24th February, 2018
Pork sellers in Enugu said they are making brisk business as the demand for the meat was rising.
Some sellers who spoke on Saturday in Enugu said they left their former businesses for pig meat business.
Mr Chima Uba, a pork seller at Amokwe junction, Agbani Road, said that the business does not require much capital to start.
“I an making huge profit from pork production.
“The business does not require too much money. At least with N35, 000, somebody can start up the business.
“What one needs is to get a good sight, a sizable table, a chair, knife in place, by the time you finish selling the whole meat, you may be making between N8,000 and N10,000 gain,” he said.
Also at Amaechi Road, Mr Ndubisi Agu said he left his second hand clothing business to sell pork because he noticed that people who were into the business made good profits.
“My brother, who started the pork business in August 2016 is now a tricycle owner and the money used in buying the tricycle was from the pork business, so I decided to quit my other business to join him.
“I slaughter two pigs daily to meet the demand of my customers who are mostly roasting them for travelers on the Enugu Port-Harcourt Express,” Agu said.
Agu said he usually buys his animal from different farmers.
He said with between N22,000 to N30, 000, one is sure to get a good animal.
“A kilo goes for N1, 200 while ordinarily we sell as our customers want,” he said.
Mr Ikenna Ohieri said he opens for business as early as 9 a.m. and by 11 a.m. or at most noon, he would have sold the meat.
Oheiri said a kilo of the meat goes for between N1000 and N1, 200.
Some of the pig farmers said that pig farming was gaining spotlight in Enugu because pork has nutritional value.
A civil servant, Mr Anthony Egwu, a pig farmer at Umuchi Igbo-Nike said that pig farming has huge potential and profitability and pigs remained a very lucrative livestock venture that farmers need to embrace.
“s a civil servant I have to go into livestock farming to augment my source of income, especially now that I am about to retire from service.
“The prices of the pigs depend on the size. The biggest among the ones I have goes for N55, 000 while the smallest ones are from N20, 000 to N25, 000,” he said.
Mrs Blessing Uduma, who grows piglets at Akwuke, a suburb in Enugu metropolis said the demand for pork is rising.
Uduma said that she sells about five to eight pigs daily.
“Sellers of pork always patronise me and on daily basis, I sell about five to eight pigs especially when I have many matured ones,” she said.
“The business of growing piglets is lucrative for me, though, at time stressful but if you have patient, you will gain much from it.
“The prizes vary depending on the sizes, of the piglets. One goes for between N5000 and N6000,.
“The bigger pigs are sold for between N30,000 and N45, 000 or even N50,000 to N55,000, “ she said.
A customer, Mrs Esther Odukwe, said that pork is as a major source of protein.
She also said that pork was affordable unlike beef and chicken.
Another buyer, Mr Edwin Madu said besides pork being cheap, it was also nutritious.