Meghalaya launches country's biggest piggery project worth Rs 200 crore

Meghalaya government on Thursday launched country's biggest piggery project with an investment of Rs 200 crore and set a target to employ 25,000 rural households.

The government also decided to provide interest-free loans to farmers willing to take up piggery under the mission.

Chief Minister Conrad Sangma launched the project in the presence of Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Kailash Choudhury and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong at the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) headquarters in New Delhi.

The Meghalaya State Piggery Mission was launched with the support of NCDC.

"The Piggery Mission would make the state self-sufficient in pork production and would also go a long way in making Meghalaya ‘Atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant). With funding of Rs 200 crore, the mission will have a transformative effect benefitting over 20,000 enterprises in Meghalaya," said a statement quoting Sangma.

Pork is a popular food item in the Northeast, including Meghalaya. But the region often imports the pigs from states like Punjab and Harayana.

“The Meghalaya State Piggery Mission will enable our state to achieve self-sufficiency in pork production, reduce our out-of-state import burden by nearly Rs 150 crore annually and improve the incomes of over 25,000 households, totalling to an annual increment of Rs 70 crore across the state,” the chief minister said.

He also said the interest for the loan will be paid by the state government to encourage farmers.