The pigs were bought in the village for breeding. They cost 1.7 million dong (74 US dollars) each in April 2021 because the price of piglets was on the rise at that time. Previously, I had only cows and chickens. After participating in the Li-chăn project and receiving training on insemination, I plan to inseminate my own pigs. This hybrid breed is mixed with indigenous pigs, so the pigs are bigger, longer, more voracious and grow faster. When I first discussed this with my wife, she was not fond of hybrid pigs because they require a large investment, while their meat price is low. However, because we received training on artificial insemination techniques for pigs from the project, the input costs are lower. For artificial insemination, this hybrid breed is more suitable. The pigs look as black as indigenous pigs. The only differences are big ears and a long snout. Moreover, the profit is higher than that of indigenous pigs. The hybrid pigs will be sold after four months when they are estimated to be 80–90 kilogrammes each. The indigenous pigs need to be reared for 8–10 months before being sold, but their weight is only 40–50 kilogrammes each. Knowing that, my wife agreed, and we went to buy piglets together.
Narrator and photographer: Hà Văn Kim (Thai ethnic, 31 years old)