Pig farmers adopting new technology to increase productivity

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A new generation of Ugandan livestock scientists have developed software for improving the productivity of pig farmers. The new technology known as the ‘Livestock Feed Calculator’ has been developed in the form of a mobile phone application which is used to monitor the growth of the animals and appropriately guide farmers of their optimum feeding to ensure proper growth.

Doctor Lawrence Mayega, the Masaka District Production and Marketing Officer says that the new invention was made through a scientific research partnership by Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-Security and the International Livestock Research Institute-Uganda.

Dr Mayega who was part of the research experiment conducted for the last six years explains that the software has come to save farmers of unnecessary wastage of feeds and underfeeding of their animals which have often resulted in their stunted growth and eventual losses.

The technology which is soon going to be rolled out to farmers in selected parts of the country will, according to Dr Mayega, increase its local pork production capacity and eventually aim at expanding their export potentials.

With the current 3.5 kilograms of pork per capita consumption, Uganda is ranked as the biggest consumer of pork in Africa and second to China in the global rankings according to the International Livestock Research Institute.

Dr Mayiga, however adds that their main focus is now put at increasing productivity and promoting value addition in order to enable farmers to make substantial earnings from pigs farming, which is being established as an enterprise.

Charles Ssekyondwa, the Chairperson of Masaka District Farmers Association-MADIFA says the technological innovation is a grand breakthrough for the pig sector in the country which he says all farmer will yearn for once opened up for use.

He explains that many farmers are still stuck on the elementary methods of feeding and managing their animals, indicating that the developed software is part of the modernization element that has been missing in the pig rearing sector which is also being denigrated as a low-class venture.

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