Sappo chairman Peter Mockford said the organisation wanted to ensure that farmers developed, and that they made a meaningful contribution to the country's commercial and sustainable pork production. Mockford added that there used to be more than 2000 commercial farmers in the pork industry, but now there were only 228.
Sappo has established the Baynesfield Training Academy for pig farming outside Pietermaritzburg in partnership with the Baynesfield Trust. The project aims to grow interest in the industry, promote entrepreneurship and improve farm workers' management skills while developing awareness of agriculture and the environment among children. If the KwaZulu-Natal training academy is successful, several more pig-farming academies could be opened around the country.
Grant Kobus, GM of the new academy, said the pig producers' sector supported the academy and would offer one-week courses presented at various times of the year to educate staff in areas such as general and financial management for farm recordkeeping and accounting, feeding and vaccination supervision. After four weeks' training in related fields, Kobus told The PigSite News Desk, the participants will be certified.
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