K K Saharia

L Sanathoi Khuman

Leema Bora

M N Ray

Monosri Johari

P Hazarika

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16 Indian  Res. J.  Ext. Edu.  14 (2), May, 2014
Impact of Personal Traits on Piggery Management
Monosri Johari1, K. K. Saharia2, P.Hazarika3, L.Sanathoi Khuman4,
Leema Bora5 and M.N.Ray6
1. M.V.Sc. Student, 2. Prof., 3. Associate Director of Extension Education,  4. Ph.D. 5. Asst. Prof., 6. Prof.,
Dept. of Extension Education, College of Veterinary Science, AAU, Khanapara, Guwahati, Assam
Corresponding author e-mail: drmonosri@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
A study on the impact of personal traits on piggery management in Dima Hasao district was carried out by
contacting fifty pig farmers each from two developmental blocks namely Diyungbra and Jatinga in Assam.  It was
found that majority i.e. about 80 per cent of the respondents in Block I, Block II and pooled sample occupied
medium category management/health care practices. Further, they showed that 100 per cent, 86 per cent and 93
per cent of the respondents provided clean water for the purpose of drinking, 100 per cent in all categories adopted
castration or spaying of piglets, 94 per cent, 100 per cent and 97 per cent practiced weaning of piglets and 0 per
cent, 2 per cent and 1 per cent practiced deworming of piglets in Block I, Block II and pooled sample respectively.
In relational analysis management/health care was positively and high significantly (p<0.01) related to education
(0.52**), occupation (0.29**) and total time spent (0.34**). Management/health care was negatively and high
significantly (p<0.01) related to credibility of information sources (-0.38**).
Key words: Castration; Deworming; Information sources;
Pig as livestock in the North Eastern Region of
India is a big blessing, an asset of excellent nature and
very much integral to the life system of people.  Piggery
is very popular because of the uneven terrain and small
land holding of farmers, their socio-cultural and
traditional involvement with animals, the food habits the
rural tribal and other weaker sections of the population
follow and also the natural resources available to the
pigs as feed.  Today, the situation is such that quantum
of pork supplied in any occasion is a prestige symbol in
absence of taboo against consumption of pork. In the
whole region pork products are in gradual up-rise in
popularity. For many, pigs serve as the primary and at
times the only source of meat all around. The demand
for pork among the urban elites as well cutting across the
castes and creeds is one of the promoting factors today.
The spreading of knowledge about the importance of
inclusion of animal protein in the diet on one hand and
educational achievements on the other hand had changed
the age-old superstitious belief of the non-pork eaters.
Rearing of pig for the tribal population of Dima
Hasao district is not a new concept. They have been
traditionally doing so since time immemorial. Actually
animal husbandry in general and piggery in particular is
an integral part of almost every household in the district.
But of late, it is seen that those resorting to better rearing
and smart marketing are reaping more benefits than
others. Further at times the benefits are reaped by people
other than the actual rearers for reasons not surely
known. As such, a study was warranted and therefore,
conducted to find out the piggery management/health
care in Dima Hasao district of Assam in relation to the
personal traits of the pig rearers.
METHODOLOGY
The study was undertaken in two selected blocks
of Dima Hasao (the erstwhile North Cachar) district of
Assam during the month of October 2012 to February
2013. The blocks were selected in such a manner that,
one block was  located far off from the district
headquarters having low pig population namely
Diyungbra ITDP Block and second block which was
nearest to the district headquarters having high pig
population namely Jatinga Valley Development Block.
From each selected block two villages were selected
on the basis of maximum number of pig rearers. Again
Indian  Res. J. Ext. Edu.  14 (2), May, 2014 17
from each village a total of 25 pig farmers were randomly
selected for the present study making the sample size
to be 100. A comprehensive interview schedule was
developed for data collection. For obtaining response
on different component areas of management/health
care towards pig husbandry, the respondents were
offered ten statements and they were asked to respond
