ibironkeeniola 
Most Nigerians detest going into pig farming, what prompted you to embrace it? I think the question should be why aren’t a lot more people venturing into pig farming? Aside from how delicious its products are, pigs are by far the most prolific and resilient of all other livestock. This makes them a highly viable means of revenue generation. They also give birth twice in a year to as many as 24 piglets that grow to 60kg in 8 months. The real question is why everyone isn’t a pig farmer? What would you say are the reasons Nigerians are not interested in the business? Nigerians are very enterprising people. However, there have been a lot of misconceptions about pigs that have yet to be rectified. Also, a lot of people have not been privy to information about how viable pig farming is. What we do at Porkmoney is to enlighten and educate millions about pig farming and its contribution to the agricultural ecosystem and also empower them by creating a platform for them to also earn. How do you intend to encourage more people to take up pig farming as a business? It is simple. By achieving our set goals, we will change the narrative about pig farming agribusiness and at that point, people can now see the profitability.
What are the economic advantages of pig farming? As we all know, agriculture has and will always be a major contributor to the Nation’s economy, with livestock farming playing a very significant role. Pig farming contributes largely to the food production and food security of the country as well as the generation of revenue by localizing the production of pork products thereby bringing to a minimum, the heavy importation of pork products. The present administration has been clamouring for job creation to address unemployment in the country. What are the opportunities available in pig farming? It involves numerous processes which mostly require manpower. The government should be making efforts aimed at putting the necessary infrastructure, policies, and resources towards sustainable practices. In doing so, the entire value chain becomes more lucrative, thus leading to the creation of several opportunities as well as increasing demand for both skilled and unskilled labour.
In 2018, you came up with Porkmoney. What is it all about? The idea for Porkmoney was conceived five years before its launch. I was in a pig farm in Ogun State when I realised how fast pigs multiply. Shortly after that, I had done extensive research and discovered some really interesting facts about pig farming and thought of why people weren’t considering this very promising agribusiness as they should. It wasn’t getting the attention it deserved hence, the birth of Porkmoney. It has been steadfast in its vision to enlighten millions of Nigerians about the economic advantages of pig farming, as well as being actively involved in the factory processes that create even more value in the form of its finished outcome by way of bacon, sausages and other packaged parts of the delicious animal protein.
We have since created a very simple yet efficient model that has seen us become the leading pig farming enterprise in West Africa. The whole idea is that, you partner with us, we farm the pigs, you earn! How would Porkmoney benefit the pig farmers or help improve their business? Porkmoney is empowering farmers by providing them with the necessary resources they require to thrive while farming pigs. It ensures that they are well informed about new and modern pig farming practices. We also provide them with training opportunities to ensure that they are well armed with all the information they need. We have also provided them with a long-standing challenge which is a ready end market for their livestock. To achieve its mission, Porkmoney launched an initiative that would offer willing partners the opportunity to delve into pig farming that would see them earn decent returns on their capitals in 11 months.
SOURCE: VANGUARD