Jakarta – In China, the demand for pork is exceptionally high as it is the most popular source of protein there.
As a result, an unusual concept has emerged to meet this demand—a ‘hotel’ specifically for pigs.
According to The Guardian, on the southern outskirts of Ezhou, Hubei, central China, there is a giant apartment-like building facing the main road. This 26-story building is the world’s largest pig farm.
It has the capacity to slaughter up to 1.2 million pigs annually. The skyscraper began production in October 2022 under the management of Hubei Zhongxin Kaiwei Modern Farming.
Zhongxin Kaiwei is a new player in the pig farming sector. Initially, they were cement investors, operating several cement plants in provinces like Hubei and Henan. One such plant, Hubei Xinshiji Cement, is located next to the pig farm.
Originally, the company planned to build a facility for ready-to-cook meat production. However, seeing a decline in China’s cement and construction industries, Hubei Zhongxin’s General Manager Jin Lin stated that the company viewed modern farming as a promising sector.
This presented an opportunity to use its construction materials to build a pig farm.
According to the company’s official WeChat account, the farm comprises two buildings. Behind the operational site is another building nearing completion. Once fully operational, the combined area will cover 800,000 square meters, accommodating up to 650,000 pigs.
The pig farm, valued at 4 billion yuan (equivalent to approximately Rp 8.87 trillion), features controlled gas, temperature, and ventilation systems.
The pigs are fed through over 30,000 automated feeding stations. Waste from the pigs is processed and used to generate biogas, which is utilized for electricity and heating water within the farm.
After losing about 100 million pigs to African swine fever (ASF) between 2018 and 2020, China has sought to ramp up pork production.
In a 2019 policy, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced it would permit the construction of high-rise farming facilities. This policy has been welcomed by investors, including Kingkey Smart Agriculture.
