6/2/2016

Futuristicfarmers1:Ridingpigstoprosperity|punjab$dontmiss|HindustanTimes

Futuristicfarmers1:Ridingpigstoprosperity
ChitleenKSethi,HindustanTimes,Kishanpura(Rupnagar) |
Updated:Feb03,201619:06IST

DalwinderSinghathispiggeryatvillageKishanpurainRupnagar.(Photo:SanjeevSharma/HT)

Pigsrepresentprosperity,saysanexcitedDalwinderSingh,Youmusthavehada
piggybankasakid.ForthismuchdecoratedPunjabfarmer,piggeryisthenewway
forward.Havingdevelopedaselfsustainingfoodchaininhisbackyardbarelytwoand
ahalfacresoflandDalwindershighlysuccessfulpigbreedingcentregetshimnearly
Rs30lakhannually,anincomenotpossiblefromtraditionalcultivationonsuchasmall
pieceofland.
Atypicalmarginalfarmer,leftwithonlyalittlelandfollowinggenerationsofdivision,for
Dalwinder,cropcyclefarmingisnotanoption.Andherealisedthatratherearly.In
1985,whenwehadalargerpieceofland,Itriedtogrowfourdifferentcropsthroughthe
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year.ItwasasuccessfuleffortforwhichIgotanawardtoo.But,withonlytwoacresleft
now,growingwheatandpaddybarelygivesyouenoughgrainstolastayearforpersonal
consumption!hesays.
FROMDAIRYTOPIGGERY
Dalwindermovedtodairyinthe1980s,andintheyear1990hegotanotherstateaward,
thisoneforthehighestyieldof500litresofmilkinadayfrom65cows.Hepersisted
withdairyfortwodecades.WehaveapopularmilkboothatmyhouseinKurali,whereI
haveadeepfreezingfacilitytoo.Otherthanmilkassuch,wesellmilkproducts.
EncouragedbyscientistsatthePunjabAgriculturalUniversity(PAU)totryrearingpigs
someyearsago,Dalwinderwassceptical.Ialsohadthesamethoughtsaboutpigsasyou
mightbehaving!Theyaredirty,spreaddiseasesand,mostimportantofall,whowillbuy
them?
ButeverythingchangedonceDalwinderstartedrearingthefirstsetof10pigsin2010on
atwokanalcornerofthedairyfarminhisfieldsatKishanpurainRupnagar.Pigsare
intelligentcreaturesmoreobedientthandogs.And,surprisingly,theykeeptheir
surroundingsquiteclean.ThebestpartisthatthereisahugemarketforpigsinIndia,both
youngandfullygrownones.InitiallypigtradersfromKerala,AssamandNagaland
buyingpigsfromPunjabweretransportingtheseintrucksbutthentheygottogetherand
startedhiringcoachesintrains.Thedemandissohighthattradersactuallycomelooking
forpeoplewhorearpigs.Wedonthavetomoveaninchtosellthem.
THEMATHOFIT
Theeconomicsofstartingapiggeryisrathersimple.Afullygrownpigcanbeboughtfor
Rs8000.Onecanstartwithamaleandafemale.ThePunjabgovernmenthasdeveloped
theLargeWhiteYorkshirebreedthatcanbeboughtfromgovernmentcentres.Sinceover
halfadozenpigletsareborninonegoyoucanhavealmost10pigsinjustthefirstthree
months.PigletscanbesoldtofatteningunitsforRs2,5003,000each,orfattenedand
thensoldforRs7,0008,000each.Initiallyasmallshedwithwatersupplyisneededfor
whichthegovernmentgivesaheftysubsidy.Theshedcanbelaterexpanded.
Dalwinderhas50pigsinhisbreedingfarm,whereamajorityoffemalepigsandafew
malepigsarekeptandthepigletssoldtofatteningunits.Weareusingnaturalbreeding
methodsbutitisnowpossibletoartificiallyinseminatepigs.Pigsbreedveryfastandin
oneyearwecangetthefemalepigtoproducethreetofourtimes.Dalwindersfarmis
producing1,000pigsayear,andthusheearnsRs2830lakh.
COSTNOTHIGH
Thelabourcosttooisnotmuch.ThefarmishandledbyDalwinder,hisson,whoisstill
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studyingforgraduation,andahelper.Thehelperstaysatthefarmandwearehereinthe
day.IimmunizethepigstheworkerandIaretrainedtohandlethedeliveries.Wecut
theirouterteethwhentheyareyoungsothattheydontinjureoneanotherwhenfighting.
Asforthewashingandcleaning,mysondoesthathappily,hesays.
WiththekindofprofitsthatIamgettingfromthepigsIamgraduallyreducingthecattle
