Mylliem legislator Ronnie V. Lyngdoh today reminded the State government of its promise to establish a veterinary hospital in Upper Shillong, which has yet to materialise.
While moving a motion to assist livestock farmers during the Budget Session of the Assembly on Tuesday Lyngdoh said setting up of the veterinary hospital would benefit the livestock farmers. He said if the veterinary hospital had been operational during the outbreak of lumpy skin disease, the situation could have been controlled from the start.
“Instead, many farmers lost entire stocks, while others were left with barely enough to sustain themselves,” he said.
Last year, the government had revealed its plan to establish a new veterinary hospital in Upper Shillong that would provide comprehensive treatment for various animals as the city has a small veterinary hospital offering OPD services.
Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister AL Hek had said that the new hospital will be constructed under the PM Divine project, having already received clearance from the State Level Empowered Committee. The first phase of the hospital will be built at a cost of Rs 32 crore. There are no land acquisition issues since the Veterinary department owns land at 7th Mile, the minister had said.
Earlier, Lyngdoh spoke on the escalation of the price of feed for livestock. “The quoted price for normal quality cattle feed, specifically Kadi, was Rs 1,360 per sack weighing about 50 kg in September 2024. However, just a few months later, in February 2025, the price escalated to Rs 1,300 for a 40 kg sack of normal quality feed. Higher quality feed costs nearly Rs 1,500 per 50 kg sack,” he said.
Lyngdoh noted that cattle require a variety of feed items in addition to Kadi, such as chapat, rice, corn powder, salt, and water, to produce quality milk.
He said that on average, a milk-producing cow consumes about 5 kg of feed daily, along with 30 kg of fresh grass, etc.
He emphasised that despite the rising feed prices, the price of milk has remained constant.
“If the cost of feed increases, the price of milk should also rise to ensure farmers can make a profit; otherwise, they may abandon this activity,” he added.
He highlighted the challenges faced by dairy farmers, as well as those raising pigs and poultry where there is an ever increasing price of feed.
He suggested encouraging youth to establish feed mill plants to keep resources local and control prices, as the limited availability of local quality feed forces farmers to rely on imports, resulting in the state losing valuable resources.
Lyngdoh also called for the creation of more alternative market options for farmers and reiterated the need for subsidized feed, which could greatly benefit the industry and encourage more people to engage in livestock farming.
Leader of the Opposition Mukul Sangma spoke about the dislocation of the cattle supply chain.
“Once, beef was one of the cheapest meats available, but today it is the costliest. While we focus on beef cattle, we must also pay attention to dairy farming,” he stated.
He urged the government to identify areas for aggressive cattle farming to meet growing demand.
Sangma also mentioned that numerous small machines are available for establishing small feed mills with minimal investment.
However, he stressed the importance of integration and collaboration between different departments to ensure that necessary ingredients are readily available.
