SHILLONG, July 2: Former Meghalaya Cabinet Minister and Mawkynrew MLA Banteidor Lyngdoh has urged the State government to impose an immediate temporary ban on the import of pigs from outside Meghalaya and provide loan relief to pig farmers, warning that the prolonged outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) has pushed the State’s livestock sector into a deep economic crisis. Raising the issue during a meeting with Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister Sanbor Shullai on Thursday, attended by senior departmental officials, Lyngdoh highlighted the widespread distress among livestock rearers, mounting pig mortality and the sharp collapse in market prices, calling for the Chief Minister’s direct intervention to prevent further devastation of the sector. Shullai assured that he would personally take up the matter with the Chief Minister within the next two weeks.
During the meeting, Shullai said, “The Veterinary Department has already resolved to temporarily suspend the import of pigs from outside the state. However, this proposal must be formally presented to the state government to effectively contain the rampant spread of the devastating African Swine Fever (ASF) epidemic in Meghalaya.”
Expressing concern over the source of the outbreak, Lyngdoh said, “The disease was introduced into the state through pigs brought in from external regions.” He urged the government to “enforce a strict ban on all outside pig imports for the next three to four months,” adding that “during this temporary suspension, the focus should shift to promoting internal trade among local rearers and citizens within the state to sustain the domestic market.”
Highlighting the financial distress faced by farmers, Lyngdoh said, “Pigs that used to fetch a market price of ₹17,000 to ₹18,000 are now being sold for a meager ₹10,000 to ₹11,000,” and appealed to the government to “completely waive or map out relief for outstanding loans amounting to around ₹20 lakhs taken out by the farmers.”
He added, “Because the pig population has been continuously dying off for the past three to four years, the farmers have lost their entire livelihood and are left with absolutely no means to repay their debts, making immediate government intervention and financial relief an absolute necessity.”