Ihave,andwillshiftcompletelytopigrearingsoon.Thespacevacatedbythecattlewill
bethenusedtohaveafatteningunit,headds.
Thefatteningunitsfeedhouseholdwastetotheyoungerpigsandsellthesewhenfully
grown.Fatteningunitsareeasiertorunthanbreedingfarms,andmajorityofthose
runningpiggeriesinthestatearerunningfatteningunits,hesays.
Therearealmost60pigfarmsinPunjabwherefarmersaremakingadecentliving.
DONTMISSTHETRAIN
AssecretaryofthePiggeryFarmersAssociation,Dalwinderwantsothermarginal
farmerstoshifttopiggery.Thereisjustnocomparisonofwhatonewouldhaveearned
fromcultivatingthelandIhave.IwouldhavegotRs1lakhperyearfromtwoacres.
WhenIgotoprogrammesorganisedbythegovernmenttoencourageotherfarmersto
taketopiggery,Itellthemthataonekanalpigfarmwillgivethemanincomeequalto
whattheywouldgetoutoffarming42acresofland,hesays.
Dalwinder,however,warnsthattrainingisamustbeforeonebeginstodealwithpigs.A
matriculate,DalwindertrainedatagovernmentpiggeryinKharar,atthePAU,andfrom
institutesinGuwahatiandBareilly.Pigshavetobevaccinatedandtheirhealthmonitored
assiduouslysincetheirmeatisconsumed.BeforetheyenterthehumanchainIensurethat
theyarehealthy.Therearemanywhoarerunningfatteningunitswithoutanytraining
thatisnotgood,hesays.
Traininghashelpedhimdevelopafoodchaininvolvinghiscowsandlandwhichreduces
hisinputcostsubstantiallywhilerunningthepiggery.IgrowcattlefodderinthelandI
have.Thattakescareofthe14cowsIhavenow.Thealmost100litresofmilkIgetfrom
thesecattleissoldandthatbringsinenoughmoneytobuythefeedforthepigs.Thepig
wasteischannelisedbackintothefarmasfertilizerforthefoddercrop.Idonotuseany
fertiliserfromthemarket.WhateverIsellthepigsforisalmostcompleteprofit,hesays.
FISHERYNEXT
AttarSingh,Dalwindersson,planstoexpandtheambit.Itisaflourishingbusinessand
themorewegrowthemoreweearn.Wehavejustboughtanewcar(Hyundaishatchback
i10)totravelfromKuralitothefarm,Attarsays.Tocreateanotherselfsustainingfood
chainforthepigsIwillneedfiveacresoflandtocreateapondwhereIcanrearfish.The
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weedthatgrowsinthepondisperfectfeedforthepigs.Ihavealreadytrieditinasmall
pondbutIwillbetakingsomelandonleaseandstartingthisproject.
Hesaysfishtoosellsaswellaspigs,andifIbondthetwoinafoodchain,itreducesthe
investmenttothelowestneeded.
But,forthetimebeing,Dalwinderistheproudownerof50pigswhohaveprovedtobe
hispiggybank.Hehasearnedeveryawardhehasgot,almostoneeveryyearsince2011,
includingthestateawardin2014forrunningthemostsuccessfulpiggery.Heisalsothe
memberofthepigadvisoryboardheadedbychiefministerParkashSinghBadal.Ofall
theothermembers,Badalsaabknowsonlymebyname.Heisfascinatedwiththeideaof
suggestingpiggeryasaveryprofitablealternativetofarming,hegushes.

DECODINGPIGGERY
*Rs8,000isthecostofafullygrownpigonecanstartwithjustonemaleandfemale
each.
*6andmorepigletsareborninonego,soyoucanhavealmost10pigsinthreemonths.
*Rs2,500estimatedsellingpriceforpigletcanbefattenedandsoldforuptoRs8,000
*On2acres,onecanrearabout50pigsatatime
*Producingabout1,000pigsduringtheyear,earningcanbeuptoRs30lakh

INCOMPARISON
SecretaryofthePiggeryFarmersAssociation,DalwinderSinghsays,Thereisjustno
comparisonofpiggerywithwhatonewouldhaveearnedfromtraditionalcultivation.
Rs1.2lakhperyearfromtwoacresisthewheatpaddycyclepotential.Withpiggery
doneatfullscale,aonekanalpigfarmwillgiveanincomeequalto42acresoftraditional
farming,headds.
THEINCENTIVES
*Punjabsdepartmentofanimalhusbandrygivesfree23weektrainingatoneofits
piggerycentres
*Firstsetofpigletstostartthefarmaresoldbythedepartmentatnominalrates
*Subsidyupto25%ofthecostofconstructionoftheshed
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