WORLD OF PIGS ▶▶▶ Venezuela’s pig sector has collapsed since 2014


Venezuela is heading in the opposite direction in comparison to other South America’s coun- tries in terms of the pig sector. While most other countries registered remarkable increas- es in production in recent years, Venezuelans saw their pork supply falling. The available data show 81% less production between 2013 and 2020, from 210,000 tonnes to around 40,000 tonnes. The main reason is not related to any disease or climate event, but politics and its consequences for the na- tional economy. To put that all in context, it is necessary to take a quick look into history. Between 1999


and 2013, Hugo Chávez was president, a strong supporter of socialist policies, which proved unsustainable in the long run. His suc- cessor Nicolás Maduro took over the presiden- cy in 2013. Soon after, petroleum prices, the main product of the country, started to fall, reaching their lowest prices for years. Due to that, Maduro needed to print money in order to keep public income distribution pro- grammes going, which has led to hyperinfla- tion since 2017. The levels are overwhelming: 1,300,000% in 2018, 35,000% in 2019, 2,959.8% in 2020 and around 1,600% last year.


Collapse of pig production This situation led to the collapse of pig pro- duction. The Association of Porcine Produc- tion estimates a decline of 80% in swine activ- ities in Táchira state, one of the main producing regions of the country. From the 300 pig producers with formally es- tablished farms, only 15 remain. Yuvan Ro- sales, representative of pig producers in the region, said to local press that 15,000 pigs were finished daily at a national level four years ago, but currently the number is around 2,500. He says that sales had dropped by 60% last


Ecuador: pig sector looks for public support


Ecuador has doubled its pig production be- tween 2010 and 2020, due to a consistent in- dustrialisation process throughout the sector after 2005. According to the Pig Farmers Asso- ciation of Ecuador (ASPE), that was when work began on improvements in genetics, food and health. This effort has been driving demand in the internal market and has made small, me- dium and large companies increase their pro- duction levels. As a result, the country produced 190,000 tonnes in 2020 compared with 95,000 tonnes a decade before. Similarly, consumption per


capita also increased up to 70% at the same time. Currently, each inhabitant eats around 11 kg per year; it was only 6.8 kg in 2009. Despite the fact that the national supply is sufficient to feed local consumers, processors still need to buy certain products in which the country has a deficit, such as casing and fat, which are required for sausage production. According to official data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fish- eries (MAGAP), there were 1,737 pig farms with 20 or more animals in 2010 all over the country. The Sierra and Costa regions had 79% of farms and 95% of animals.


Ecuador is currently implementing the Pro- ject for the Eradication of Classical Swine Fever (CSF), one of the most feared diseases for pigs.


62


CSF in Ecuador Each sow produces 16.83 pigs per year in Ec- uador. Among technified farms, this average was 22.4 pigs per sow per year, while in non-technified farms the same index was 9.6 pigs/sow/year. Moreover, Ecuador is imple- menting the Project for the Eradication of Classical Swine Fever (CSF), one of the most feared diseases for pigs. The main objective is to declare the Ecuadori- an herd free of CSF in order to boost produc- tion and internal productivity. This initiative may create new possibilities for exporting pork globally, with the added bene-


▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 38, No. 3, 2022


fits to market and pig farmer income. “We are excellent pig producers, with magnificent slaughter- houses, and we make the best cuts for inter- national market requirements. Within three to five years we could export pork,” points out Jorge Páez, president at ASPE. Currently, there are 100 large pig producers in the country, as well as many other smaller ones. The sector generates 80,000 direct jobs and nearly 200,000 families work within pig farm- ing. The share of the pig sector in Ecuadorian agricultural GDP is around 8%.


Pig farmers having demands Pig farmers have some crucial demands in or- der to strengthen the sector. They presented these to the new government, led by the president Guillermo Lasso. They asked the government to seek efficiency in raw material prices, because Ecuadorian inputs are expen- sive in relation to neighbouring countries. Furthermore, the Ecuadorian sector also wants trade agreements, mainly with Asian countries, as well as more control over smug- gling, labour flexibility, reduced tax levels and preferential rates on credits.


PHOTO: ASPE


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68