Pig farming is a passion led business

BY- Fundiswa Nkwanyana

Most South Africans are pork lovers, they enjoy pork chops and bacon. They are spoilt for choice because pig farms like Legae La Tlhago are producing A grade quality meat.

Obakeng Segooa is one of five founders of a pig farm in Winterveld, north of Pretoria that was established in 2015. “Our main source of income is from breeding pigs; we slaughter 12 to 17 pigs every week” says Obakeng.  The farm also buys calves every four months to breed and later slaughter. Meat slaughtered on the farm caters to the increasing demand of good quality pork sold at shisa nyamas and butcheries.

All small business owners must start somewhere and for Obakeng and his team; they started off by selling only 12 pig carcasses a month and now they sell an average of 50 carcasses a month. “We are pleased about our growth. We even process our own meat and sell it as burgers, ribs, mince, boerewors and sausages” says Obakeng.  The distribution reach for their meat continues to grow as more customers are becoming regular buyers. Good referrals from the businesses they work with also helps to grow their distribution reach.

Nurturing piglets to matured and healthy pigs is a time consuming and sometimes stressful task. “We have to make sure we feed them a well-balanced diet, provide a hygienic environment for them to live in and pay a vet” says Obakeng.  The team at Legae La Tlhago prioritises disease and infection control and they mix their own feed to make sure their pigs get the right nutrition.

“You can’t be successful in this business, if you don’t genuinely love pigs” says Obakeng. He and his team spend long hours feeding and cleaning up after their pigs because when their pigs are happy and well take care of, they produce good quality pork.

The farm’s growth protectory is impressive; they have grown from a small-scale farm to a fully-fledged medium sized farm that creates employment and contributes to the local economy. “Our meat is in high demand and we have plans to expand into owning an abattoir and a meat packaging plant” says Obakeng.

Pig farmers face challenges that threaten their entire operation and for the owners of Legae La Tlhago, their biggest challenges were the listeriosis outbreak in 2018 and COVID19 lockdown restrictions.  “During the outbreak we had to sell at a lower price because demand was limited. Lockdown forced shisa nyamas to close and we could not sell our meat” says Obakeng. These challenges negatively affected their business, but their passion helped them pull through.

Even though there is a lot of hype around imported meats, buying from local farmers and supporting small businesses is important for the economy and improving food security. Pig farming is more than just selling meat, it’s a business that puts food on the table in many ways.