Pig farmers of Assam have sought the government’s help to allow sale of pork in all pork-consuming districts.

A memorandum stating that the rise of swine fever has taken a toll on pig population, was submitted to the state agricultural minister recently.

The memorandum by The North East Progressive Pig Farmers Association (NEPPFA) stated that the lockdown has completely closed the avenues of sale of pig meat by the farmers.

“Piggery is one of the most sunrise sectors in the state and many youths are taking up commercial piggery as a source of livelihood. The restriction in movement of piglets and breeding stock has put the new farmers and breeders in great distress. The limited authorisation of the movement of pigs within Assam will greatly ease out this problem,” the association’s president, Manoj Kumar Basumatary, said.

As there is no sale of pork meat and the availability of feed as well as cost of feeds rose during the lockdown, some subsidy in feeds like sapor (broken rice) can be given at a subsidised rate, the memorandum read.

Basumatary also raised concerns regarding the local epidemic called classical swine fever, which has already taken a heavy toll on the pig population in Upper Assam districts.

He urged the government to make vaccines available immediately.

Thousands of pigs affected with classical swine fever have already died in Jonai district and it has started taking a toll on pigs in Lakhimpur district. As many as 800-1,000 pigs died due to the fever in Nitapukhuri of Sivasagar district.

“We request the government to restrict movements of pigs from outside the state at this moment due to the outbreak of classical swine fever and some unknown disease in some districts of Assam where thousands of pigs have died in the last two months. Availability of swine fever vaccines and insurance is a big constraint and exposes the farmers to a big risk,” Basumatary added.

Guwahati alone consumes 30,000kg of pork in a single day.

The quantity increases during festivals.