Meat retailers Jerome and Anna Trofeo were having trouble sourcing healthy hogs to meet their customers’ requirements 2 years ago, with the African Swine Fever significantly affecting the output of hog growers nationwide.
Determined to keep their “Annie & Jerome Trofeo” meat stall running, Anna decided to expand their business and establish their own commercial swine farm.
The couple took out a P24-million loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) to fund a start-up commercial swine farm under the Bank’s Special Window and Interim Support to Nurture Hog Enterprises (SWINE) lending program.
From the total amount, P20 million was used to finance the construction of 3 piggery buildings to separately house nursery, farrowing and gestation pens, as well as support facilities that include an office and staff quarters.
The loan also covered the construction of a manure lagoon and waste water treatment facility to minimize the environmental impact of the farm, while the remaining P4 million financed the acquisition of young female hogs for breeding.
With the opening of AJ Piggery Farm, the couple’s meat stall is able sell around 900 kilograms of pork per day to accommodate the demand of meat retailers.
The stall is also able to supply around 1,650 kilograms of pork per week to 2 local supermarkets in Laguna and Batangas, doubling the the meat shop’s income to as much as P600,000 per month from P300,000.
