At present, the meat market in the state is dominated by beef constituting 65 per cent followed by chicken at 27 per cent, mutton six per cent and pork two per cent in a market size of 1,61,000 metric tonnes of meat sold annually. A recent study on `meat sector in Kerala' conducted by Swiss Agency for Development and Corporation (SADC) for the State Government pointed out that the market for beef and mutton are likely to decline because of high price of the produce and high cost of maintaining the animals. On the other hand the consumption of chicken is expected to increase because of affordability.

The study has also recommended to provide more governmental support for both backyard and commercial rearing of pigs as it is less demanding on the dwindling resource base, and provide the farmer with additional income generating opportunities. The Government's decision to import 90 improved varieties of pigs at a cost of $1,000 each from England for intensive breeding at the Kerala Livestock Development Board (KLDB) farm at Thrissur has to be seen in this light, a source said.

The pig farm plans to supply 10,000 piglets of improved cross-breed varieties of Yorkshire, Landrace and Duroc. The consumption of pork can rise significantly if it is marketed properly and market is sufficiently expanded so as to making feeding of concentrates viable, the study said. By 2005, the total annual output of pigs required to cater to the projected demand is about 91,000 in the state. At current levels of feed availability, the population of pigs in the commercial sector can grow to a little over 41,000 while another 50,000 improved piglets can be supported by the farmers in the back yard, the report said.

The major stumbling blocks in promoting pig rearing seems to be negative image of backyard pig bearing feeding exclusively on human excreta and religious taboos associated with pork consumption, the study said. However, in Kerala and north eastern states the consumption has been relatively high because of higher presence of Christian community compared to other states.

Piggery is an organised, popular economic activity in the north eastern states while in other parts of the country it is backyard activity with pigs left to scavenge on human wastes. Kerala, however, has a pig population of only 1.43 lakh in a total population of 1.05 crores in the country. The pig population more than doubled in the 36 years from 1956 to 1992 showing a compounded annual growth rate of 2.14 per cent.

In 1956, the pig population in the country was 49 lakhs which rose to 105 lakhs in 1992, according a Swiss Development Corporation report of 1995.However, the state government's attempts at development of piggery is more than three-decades-old starting with the Third Fiv Year Plan.

The first pig breeding farm was set up by Animal Husbandry Department in 1965 in Thrissur. Until the eighties, pig breeding remained a backyard activity with a few indigenous varieties (small sized and black in colour and poor convertors of feed into flesh).

But the composition of pig population in Kerala has now changed with improved varieties constituting 32 per cent as against the all India figure of 70 per cent for exotic breeds. The major agencies involved in pig breeding in the state include Meat Products of India, Kerala Agricultural University and Kerala Livestock Development Board.

A survey revealed that expected profitability, easy availability of feeds and possibility of using pigs for meat were the factors favouring large scale breeding of pigs in them state.

The yield of backyard piggery is Rs 800 per pig while for commercial rearing it is Rs 650 per pig. In the last five years, commercial piggery has made major advances in the state.

Favourable economics and a growing market for pork have been cited as the reasons.