The price of pork in Shillong will increase from Rs 440 per kilogram to Rs 480 with effect from May 6.
Speaking to HP President of Pork Butcher Shillong Unit Donlang Kharumnuid said the butchers at a meeting held on May 2 decided to increase the rate because of the heavy demand for pork meat in the entire northeast.
Kharumnuid said that unlike in previous years when it took them only two hours to get the full supply, at present because of the heavy demand it takes them a week to get the supply at a very expensive rate.
“At present, there is a heavy demand for pork from other northeast states. Before not even 100 kilos of pork were sold in Guwahati but now even one ton of pork is being sold a day,” he said adding the same is the case in another northeast state.
He informed that a pig of around 50 kilos of meat that they used to buy at Rs 17,000-18,000 is now around Rs 22,000-23,000 with additional costs for transportation, etc.
He also said that Shillong markets required around 100 pigs per day for consumption and the pigs at the Byrnihat market come mostly from other states like Delhi, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and the border of Assam.
He lamented that the local farmers can hardly meet the state demand because of the expensive cost of the pig feeds besides the brunt the pig farmers have to bear when the pigs fall prey to diseases, etc.
He however said that the pigs coming from outside are fit for consumption as they have been certified at the abattoir at Mawiong.
He said that there’s no hope for the rate of pork to come down as long as the government does not fully intervene to assist the farmers, especially in terms of providing them with the pig feeds.
