Labur Piggery Ltd

is proud to be a locally owned and privately managed 10 breeder pig farm that is producing over 20 tons of pigs (live weight) for the live pig market in Northern (Oro) Province, Papua New Guinea. For the past 7 years since our establishment in 2014 Labur Piggery has worked closely with our local community to produce quality products that range from 35kg porkers to 200kg bondo (feasting) pigs.

Mainly crossbreeds of the highly productive long-bodied landrace and the much hardier and muscular duroc, our pigs are not only visually appealing to the local buyer but also produce leaner, healthier pork.

Who we are

Labur Piggery is a privately owned commercial pig breeding and rearing farm in Northern (Oro) Province, Papua New Guinea. The 10 breeder farm was officially opened in April 2014 at Sangara about 7 kilometres Northwest of Popondetta the main provincial town and centre for business and government administration in Northern Province. Over the past 4 years we have been producing a total live pig weight of over 20 tons annually for the local pig market.

At Labur Piggery we have specialised in crossbreeding exotic pig stock where we continue to maintain over 50% of the genetic composition of our products. Our breeding program is focused on increased productivity of sows, sustainable rearing costs with regard to locally available inputs and provision of high quality products for consumers.

Where we are

We are located about 4 kilometres from the heart of the oil palm industry in Northern and about 10 kilometres away from the township of Popondetta by sealed road along the Kokoda Highway. Girua airport is about 20 kilometres away and Oro Bay wharf a further 55 kilometres also by sealed road. Small craft landings are located around the wharf and 16 kilometres north of Popondetta at Kikiri and Kausada.

The local community comprises mainly of oil palm block owners and their families with a handful of cocoa and other cash crop farmers. Monge village, Sangara Primary School, Sangara Vocational School and the Moale oil palm workers compound are within 2 kilometres of the farm.

Community Economic Profile

The main income source for households in the surrounding area which includes Higaturu LLG Wards 24, 25 & 26 (Sohe District) and parts of Popondetta Urban LLG Ward 9 & 11 (Ijivitari District). The figures are projected from census 2000 however it is important to note that for each household listed under the oil palm sector and government there would be on average two (2) members involved in the informal sector. 15% of households either grow other cash crops like cocoa and vanilla, or have a member employed by other service providers or, are fully involved in the informal sector as a household unit.

Households: 1,606

Population: 8,741

Male: 4,594

Female: 4,147

Household Employment

Higaturu Oil Palm Company: 57%

Small Holder Oil Palm Growers: 24%

Government: 5%

Others + Informal Sector: 15%

With this arrangement work started in April 2013 and the twenty (20) breeder Labur Piggery facility was built by volunteer Australian outreach teams and the enthusiastic local community which included agriculture, carpentry, and metal fabricating students from the nearby vocational school. The facility was officially opened in March 2014 in a ceremony where government and NGO officials attended. Among those were the Deputy Governor for Northern, Hon. Evatius Bori and a representative from the Australian High Commission.

Operations

The farm has the capacity to house a twenty breeder piggery with the initial twenty (20) breeding stock purchased and shipped from Pelgens Piggery in Lae, Morobe Province in August 2014. In spite the absence of operating capital, Labur Piggery has managed to sustain a scaled down operation of ten (10) breeders solely on income generated from live pig sales over the last seven (7) years.

The medium-scale farm facilities include a twelve (12) pen pig housing shed and a five (5) pen extension, a feed mixing shed, a twenty foot (20’) storage container and a gutter-fed five thousand (5,000) litre water tank. There is also a training/community hall and other capital works include maintenance of eight hundred (800) meters of feeder road, a hundred (100) meter access road to the farm site, and a sewerage pond that filters wastewater into downstream marshes.

The current facilities cater for ten (10) breeders that generate up to a hundred (100) live pigs including culled breeders for sale each year. Since commencement of operations in March 2014 Labur Piggery has produced over 600 high grade pigs for the local market.

Staffing

Current staff include Joseph Kopapa the Managing Director, Enerst Kopapa - Farm Manager who has seven (7) years of intensive pig breeding and rearing experience, Wilfred Mare - Farm Hand who has four (4) years pig breeding and rearing training and two (2) casual labourers to assist with farm chores. Administrative and book keeping assistance is voluntarily provided by Samson Kopapa who is a secondary school teacher and school administrator and is also a financial contributor to Labur Piggery.

Board of Directors

An interim board of directors meet every four (4) months purposely to review financial reports and endorse short term budgets and plans. An appraisal meeting is conducted in December each year for the past year’s performance with regard to the projects objectives and to make general plans for the upcoming year. When possible, a delegation from Australia is present. At these meetings the board reviews project objectives and develops long term plans to effect outputs.

Our Future

Labur Piggery has supported the practical training of over forty (40) vocational skills students, has employed eight (8) farm hands, two (2) welders, six (6) carpenters, two (2) plumbers and over thirty casual workers over the past 7 years. Six (6) youths both male and female from the community regularly volunteer labour to gain experience in hands on farm work. At this stage the project is incomplete with one vital input not adequately catered for. What the project still lacks since its inception in 2014 is access to local credit facilities to raise operational capital for the farm. This input is necessary for the farm to operate at its maximum capacity to support pig famer training, improved stock distribution, improved marketing and extension services.

The board of directors are currently overseeing the documentation of plans to broaden the interests of Labur Piggery. It is hoped that these plans will allow access to the credit/donor facilities needed for the project to firmly establish and sustain a Northern Province provincial pork industry.