Small-Scale Pig Farmer Implements Commercial Practices

Buti Malinga, a small-scale pig farmer near Vanderbijlpark in Gauteng, has built up his business, Vukani Piggery, from nothing. Intent on progress, he aims to become a fully-fledged commercial farmer in the near future. Pieter Dempsey visited him on the farm Bronkhorstfontein.

- Pieter Dempsey

Buti Malinga, together with his sister, Cathy, started Vukani Piggery in 2008 with nine sows after they acquired the 154ha farm, Bronkhorstfontein, near Vanderbijlpark through the state’s land reform programme. The pair had, in fact, grown up on the same farm.

Today, thanks to their hard work and persistence, as well as assistance from government, Vukani Piggery is well on its way to becoming a fully-fledged commercial piggery. In order to do this, the pair already run the small-scale operation using commercial practices.

They currently have 75 sows, but have capacity for 100.

“We have a plan to expand the operation to 97 sows. After this, we want to apply for a loan through the Land Bank,” Malinga explains.

But he has aspirations for far greater things; he hopes to one day expand the farm’s infrastructure to accommodate 500 sows.

LAND REFORM FARM

Malinga received the farm in 2008 through the then Department of Agriculture’s land reform programme. While he admits that he had no desire to farm as a child, he developed a great enthusiasm for it later on in life. Even so, he never dreamt that he would one day have access to a farm.

“When we received the farm, it wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be. We weren’t able to just jump into farming; the starting costs were very high. It took a few years to receive the funding, and we started the farming operation itself in 2017.”

Other government programmes, such as the Comprehensive Agriculture Support Programme, provided Malinga with additional funding. Some of this was used to demolish the existing piggery structures on the farm and build the current 100-sow unit, which includes breeding, farrowing and weaning houses.