Egg machine, piglets for better life in the farms

Pilmico is distributing hens and piglets with enough feeds for one production cycle to select farmers as the Aboitiz food unit promotes livestock raising as additional farming income.

Surveys are first done in target communities to check the condition of the farmers and determine who need aid the most.

Pilmico’s territory business managers nominate potential beneficiaries, who are screened by the company’s CSR (corporate social responsibility) team.

It works with the local government of target communities to donate livestock packages to chosen farmers under the Mahalin Pagkaing Atin program, a campaign introduced in mid-2014 that aims to promote sustainable entrepreneurship through promotion of local produce and instill a “pride of product, pride of place” mindset for both farmers and local consumers, thus enabling operators to maximize profit without passing through middlemen.

Farmers Rachell Pastoran of Ormoc City and Jonald Abad of Karangga, Leyte—who operate in disaster-prone areas—are among recent beneficiaries.

Most recipients get one egg machine which has 48 heads of ready-to-lay (RTL) hens, along with feeds required for one month—amounting to an average of P43,500. In the following month and onwards, the beneficiaries will have to shoulder the feed cost for the hens.

Pilmico says the hens provided will lay eggs “immediately.”

RTL hens are delivered to farmers at 22 weeks old. The birds are expected to be productive for another 16 to 17 months before selective culling, after which the farmer is expected to have enough capital to get new stock and feeds.

The hens are expected to lay a combined 1,300 eggs per month for 16 months. At P6 per egg, the estimated sales per 16-month cycle is about P124,800.

Other beneficiaries get two piglets each and enough feeds for one cycle of three to four months, amounting to an average of P14,000.

A piglet weighing 10 to 12 kilos—valued at P2,500—will take three and a half to four months to weigh 85 kilos to 90 kilos, which makes it big enough to be sold.

The adult hog weighing 90 kilos may be sold at an estimated P100 a kilo, giving the beneficiary about P9,000 per hog or P18,000 for two hogs. Farmers are expected to be able to get new piglets after selling the adult hog.

As the CSR program matures, Pilmico is studying how much improvement in income has been noted among the early beneficiaries.

“We in Pilmico have always believed in the potential of the Filipino backyard farmer to be a successful partner for growth when given the right tools,” says Sabin M. Aboitiz, Pilmico president and chief executive.

Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN show that more than 80 percent of hog production globally comes from backyard farms.

“By providing swine and egg machines as a profitable business model, we are investing in the success of our farmer kaigsuonans (brothers) to sustain an adequate livelihood,” Aboitiz adds.

Nationwide, Pilmico has already donated 736 piglets and 215 egg machines, and helped 14 agri-posts where beneficiaries receive feed bags and other inputs.

In addition, 373 families nationwide are benefiting from the Mahalin Pagkaing Atin program. These families are based in Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Bohol, North Cebu, Ormoc, Palo, Carigara, Baybay, Tacloban, Capiz, and Pampanga.

The company also conducts seminars on animal husbandry and nutrition, cooking and baking demonstrations that promote local delicacies.

Pilmico has been providing its customers with wheat flour and related products since 1962. It is also into swine production and the animal feeds business.