| Livestock Research for Rural Development 9 (2) 1997 | Citation of this paper |
Protein supplementation of traditional diets for crossbred pigs under village conditions in Central Vietnam
College of Agriculture, Hue University, Vietnam
1. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
2. Finca Ecologica, University of Tropical Agriculture, Thu Duc, Ho Chi
Minh City, Vietnam
Availability and price of conventional protein supplements are major constraints to pig
production in Vietnam. A survey in two villages in Central Vietnam showed that protein
intake is very low in traditional diets (94 - 98 g/pig/day). A feeding trial was carried
out in the same two villages to test effects of providing supplementary protein to the
traditional diet. Fourteen weaner pigs (Mong Cai x Large White) were fed traditionally,
and 12 similar pigs on similar basal diets were given supplements of groundnut cake and
fish meal to provide an additional 100 g/day/pig of crude protein. The mean daily live
weight gain of pigs under the traditional feeding system was low (202 and 230 g/day in
each of the two villages) but was significantly increased to 363 and 366 g/day (P=0.001)
by giving the protein supplement. The net economic benefit after deducting the cost of the
protein supplement was VND 900/day equivalent to VND 135,000 for the 150 day fattening
cycle.
In Vietnam, pig production plays an important role as they are a source of income for
the farmer's family and provide manure for the rice and vegetable crops. Compared with
other regions of the country, Central Vietnam is one of the poorest due to the severe
climate, lack of investment funds and unfavourable natural conditions such as a high
frequency of flooding, droughts and storms.
In 1994 there were approximately 4.2 million pigs in Central Vietnam and of these
around 2,000 were raised in Binh Dien and Xuan Loc villages, sites that had been chosen
for a survey on pig production methods. The main results of the survey were that the level
of protein in the traditional diet was very low (Table 1). On the basis of these findings
it was decided to carry out an on- farm feeding trial in the same villages to evaluate
protein supplementation of the traditional diets.
On-farm feeding trials were carried out in Xuan Loc and Binh Dien villages from May to
October 1995.
The pigs were Mong Cai x Large White crossbreeds, belonging to the farmers. The farmers
also provided their normal management, drugs and vaccines. A total of 14 pigs owned by 5
farmer households (2 or 4 pigs on each farm) with initial live weights of 10.7 to 20.0 kg
in the two villages (3 farmers in Binh Dien; 2 in Xuan Loc) were fed on a traditional
(control) diet consisting of cooked rice, rice bran, cassava meal andvegetable (usually
sweet potatoes.vines). Calculated nutrient intake is shown in Table 1. The amounts of the
individual feed ingredients varied between farms and also with time, depending on current
availability and price. Twelve pigs owned by 6 farmer households (3 in each village) , but
of similar genetic background and initial live weight from 9.6 to 23 kg, were fed on the
traditional diet supplemented with 190 g/day of groundnut cake (39% N*6.25) and 60 g/day
of fish meal (42% N*6.25). It was calculated that the supplement would raise the overall
protein supply to 200 g/pig/day.
The pigs were fed three times per day. In the case of the supplementation, the
groundnut cake was soaked overnight and then mixed with the boiled basal feed. The fish
meal was fed in the morning after being mixed with the rest of the dietary ingredients.
The pigs were weighed in the early morning once each month using a 100 kg capacity
portable scale with an accuracy of 0.5 kg. Feed intakes were recorded using a 20 kg
capacity portable scale. These records were collected every two weeks, and additional
random checks were also made. The major feed resources were identified and representative
samples were collected and analysed for dry matter (DM), crude protein (N*6.25), crude
fibre (CF), ether extract (EE) and ash (AOAC 1985).
The traditional pig ration consisted of 48% rice and rice bran; 45% cassava root meal
and 7% vegetables (% DM basis). For the pigs from 14 kg to 50 kg, the intakes of the
traditional basal diet (as dry matter) ranged from 1.2 to 1.4 kg/pig/day. Calculated
metabolizable energy supplied by the diets ranged from 16.0 to 18.4 MJ/pig/day. Protein
(N*6.25) concentration ranged from 5 to 7% in the dietary DM, with a total supply of about
80-110 g per pig per day.
The mean values for initial and final live weights and daily gains of the pigs on the
traditional and supplemented diets, in each of the villages, are shown in Table 2.
The effects of supplementation and of location (village) are shown in Table 3. There was good agreement between the two villages (292 and 290 g/day live weight gain for the pigs in Xuan Loc and Binh Dien) indicating little difference in the nutritive value of the basal feed resources. Protein supplementation increased live weight gain (adjusted for differences in initial weight) by 83% from 204 to 375 g/day (P=0.001) and final weight from 46 to 68 kg over the 150 days fattening period.
Economic evaluation
The economic results are shown in Table 4. The value of the additional 171 g/day live
weight due to supplementation was estimated at VND 1,700 for an additional feed cost of
the supplement of VND 800, giving a net benefit of VND 900 per pig per day (VND 135,000
per pig for the total fattening period).
The importance of protein in the system is shown by the low protein content of the
traditional diet and the fact that a supplement of around 100 g/day of protein led to an
increase in growth rate of 83%, with subsequent economic benefits.
The variation in growth rates of pigs between households is brought to light by doing
on-farm trials. This phenomenon is quite common and has been reported previously from
Vietnam by Dolberg (1993). The differences are normally ascribed to variations in
management practices among households, which may warrant further studies for their precise
identification and explanation. In the analysis of the management factor, Ostergaard
(1994) points out that the interactions between farm households are an important aspect to
consider, as the decisions about the management of biological or financial subsystems are
strongly influenced by the social structure of the farm household and the cultural
framework in which it exists. In this case, the trial intervention, which consisted of an
equal supplement of protein with variation in energy supply between farmers may therefore
be an important factor in explaining the differences.
The growth improvement due to protein supplementation in the present trial was similar
to that for pigs fed an extra 200 g /day of protein (obtained from 500 g of a 40% protein
soya bean meal) on a traditional feeding system in an on-farm experiment carried out in
Colombia (Solarte 1994).
The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of the People's Committee and the Women's
Union of Binh Dien and Xuan Loc villages, and the Womens Union of Thua thien Hue Province
in developing the activities with the farmers at the research sites. The help of the PRA
team of Hue University is acknowledged. Thanks are due to the Swedish International
Development Agency (SIDA) for providing the financial support that made possible the
study.
AOAC 1985 Official methods of analysis. Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 12th edition. Washington, DC.
Dolberg F 1993 Transfer of sustainable technologies in Vietnam. Development of sustainable livestock technologies for ecologically fragile zones in the tropics. Swedish International Development Agency ( SIDA) Stockholm Sweden. Internal Report
Ostergarrd V1994 Livestock systems research-appropriate methods of the future. Integrated livestock/crop production systems in the small scale and communal farming sector. Symposia at the Department of Animal Science, University of Zimbabwe, January 26- 28, 1994
Solarte J 1994 Experiences from two ethnic groups of farmers
participating in livestock research in different ecological zones of the Cauca Valley of
Colombia. MSc Thesis. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Uppsala
Received 3 May 1997