By Ricardo R. Argana
MediaCore, PCARRD

Commercial feed substitutes significantly improve swine productivity.

Research results show that the least expenditures in feed cost make swine raising a very promising venture.  This is especially true for the country's rural swine raisers where a large number of pig population is raised and feed replacement is usually available.

The Department of Science and Technology's Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development reported certain farm products as beneficial feed replacement.

In a PCARRD publication called “R&D Status 2000 and Beyond: Swine”, the agency claimed that sugarcane juice is an effective corn replacement and energy feed for swine.  Extruded mixture of sweet potato and copra are good partial direct corn replacement while fresh tomato pomace or FTP are effective feed for growing and fattening pigs.

Growing-finishing pigs fed with sugarcane juice-based ration showed good performance and efficiency in terms of average daily gain and total live-weight gain.  Carcass evaluation of pigs fed with sugarcane-based diets also showed better dressing percentage, lesser back-fat thickness, firm fat, and leaner muscle tissue than those fed with commercial feeds.

Sows fed with sugarcane juice-based ration showed high conception rate, good litter size at birth, and furrowing index compared to pigs fed with commercial diet, PCARRD added.

Extruded mixture of copra (30 percent) and sweet potato (70 percent) partially replaced 20-30 percent of corn in the ration.  Mineral analysis of the extrusion showed the presence of calcium and phosphorus that can replace up to 30 percent of corn in the grower diets without significant depression in feed intake, live weight gain, and feed efficiency.

Fresh tomato pomace produced from processing of tomato into tomato paste, on the other hand, contains crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, nitrogen-free extract, and calcium phosphorus.  Studies showed that 35 percent of fresh tomato paste fed as substitute for commercial mash in the finishing pigs resulted in significantly higher final weight, total gain weight, daily gain weight and feed consumption than those fed with commercial feeds.  Feed cost per kilogram gain significantly decreased with increasing levels in FTP use.

Growing pigs fed with FTP had final total weight gain, average daily gain, and feed efficiency comparable to those pigs fed with 100 percent commercial feeds.  Feeding six percent of FTP significantly increased feed consumption yet reduced feed cost per kilogram gain.

With these agricultural feed substitutes, ensuring swine productivity at minimal cost will surely be beneficial to the country's swine raisers.