Cost Minimization of Locally Available Hog Feeds for Backyard Hog Raising

The Philippine swine industry is the largest among the animal industry and is one of the largest contributors to the country’s agriculture. Based on the 2020 Swine Annual Situation Report, the volume of production was estimated at 2.14 million metric tons wherein around 12.91 million heads of hogs were slaughtered. Moreover, an estimated 70.6% of the total sources of pork in 2021 come from backyard hog raisers. One challenge in the rearing of pigs is the feeding system employed by the raisers, considering the increase in livestock feed prices in the past few years. This is especially true for backyard hog farmers who may not have the capability to buy feeds in bulk for a lower price. In addition to this, feed availability, which may affect its cost, poses a concern to the raisers as it may limit the pigs to the right amount of nutrients needed for them to grow. As such, a linear programming model was formulated in order to find the best possible combination of locally available feed with the least amount of cost without compromising the needs of the pigs. The paper is limited, however, to pigs at the finishing stage when the pigs’ nutritional needs are essential to achieve a high live weight. In relation to this, the formulated linear programming model provided an optimal mix of ground corn, rice bran, and one commercial feed, with amounts of 1.725 kg, 1.725 kg, and 46.55 kg, respectively. In addition, its total cost of PhP1660 provided a reduction in feed costs between PhP10 and Php340 per pig. This can provide raisers an option on which feed ration they can give to their pigs.