The farmers attribute the prosperity to government's recent ban on pork imports. The ban was a result of an outbreak in pig diseases in neighbouring states.

Though the ban is no longer active, import of pork has remained minimal and local farmers have relished the opportunity to turn the stumbling block into a stepping stone.

One of the farmers, Eunice Mkhonta, said the local market was enough to sustain the industry.

"We do not even need to scout for markets outside Swaziland. We make do with local butcheries and meat industries which always call us to ask whether we have supplies or not," she said.

Mkhonta said she had 63 piglets and nine sows, all which would be in the market within the next few months. She said she had started the business as a member of an association that benefited from the Tinkhundla Regional Development Fund.

"We started with nine sows and eventually split such that each of us remained with our own share. I have nurtured them well and now they have multiplied," she said.

Source: The Swazi Observer