Firms calls for database to be updated

THERE is a need for the Government to update the database of the livestock industry in the country, says livestock company Rumion Ltd.
General manager David Duran told the inaugural national agriculture summit this week that the industry had been left to fend for itself over the years.
He mentioned some of the challenges, including the declining genetics and inbreeding of piggeries.
“The last known genetic infusion of commercial farms was in 2008. Recently we started importing semen to infuse new genetics for improved performance for the commercial sector,” he said.
Duran said the Government had been protective with cases of diseases coming into the country.
He said other challenges included the high-feed costs.
“Feed costs account for 60 to 70 per cent of production costs for pigs;  grains which accounts for 45-50 per cent of the ration in the manufacture of feeds is imported, if not the finished feeds,” he said.
Duran said poor roads which limited access to market, law and order, low labour efficiency, lack of laboratories to examine diseases and nutrition and the foreign currency situation were some of the pressing challenges the industry was faced with.