Gulu PDM beneficiaries suffer losses following death of pigs
GULU, March 2, 2025 – Several farmers in Gulu district who had invested in the piggery enterprise under the Parish Development Model [PDM] are facing significant losses following a suspected outbreak of African Swine Fever.
Charles Latim, a farmer in Ogul Sub-Ward, Coopil Village, Unyama Sub-county, Gulu district says he has lost nine piglets in the past few days.
“I had 12 piglets, but I have now lost nine to the disease. I’m not sure what is causing their death, but I suspect African Swine Fever, especially since the weather has been very hot. We tried taking the pigs to the stream, where it’s a bit cooler, but they still died,” Latim explained.
Latim also mentions that about 10 of his fellow members in the Otiyo Coke PDM Group have lost their pigs to the disease.
“I chose piggery because pigs are easy to keep and offer quick returns on investment, but now I’ve lost most of them. I don’t know how I’ll support my family or pay school fees for my children,” he says.
Latim was also hoping to profit from piglets, which were one month old at the time. “I was expecting to make money from the piglets, as people had already booked them. But now that they have died, this is no longer possible. I don’t think even the remaining three will survive,” he adds.
However, he says he will resume the piggery business once the authorities confirm that the disease is no longer in the area.
Kasule Ocitti, another pig farmer from Coopil Village, Unyama Sub-county, says he lost four pigs to the disease three days ago. “I lost four pigs, and even my neighbours have lost about 10 pigs. The pigs start by losing their appetite, then stop moving, and eventually die,” Ocitti explains.
Ocitti is concerned about repaying the Shs 1 million he secured under the PDM to buy the piglets.
“I bought a pig in July last year using PDM funds, and it produced six piglets. But already four pigs, including the sow, have died, and the remaining three are not doing well. I tried to get them treated, but they still died,” he says.
Justin Kidega, the LCIII Chairperson for Unyama Sub-county, says that over 50 pigs have died in Coopil Village alone. He is now worried about the health risks for people consuming pork from the dead pigs.
“I’ve been going around the villages, educating people not to eat pork from the dead pigs because it might cause further health problems. I have contacted the veterinary officer and the extension worker at the sub-county to intervene swiftly. We need them to quickly confirm what’s causing these deaths,” Kidega says.
Michael Komakech, the Secretary for Production and Marketing at Gulu District Local Government, confirms that samples from the dead pigs have been sent to the National Animal Disease Diagnostics and Epidemiology Centre [NADDEC] Laboratories in Entebbe for testing.
Komakech says, “The disease has affected Unyama, Omel, Paicho, and Bungatira sub-counties. A significant number of pigs have died there. We are awaiting the results from the samples sent to Entebbe to confirm whether it’s African Swine Fever.”
African Swine Fever is a highly infectious and severe haemorrhagic disease of pigs, which produces a wide range of clinical signs and lesions that can closely resemble those of Classical Swine Fever, according to experts.
African Swine Fever has a case fatality rate of up to 100 percent in domestic pigs and wild boars.
https://thecooperator.news/pdm-groups-urged-to-pick-piggery-and-poultry-enterprises/
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