namely adopting a modern management model of "company + farmers", with the company as the core, each farming household building one 100m2 standardized pig shed, the company promoting 6 black sows, and annual slaughter of 100 commercial black pigs. This model implements the standardized process of "four unifications" and "one recovery" for breeding pigs, feeding, feed, and veterinary drugs, producing antibiotic-free, selenium-rich black pork products.

On March 28 last year, the financial industry giant Aoxin Company joined hands with Fengze Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. Hu Jianguo, general manager of Hubei Tianzhili Company, said with full confidence that Aoxin's participation has strengthened Fengze Agriculture and Animal Husbandry's strength, and they are even more confident in doing a good job with the black pig project, becoming the leader in the black pig world and the number one brand in black pigs.

Selling nationwide online and offline

At present, black pig farming is found across our province in Huanggang, Enshi, Yichang, Shiyan, Xianning, Suizhou, and other places from east to west and north to south. Industry insiders believe that even fragrant meat fears a deep alley; if sales are clustered only locally, local oversupply will inevitably occur. Only by selling black pork from within the province to the whole country can greater room for development be created.

Sure enough, Huang Wenbo uses both online and offline sales models. Online, he cooperates with the Taobao Featured China Suizhou Pavilion to build Suizhou's geographical indication, turning Suizhou's black soil pork, shiitake mushrooms, and paopaotai greens together into an essential part of Suizhou's winter hot pot. Offline, he has set up his own supermarket and processing workshop, selling both fresh meat and smoked meat.

Wang Wanbing, by contrast, adopts the form of physical specialty stores to expand the market. He opened a Xiangyang black pork specialty store in the central urban area of Xiangcheng, and is also preparing to open Xiangyang black pork specialty stores in Wuhan, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and other places. "I have a friend in Guangzhou who is engaged in livestock and poultry foreign trade export. He suggested that I set up a Xiangyang black pork sales window in Hong Kong, China. At present I am working on this matter, and this year Xiangyang black pork is expected to be supplied to Hong Kong, China," Wang Wanbing said confidently.

Fengze Agriculture and Animal Husbandry actively promotes the sales model of "company + supermarket (specialty store)", taking the high-end route. The company focuses on the high-end pork brand "Xidu Black", setting up high-quality black pork counters in large supermarkets such as Zhongshang and Zhongbai Warehouse, and opening a number of high-quality black pork specialty stores and counters in Beijing, Shanghai, and other cities to cultivate its own high-end consumer group.

At the same time, the company also actively expands into Hong Kong, China, Macao, China, and international markets. Hu Jianguo introduced that black pork, by virtue of its good growing environment and excellent meat quality, has sufficient conditions to pass international organic certification. Our province is an important pork supply province for Hong Kong, China, and Macao, China, and the company will actively strive for export licenses for high-quality black pig products to expand into Hong Kong, China, Macao, China, and international markets.