Scientific Pig Production Practices

Abstract

Pig is considered as one of the major source of livelihood and source of animal protein for the rural poor. The pig sector has enormous potential to upscale the livelihood status of rural masses of the country. Good feed conversion efficiency, shorter generation interval and relatively smaller space requirement are the major attractions for farmers to begin pig rearing. In the backyard farming systems mainly farmers are practicing traditional way of pig rearing. Scientific know-how in pig husbandry is essential for the farmers for increased profit from the pig farming. The ICAR- National Research Centre on pig in Guwahati at Rani was established in the year 2002 to act as a repository of information on pig production and health and to undertake research and transfer the evolved technologies to the client groups. The institute also conduct frequent training programmes on scientific pig farming for farmers, entrepreneurs and government officers. By understanding and adopting these scientific practices, the income from pig farming can be increased significantly. The institute has also taken many steps for preserving the indigenous germplasm of pigs.