The Shillong unit of the Khasi Jaiñtia Pig Butchers Association (KJPBA) has said that prices of pork will have to rise to anywhere between Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 per kilogramme if the Meghalaya government does not lift its ban on the import of pigs from Assam.
‘The Meghalaya government had banned interstate transportation of pigs due to the African Swine Fever outbreak in various parts of the North East. The outbreak of the disease brought demand for pork down but with its easing demand has increased again and domestic production alone cannot meet Meghalaya’s insatiable appetite for the meat.
Eight hundred pigs per day are required to be imported to meet local demand in Khasi-Jaiñtia Hills (including Ri-Bhoi), KJPBA General Secretary Andy Lyngdoh Nongpuir told Highland Post today.
“Butchers are facing a shortage of supply because of the interstate ban and the supply within the state itself is too low,” he said, adding that even a small pig in Meghalaya can go for Rs 15,000.
The KJPBA will hold an executive meeting this week and then meet Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on the issue.
