Beneficiaries of Wezesha Kirinyaga pig project launched by Governor Anne Waiguru last year are upbeat about increased earnings as consumer demand rises.
The beneficiaries, drawn from 20 farmers' groups, said piglets given by the county have grown to maturity besides the sows giving birth, and which are now ready for selling.
Pork demand has been growing in the wake of increased health awareness campaigns to reduce consumption of red meat.
The demand for pork is driving pork prices higher and the farmers groups are hoping to tap into this.
The pig project was launched by Waiguru as part of Wezesha Kirinyaga economic programme that focuses on diversification of agricultural activities with the aim of increasing household incomes.
Twenty farmers groups were each given a pregnant sow and 15 weaner pigs. They were also provided with free pig feeds for the first two months of the project.
The new litter will now form the new stock with some groups intending to raise them for meat production, while other groups want to venture into selling piglets to other farmers within their localities.
Simon Macharia, a member of Kangu Thayu self-help group in Gichugu, said that the project has been running smoothly and their sow has already given birth.
He said once they start selling the pigs, the money will go a long way in expanding the group project, as well as to individual members with the aim of uplifting their living standards.
Loise Kimani from Kiangima Gwiteithia Youth group in Kirinyaga Central said that the pig project has enabled the members to effectively carry out an income generating activity.
She thanked the county for the initiative and urged the youth to form such empowerment groups.
Moses Murimi, who is the Kirimunge Shiners Group chairman, said that, even though most members previously did not have the knowledge to rear pigs, they were taken through training and they are now competent in matters pig rearing.
He said that the project will critically help them, observing that the Duroc pig variety that was given to them is a profitable one since they are fast maturing and, in no time, they will be selling their pigs.
He added that the project will help the youth earn an income as a group and as individuals, saying that, besides selling the mature pigs, they will also use the project for breeding and sell piglets to other farmers.
Waiguru said that at maturity, each pig is expected to fetch between Sh17,000 and Sh20,000 depending on its weight.
According to the 2019 Population and Housing Census report, small-scale farmers make 70 per cent of all pig farmers.
There are 595,631 pigs in Kenya that give a pork production of 14,440 metric tonnes with a value of Sh3.8 billion shillings annually.
The number of pigs slaughtered increased by 7.8 per cent from 2018 to reach 388,200.
The current per capita consumption of pork stands at 0.4kg against the recommended 0.8kg by WHO, projecting that an estimated 19,033 metric tonnes of pork is required to meet the current demand.
By 2030, the projected demand based on the recommended consumption per capita stands at 53,160 metric tonnes.
Governor Waiguru said that, apart from the farmers earning income from sale of the pigs, there will be many women and youth working in pig transportation business, pork eateries, as well as transportation of pig feeds, among other support activities.
The pig rearing groups are among the 473 groups that have been funded by the county under the Wezesha Kirinyaga programme.
They will undertake various agricultural value chain projects, such as poultry keeping, fish, tomato, dairy and avocado farming, as well as bee keeping.
Waiguru said the programme provides farmers, among them women and youth, with alternative livelihoods that will lead to more income and better living standards.
She said that the Wezesha projects are not only in support of the county’s economic development agenda but will also contribute to the achievement of the food security goal of the Big Four Agenda.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
