DILIMAN, Quezon City—A few years ago, 51-year-old Henry Cheock started a small pig-raising business, but had to give it up later on because he had little knowledge about the technologies used and the industry considerations.

Now, Cheock is planning to try it again. This time, with a little help from the experts from the Agricultural Training Institute-International Training Center on Pig Husbandry (ATI-ITCPH).

In a special free seminar held by the ATI, Cheock and 15 other pig husbandry enthusiasts learned the basics of swine business planning.

ATI-ITCPH training specialist Rhea Carandang served as resource person and stressed the importance of a business plan, “A business plan defines the identity of your business venture. It helps you allocate resources properly and handle unforeseen complications, because you always need to have contingency measures.”

She also stressed that simplicity is key in developing a business plan. Likewise, she encouraged the participants to set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goals.

Carandang also discussed the components of a business plan. In the technical aspect, she shared some industry tips in terms of source of piglets, source of feeds, and feeding methods.

By the end of the seminar, Cheock was even more motivated to revive his pig business, “It is better now because there is a facility, through the ATI-ITCPH, that can help us on the technical side of it.”

Edwin Lopez, 43, also thanked the ATI for the chance to gain more knowledge about pig production and marketing.

“We now have a small pig production area but we want to expand. This seminar gave me an idea on how to do it,” he said.

The activity is an offshoot of the ATI’s Free Seminar on Swine Production and Meat Processing held in August. Spearheaded by the ATI Partnerships and Accreditation Division, this special free seminar was conducted on September 21 at the ATI Rural Development and Education Center in this city.