NAWALPUR (NAWALPARASI), Nov 15:
After returning home having spent about 15 years in Saudi Arabia for foreign employment, Nande Gurung of Madhyabindu-3, Brahmasthana, Nawalpur, has engaged himself in commercial pig farming.
59-year-old Gurung says that he returned to Nepal and took up pig farming with the mindset that instead of sweating and laboring in a foreign country, one should do something in their own homeland.
“I returned home from Saudi Arabia eight years ago with a resolve never to go back,” said Gurung. “After returning home, I engaged in various works and now I am involved in pig farming.” Gurung shared that he pursued pig farming as it is easier and yields better income compared to other professions and businesses.
“After returning to Nepal, I registered ‘Uttam Livestock and Agriculture Farm’ and initially started poultry farming,” he said. “Even after putting in a lot of effort in poultry farming, the income was not commensurate with the hard work, so I started pig farming.”
Expressing satisfaction with pig farming, Gurung mentioned that along with raising pigs, he is also cultivating potatoes and other vegetables on about six bighas of land. “Initially, I gained experience by raising a single mother pig. Seeing good income with little effort, I have increased the number of pigs,” he said. “Currently, I have two adult boars, 12 mother pigs, and 15 piglets.” Gurung stated that he generates good income from breeding boars and selling piglets.
“Other farmers come to my place to take the boar for breeding purposes,” said Gurung. “In return for taking a boar, a farmer brings it back by evening along with NPR 6,000.” According to Gurung, farmers take the boar for the artificial insemination/breeding process. Since the boar cannot be walked all the way, the visiting farmers bear the vehicle fare for taking it, while Gurung pays the fare when bringing it back home, he explained.
“Although there isn’t much income from selling pork meat, selling piglets generates a good income,” he said. “Previously, I used to slaughter and sell pigs, but nowadays I sell piglets.” Gurung shared that a one-month-old piglet sells for NPR 6,000. He added that pigs give birth after three and a half months of gestation.
“During a single breeding cycle, a pig gives birth to at least nine piglets,” he said. “The pigs I raised have given birth to up to 20 piglets at a time.” Gurung noted that when there are fewer piglets, the mother’s milk is sufficient and the piglets thrive well, whereas raising babies becomes difficult when there are too many piglets at once.
“When they gave birth to too many piglets, the babies were small and it was very difficult to sell them,” he said. “I managed to sell them with great difficulty. When there are fewer piglets, they grow up healthily and sell easily.” Gurung expressed satisfaction with pig farming due to the good income generated from minimal effort.
Explaining that raising pigs is much easier than raising other livestock, Gurung said, “I just feed the pigs morning and evening, clean the shed by hosing it down once a day, and then spend the rest of the day doing other work in the fields.” Gurung’s experience is that raising pigs is easier, less costly, and more profitable than raising cows and buffaloes.
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