in either of the three degrees ranging from mostly,
sometimes and occasionally categories. The
proportionate scoring patterns were 3, 2 and 1
respectively. As such the minimum and maximum
obtainable scores for a respondent were 10 and 30
respectively. Pre-testing of the interview schedule was
done in the nearby simulating Cachar district to see the
reliability and validity of the interview schedule. The
reliability worked out was 0.89 and as far as the validity
was concerned, content validity was ensured in
consultation with all the experts available in the
University, Research Institutes of national repute (NRC
on pig) and field veterinarians. The information so
collected were transformed into objective data, analyses
were done according to the established norms and
conclusions were drawn accordingly.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Management of any livestock farm, big or small, is
an indication of man animal relation one maintains.
Management/health care practice is important for the
growth and development of all types of farming including
piggery. Table 1 showed that majority i.e. about 80 per
cent of the respondents in Block I, Block II and pooled
sample were in medium category of adopting the
management/health care practices. This indicated that
by and large commonly shared stereotype activities were
followed in the areas under study by the pig farmers.
As such the variations in community level were less.
But when the mean was examined, it revealed that
respondents in Block I scored much higher than the
respondents in Block II. Therefore, there was significant
mean difference (7.48**, p<0.01). The farmers in Block
I scoring higher than the farmers of Block II might be a
reflection of their more involvement due to lack of better
facilities, piggery being the only occupation at times and
also income from piggery being more important for them
in absence of other avenues in comparison to the other
block. Similar findings were also reported by Rahman
(2007) and Zadeng (2012).
It could also be seen from Table 2 that 100 per
cent, 86 per cent and 93 per cent of the respondents
provided clean water for drinking, 100 per cent in all
categories adopted castration or spaying of piglets, 94
per cent, 100 per cent and 97 per cent practiced weaning
of piglets and 0 per cent, 2 per cent and 1 per cent
practice deworming in Block I, Block II and pooled
sample respectively. All these activities were performed
as a part of their traditional belief and understanding in
addition to availability of the specific kind of facilities.
In case of management and health care not much
innovation had taken place in the area under study.
Similar results in the backward villages of Kamrup
district of Assam were also reported by Payeng, 2011
and Shyam, 2011. Further, this was in line with those
found by Rahman et al (2008) who reported that
castration and weaning were practiced by all the
farmers. The result was conflicting with those of  Deka
et al 2007 who found that during the household survey
in Dhemaji only 25 per cent farmers reported the use of
de-worming drugs while some of the interviewed
farmers were even not aware of the drugs’ importance,
35 per cent provided iron supplement, 23 per cent
practiced weaning of piglets.  All these activities were
parts of their cultural/traditional norms to be followed in
pig rearing in the state as there existed an atmosphere
for such activities.
Table 3 showed that management/health care was
positively and high significantly (p<0.01) related to
education (0.52**), occupation (0.29**) and total time
spent (0.34**). It might have been because of higher
education broadened mental horizon and therefore,
farmers with higher education might have adopted few
things better than others by knowing the worth of such
Table 1. Frequency distribution of respondents on the basis of adoption of managemental/health care
Variables Blocks Mean SD Range Low Medium High ‘t’value
Management/health care Block I 23 2.06 18-27 3(6) 40(80) 7(14) 7.48**
Block II 19.68 2.05 16-22 6(12) 40(80) 4(8)
Pooled 21.34 2.64 16-27 7(7) 81(81) 12(12)
**Figures in the parenthesis indicate percentage.
18 Indian  Res. J.  Ext. Edu.  14 (2), May, 2014
things including better inputs from others than other
farmers. Therefore, farmers with better occupation had
better managemental /health care. Same kind of findings
were also reported by Payeng (2011) and Shyam
(2011). Further with better income the farmers were
always in a position to provide better managemental/
