Hog raisers going high tech

More and more hog raisers are going high tech to attain cost efficiency, improve meat quality and increase profitability.

This could be gleaned from the results of the recently-held Agrilink 2002 and Foodlink 2002, the country's biggest and most prestigious international agribusiness and food trade show, which received more than 18,000 visitors.

The two seminars conducted by the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the USLGE Swine Trade Mission on feed ingredients for swine diet-nutrition, value and problems associated with ingredient storage and handling, establishing an effective genetic improvement for swine, application of ultrasound in modern swine, and production/practical feeding practices for replacement gilts and gestating sows, and the open forum by Jeida Farm Supply Corp. on swine artificial insemination generated a combined attendance of 936, consisting of farmers, technicians, corporate research and development officers, purchasers, entrepreneurs, and backyard raisers, among others.

The seminar on income for life through mango farming enjoyed the single biggest attendance of 507.

These seminars topped the 11 others that also presented new technologies in the other fields of food and agribusiness.

Product demonstrations were likewise held in the display booths of local and foreign firms from all over the world.

The number of booths rose from 200 in last year's show to 250 this year.

The twin events also posted a whopping 29 percent increase in the number of visitors from 14,000 to more than 18,000.

Staged at the World Trade Center Metro Manila, Agrilink/Foodlink 2002 was organized by the Foundation for Resource Linkage and Development and had 31 industry associations as co-organizers.

The exhibit was supported by the Department of Agriculture, National Agriculture and Fishery Council, and the United States Department of Agriculture-Foreign Agricultural Services, and sponsored by the Infarmco Group, Mingley Trades & Imports, Monsanto Phils., and Landbank of the Philippines.