A local company, in partnership with Dutch firms and their government, will soon make its mark in upgrading the quality of Philippine-bred hogs through artificial insemination (AI).

The company, Europhil Swine Genetics, Inc. or Europhil, is a joint creation of the Dutch government and Dutch companies Van Gennip (an AI center) and MS Schippers (a supplier of AI equipment and consumables).

Europhil, whose modern boar farm and semen collection and processing center in Barrio Sto. Niño, Ibaan Batangas was inaugurated Sept. 1, 2011, will provide high quality boar semen to hog raisers. It will cater primarily to the needs of small hog raisers and hog production cooperatives. It will also serve as a training facility on AI technology for technicians, hog farm owners and personnel, and other industry practitioners.

Project relevance
The joint venture is relevant to the times, considering the growing requirement for food security and production sustainability to support the world’s growing population.

According to the United Nations’ annual World Economic and Social Survey results released on July 5, 2011, global food production will have to increase 70 to 100 per cent by 2050 to feed the world’s predicted 9 billion people. That increase is only possible if more sustainable food production and farming methods are used.

The situation is more pressing and urgent in the country. The same problem of food production sustainability becomes a major concern as our population grows at an average rate of 2.0 per cent per annum. At this high annual population growth rate, the country would have 100 million people to feed in the next couple of years.

Pork is a major component of the Filipino diet, with the average citizen consuming 14 kilograms of pork per year. Given the country’s high population growth rate, urbanization and improving income levels, the demand for pork and other foodstuff is expected to dramatically increase at an even faster clip than the world food demand. The country needs to improve the quality and quantity of the pork it produces to keep up with, if not to outstrip, the demand for it.

Today, small hog raisers suffer from increasing cost of farm inputs, unreliable supply of these inputs, and limited availability of good quality genetic materials, hog diseases, and heavy reliance on traders to sell their produce. Because they generally have small capital to work with, they move in and out of the hog market easily and more frequently than commercial growers do – usually moving out when they perceive the market situation to be unfavorable. Despite their small operations, small farmers affect the overall hog supply because of their aggregate contribution to the total hog production.

Small and medium-size hog farms as beneficiaries
This joint venture should benefit the small to medium-size hog farmers as they constitute the majority of pork producers in terms of absolute number. They contribute 70 per cent of the annual hog production in the country estimated at 1.9 million metric tons. Improving the quality of their animals through genetics using quality semen from the Europhil farm will boost their confidence, production and earning capabilities. Through reliable AI using quality Europhil semen, they can make their hog farm operations profitable and sustainable at the same time.

One of the major reasons why Europhil was set up is to help the small to medium-size farmers improve not only their production but also their stocks to make their operations worth their time and investments. Eventually, they can help the industry produce more pork of higher quality – and pass on the benefits to the consumers.

Philippine Poultry Show

Fresh from its successful participation in the Sept. 8-10, 2011 Philippine Poultry Show and Gamefowl Congress at the SM Megatrade Hall, Bitrade will again be an active exhibitor and participant in the forthcoming 18th International Agribusiness Exhibition and Seminars (Agrilink). Agrilink, whose theme this year is “Integration: Key to Sustainable Agriculture”, will be held from October 6-8, 2011 at the World Trade Center in Manila.

“We expect to generate greater interest in our total farm solutions, primarily for the poultry and hog industries, especially those who are contemplating on investing in sustainable agricultural ventures,” says Bitrade Managing Director Ernesto L. Rodriguez. “We intend to do this by showcasing leading-edge technologies and applications that could benefit their poultry and hog businesses. We did this when we participated in the poultry show at SM Megatrade Hall. This time around, we will show a lot more and provide greater emphasis on the hog industry, without necessarily downplaying our innovative solutions in the poultry industry. Watch for our bigger exhibits in the bigger venue of Agrilink.”

Bitrade was one of the more than a hundred companies that participated in the poultry show, where it also held a seminar on the use of climate control systems for greater farm productivity and efficiency.

In Agrilink, Bitrade will be with the indoor exhibitors at World Trade Center’s halls A, B and C. The company expects to reach more of its customers and prospects at Agrilink in an effort to boost food productivity in the country.