PIC goes out of its way to send pig breeding stock to Angola
PIC South Africa has successfully sent pig breeding stocks to a village in Angola after tackling transport hurdles and seemingly impassable red tape.
The company was earlier chosen to provide quality pig breeding stock to the OFEK Aldeia Nova project, an initiative of the Angolan government aimed at producing foodstuff and creating employment opportunities.
About 600 family farms were involved raising livestock and planting cash crops such as vegetables.
The project was run by Agricultiva, a subsidiary of SLB Holdings a Cyprus based company.
PIC was finally chosen as the provider of choice. However, the stocking of the project was then postponed until 2007 because of the PRRS outbreak in the Western Cape.
Later, breeding stock had to be flown in due to transport problems and massive red tape.
The pig producing village at Aldeia Nova consists of 84 families of which 80 operate as pig farmers.
Agricultiva now operates in close collaboration with PIC South Africa, who provides them with technical assistance on how to develop their gilts into successful breeding females as well as all other aspects of pig production.
The companies are also planning an in-house AI Station providing for both damline and terminal sires at Aldeia Nova to provide them with all their semen needs.
PIC South Africa said the success of this endeavour has encouraged the company to provide more quality breeding stock into developing Africa.