health care to their pigs whenever needed. Therefore,
it showed the positive and high significant. Similar
findings were also reported by Deka et al (2007) and
Talukdar (2012) .  Management/health care was
negatively and high significantly (p<0.01) related to
credibility of information sources (-0.38**). This might
have been an outcome of the situation that pig rearing
in the district was an age old tradition and the most
trusted (credible) information sources were their peers
and close relatives for information sources, but not the
extension personnel or development departments. As a
result, with their credible information sources the
farmers never obtained the beneficial information for
adoption of practices in management/health care. That
was the reason for showing negative relation with
credibility of information sources. Similar results were
also obtained by Rahman 2007, Payeng 2011 and
Zadeng 2012.
Table 3. Relational analysis between socio-economic
variables and managemental/health  care
                      Variables Pooled
Age 0.06
Education 0.05**
Family size -0.15
Occupation 0.29**
Social participation 0.15
Extension contact -0.06
Sources of information 0.03
Credibility of information sources 0.06
Total time spent in managing pig -0.06
CONCLUSION
The findings of the study revealed that majority
i.e. about 80 per cent of the respondents in Block I,
Block II and pooled sample were in medium category
of adopting the management/health care practices.  The
mean value was found to be 21 out of the total obtainable
score of 30. Further, in detailed analysis, it was found
that 100 per cent, 86 per cent and 93 per cent of the
respondents provided clean water for drinking, 100 per
cent in all categories adopted castration or spaying of
practices. Similar findings were also reported by
Rahman et al (2008) and Zadeng (2012). In case of
occupation also same fact was applicable. Farmers with
high occupation had higher chances of knowing better
Table 2. Distribution of respondents on different areas of
management/health care:
    Management/ Degree of information
     Health care Blocks Mostly Some Occasi-times onally
Providing clean Block I 50(100) 0(0) 0(0)
water for the Block II 43(86) 7(14) 0(0)
purpose of drinking Pooled 93(93) 7(7) 0(0)
Castration/spaying Block I 50(100) 0(0) 0(0)
of piglets Block II 50(100) 0(0) 0(0)
Pooled 100(100) 0(0) 0(0)
De-worming Block I 0(0) 4(8) 43(86)
Block II 1(2) 3(6) 35(70)
Pooled 1(1) 7 (7) 78(78)
Weaning of piglets Block I 47(94) 2(4) 0(0)
Block II 50(100) 0(0) 0(0)
Pooled 97(97) 2(2) 0(0)
First aid treatment Block I 22(44) 22(44) 5(10)
during emergency Block II 5(10) 23(46) 1(2)
Pooled 27(27) 45(45) 6(6)
Separation of sick Block I 49(98) 1(2) 0(0)
animals from Block II 50(100) 0(0) 0(0)
healthy animals Pooled 99(99) 1(1) 0(0)
Person approached for treatment of sick animals
VAS Block I 4(8) 27(54) 6(12)
Block II 16(32) 31(62) 3(6)
Pooled 20(20) 58(58) 9(9)
VFA Block I 5(10) 3(6) 2(4)
Block II 0(0) 3(3) 0(0)
Pooled 5(5) 6(6) 2(2)
Fellow farmer Block I 3(6) 1(2) 3(6)
Block II 0(0) 0(0) 0(0)
Pooled 3(3) 1(1) 3(3)
Self treatment by Block I 11(22) 12(24) 10(20)
the farmer Block II 0(0) 8(16) 3(6)
Pooled 11(11) 20(20) 13(13)
Cleaning the sty Block I 1(2) 14(28) 35(70)
once/ twice a day Block II 2(4) 8(16) 28(56)
Pooled 3(3) 22(22) 63(63)
Before fresh supply Block I 35(70) 9(18) 5(10)
of feed, mangers & Block II 4(8) 43(86) 7(14)
water troughs are Pooled 0(0) 45(45) 13(13)
cleaned every time
**Figures in the parenthesis indicate percentage.
Indian  Res. J. Ext. Edu.  14 (2), May, 2014 19
piglets, 94 per cent, 100 per cent and 97 per cent
practiced weaning of piglets and 0 per cent, 2 per cent
and 1 per cent practice deworming in Block I, Block II
and pooled sample respectively. In relational analysis
management/health care was positively and high
significantly (p<0.01) related to education (0.52**),
occupation (0.29**) and total time spent (0.34**).
Management/health care was negatively and high
significantly (p<0.01) related to credibility of information
sources (-0.38**).
Paper received on : February 18, 2014
Accepted on : March 14, 2014
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thesis, Assam Agricultural University (unpub.), Khanapara, Guwahati, Assam
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Impact of Personal Traits on Piggery Management

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Impact of Personal Traits on Piggery Management

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