Meghalaya rolls out Piggery Mission

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SHILLONG:

Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on December 22 formally rolled out the Meghalaya Piggery Mission in the state at a function held at the State Convention Centre auditorium in Shillong.

This is the first special mission started by the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, where the interest component of the loan taken by the farmers will be borne by the State Government, Tynsong stated.

According to him, the farmers will only need to pay back the working capital within eight years.

The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) had sanctioned Rs 200 crore for the Piggery Mission, which was launched in January last in New Delhi, Commissioner and Secretary in charge Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department, Vijay Kumar said.

He also informed that 25,000 households would benefit from this piggery mission, which covers around 10 per cent of the registered farmers in the state.

Kumar also informed that they have already distributed Rs 15 crore to 85 cooperative societies since January.

Meghalaya State Piggery Mission, supported by the NCDC, will enable the state to achieve self-sufficiency in pork production, reduce out-of-state import burden by nearly Rs 150 crore annually and improve the income of over 25,000 households, totalling to an annual increment of Rs 70 crore across the state.

(Edited by Laxmi Chyrmang)