SHILLONG : Struggling with massive losses caused by African Swine Flu (ASF) and mounting debt burdens, the Federation of Piggery Farmers of Meghalaya on Tuesday urged the state government to provide a full waiver of loans taken under the Piggery Mission scheme and introduce a dedicated policy to support local pork producers.
A delegation of the Federation led by its Secretary, Napoleon Mawphniang, met Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister Sanbor Shullai in Shillong. The delegation was accompanied by Mawkynrew MLA Banteidor Lyngdoh.
During the meeting, the Federation submitted a memorandum highlighting the major challenges currently faced by pig farmers across Meghalaya.
“We are presenting the Federation of Piggery Farmers of Meghalaya. Today with the help of MLA of Mawkynrew constituency Banteidor Lyngdoh we met minister of animal husbandry Sanbor Shullai,” Mawphniang told reporters after the meeting.
According to him, the Federation currently has over 400 members and the number is expected to increase further.
Mawphniang said many pig farmers had availed loans ranging from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh under the government’s Piggery Mission during 2022 and 2023, hoping to expand their businesses and improve production.
However, the outbreak of African Swine Flu severely affected the sector, leaving many farmers financially devastated.
“Many thought that the loan was a blessing but when African swine flu hit, many of them were victims of the loan itself,” he said.
He added that many farmers lost their pig stock due to the disease and are now facing pressure from banks to repay loans despite suffering heavy losses.
“Now the issue is that the pigs are gone and the banks are knocking on the door and demand from them to pay back the loan and the farmers are not knowing what to do. Many of them are still panic and many of them went to desperation,” Mawphniang said.
The Federation also urged the government to take stronger measures to contain the spread of African Swine Flu in the state.
Mawphniang said the disease outbreak “is still going on right now.”
Another major concern raised by the Federation was the increasing competition from pigs imported from Assam, Punjab and other states.
“Pigs coming from outside the state are competing with local pigs which local farmers take 1 and half years to rear them, whereas pigs coming from outside take only 5-6 months to rear. We are not able to compete with pigs coming from outside the state,” he said.
He also pointed out the absence of separate pricing categories for local and imported pork.
“When it comes to chicken, we have broiler and croiler, but when it comes to pigs, we have only one price tag, so this is a problem for local farmers,” Mawphniang added.
To revive the piggery sector, the Federation demanded a 100 percent waiver of loans taken under the Piggery Mission scheme.
It also proposed the introduction of a ‘Buy Meghalaya Pork’ policy aimed at encouraging consumers to purchase locally reared pork and help indigenous pig farmers survive in the market.
Additionally, the Federation requested the government to provide a non-refundable relief grant of Rs 10 lakh to each affected farmer for restarting and stabilising their operations.
Mawphniang said the Animal Husbandry Minister assured the delegation that the matter would be taken up seriously and a meeting would be convened next month to discuss the farmers’ concerns in detail.