Elite Enterprises Training Centre (EETC) is supported by Senior Experts Service in Germany to champion artificial insemination of pig farming in the Bono East region and Ghana at large. This is the first of its kind in Ghana. The two-week-long training session was held at BEMCOM farms in Techiman of the Bono East region.
Out of the 200 pig farmers in the region, 20 of them will have their sows go through the artificial insemination pilot program initiated by the EETC and SES.
The artificial insemination team was led by, a German Professor Martin Waehner who is a specialist animal breeder. He was accompanied by the coordinator of the programme, Mr. SY Apiiga animal scientist, former retired regional director of agriculture, Solomon Ntim, Techiman municipal veterinary officer including two other veterinary students, Seidu Hawa and Imoro Ibrahima both studying at UDS.
Two initial pig farmers from Jamestown in Techiman had already benefited from the promotion of the German land-rasse artificial insemination exercise. Eric Ofori has 37 pigs and has been in the business for 17 years, Patricia Nyarko has 15 pigs with 15 years of experience in the pig industry.
The two were in ecstatic moods after they had their sows artificially inseminated. They believed that German land -rasse breeding would enhance their productivity within the shortest possible time.
In 2021, the value of Ghana’s market for imported pork and pork products was $16 million. From 2017, the total amount of imports grew rapidly, reaching 15,000 metric tons (MT) in January 2021.
This suggests that the majority of Ghanaians eat pork. Regretfully, the importers only bring in legs that are salted. Artificial insemination has become necessary as a result in order to obtain high-quality cross-breeders and achieve maximum productivity as compared to the traditional way of pig farming.
One of the farmers, Evans Kwasi Asamoah who could not hide his happiness, explains the need for artificial insemination. He believed the German cross-breeding system would boost his pig farming industry within the shortest possible time.
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