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Matching Livestock Systems with Available Resources |
MEKARN Regional Conference 2007 |
The survey on practices and systems of pig production was investigated in threes main Agro- Ecological Zones (AEZ) of Cambodia in 2006. A total of 72 farm families (9 per village) were interviewed and four focus group discussions (20-35 key informants per village) were organized in four provinces representing three main AEZs in Cambodia.
The average family size of the interviewed villages was 5.04±0.14 with 68%±8.25 children. The average working period was 10.8±0.43 months per annum. All interviewed farmers kept pigs and they also had cattle and poultry. The average number of animal per household was 3.9±0.45 pigs, 3.33±0.31 cattle and 8.74±1.44 adult poultry. Most farmers in Tonle Sap AEZ kept their pigs in pen while the Coastal and Mekong flood plain AEZs still practiced both free range and confinement. Most farmers kept fattening pigs and about 10% kept sows. Most farmers kept local breeds such as Kandol, Hainam and Dom Rey and some farmers in Tonle Sap and Coastal AEZ kept 55.5 and 22.2% crossbreed pigs respectively. Farmers started fattening pigs in May for the Mekong flood plain AEZ, in July in Tonle Sap Lake AEZ and no specific time for Coastal AEZ. The fattening period is 12 months from piglets (4-5 kg) to 60-75 kg and they were sold at farm gate through middlemen.
Rice bran, broken rice and water plants are commonly fed to pigs in the three AEZs while Tonle Sap AEZ used fish, concentrate feed, rice vine residue and vegetable. In Mekong flood plain AEZ 10% of farmers used cassava leaves and sweet potato vines. The quality particularly rice bran was poor and varied from AEZs (7.5-10.6% CP in DM). The most common problems in pig production for the three AEZs were fluctuated and low price of finishing pigs, lack of technical knowledge and pig diseases. The lack of capital and high price of feed were also concerned. It is concluded that although there were problems in pig production of the three AEZs, farmers still kept pigs as one of the sources of their income.
Therefore it is recommended that the assistance should be provided according to the specific needs of each AEZ which in return helping them to make better income from pig production.