BY SIBUSISIWE NDZIMANDZE | JOURNALIST
NHLANGANO – Strong demand for pigs in Shiselweni and across Eswatini is creating growing market opportunities for local farmers, as producer groups work to increase supply and improve production.
In Shiselweni, the Shiselweni Livestock Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited already has access to a market requiring around 80 pigs per week, highlighting both the scale of demand and the opportunity for farmers to expand their operations.
The situation reflects a wider national trend. Eswatini recorded 34,209 pig slaughters in 2024, producing about 1,973 tonnes of local pork valued at over E105 million. Despite this, the country still imported more than 770 tonnes of processed pork, showing that local production is still not fully meeting demand.
For Mahlubi Hadebe of Hlatsi, a pig farmer and Chairperson of the Shiselweni Livestock Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited, this growing demand shows why farmers must improve production and work together through organised structures.
“We do pig farming as a business that helps us generate income for our families. Through our cooperative, we are working together to strengthen our production and access markets,” he said.
Established in 2023, the cooperative now brings together about 200 pig farmers operating at different levels. Hadebe said the organisation is helping farmers coordinate supply, share knowledge, and position themselves to respond to the growing market for pork.
He explained that the cooperative already works with a buyer requiring around 80 pigs every week, but farmers need to increase production and consistency in order to meet that demand more reliably.
“When our pigs are ready, we contact the market and supply them. This demand shows that pig farming can be profitable if farmers organise themselves and produce quality pigs,” Hadebe said.
For Hadebe, improving production starts with building knowledge. He said continuous pig production training has become one of the most important tools helping him improve his piggery business and prepare to supply the market more effectively.
Hadebe, who keeps 12 sows and one boar, has been actively participating in agricultural workshops and training sessions organised by stakeholders such as Feedmaster Eswatini, Cranefeeds, and Arrow Feeds, which he said have played a significant role in improving how he manages his piggery operation.
Most recently, he attended the Pig Production Farmers Day held at Nhlangano REO Hall, organised by Feedmaster Eswatini in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, where farmers received practical knowledge on pig production, animal health, and farm management.
“Workshops like these help us a lot because we learn new things that add to the knowledge we already have. That helps us improve our farming practices and grow our businesses,” Hadebe said.
He said the session on record keeping helped him better understand how tracking breeding cycles allows farmers to identify the correct heat stage for mating, improve productivity, and plan breeding programmes more effectively.
The discussions on pig nutrition and the importance of quality piglets also reinforced the need for farmers to invest in good inputs if they want to produce pigs that meet market standards.
Feedmaster Eswatini Technical Adviser Mncedisi Simelane highlighted the importance of quality piglets and nutritious feed in ensuring that farmers produce healthy pigs suitable for the market. He encouraged farmers to source their piglets from reputable weaner bulk suppliers.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Agriculture Extension Officer Sibusiso Sikhondze guided farmers on pig health management, focusing on biosecurity and disease prevention, which are essential in protecting pig herds from outbreaks.
Despite the clear market opportunity, Hadebe said the pig industry still faces challenges, especially the impact of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks, which can temporarily disrupt the market.
“When FMD is discovered in our area, markets stop buying from us for about 30 days. During that time, we still have to feed the pigs even though they are already ready for the market, and that becomes very costly for farmers,” he said.
Hadebe said farmers in the cooperative are also looking at ways to strengthen their position in the pork value chain. One of their long-term ambitions is to establish their own abattoir, which would allow them to slaughter and process pigs locally and sell directly to buyers.
“Our dream is to have our own abattoir where we can slaughter pigs ourselves and sell directly to buyers. That would give us more control over the market and improve the value we get from our pigs,” he said.
To strengthen cooperation and track progress, members of the cooperative meet every last Tuesday of the month to discuss farming activities, share experiences, and plan future initiatives.
For Hadebe, the message is clear: demand is there, but farmers must build their capacity to supply it.
“I attend almost every pig production workshop that is organised because they help us grow as farmers. The more knowledge we gain, the better we can improve our pig production,” he said.
