Ordeal of culling around 8,000 pigs in August

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: An ordeal of culling pigs that are suffering from African Swine Fever is going to start in the State after August 15. The State Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department is ready for the culling.

It is high time the ailing pigs were culled by now, but the Department had to defer the ordeal in view of the current wave of floods in the State. Deep-burial of the carcass of the animals to be culled is a must. At a time when vast areas of land are under flood waters in the State, burial places for pigs to be culled would be a problem. If the flood waters don't recede by August 15, the burial of the pigs to be culled will be difficult.

The Department has already notified 31 epicenters where African swine fever has spread in the State. Before the culling of the animals, the Department has to test all pigs within a radius one km around each of the epicenters. The pigs to be found African swine fever positive will have to be culled and those to be found negative are to be segregated from the rest.

According to State Agriculture and Veterinary Minister Atul Bora, as of now as many as 7,118 pigs died of African swine fever in the State. "Since we're going to cull the Swine fever-affected pigs, we need to compensate the farmers the loss they are going to incur. Against each pig culled a farmer is to get Rs 2,200 to Rs 15,000 based on the size and age of the animal," the Minister said.

Bora is worried over the recent notification issued by the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairy allowing movement of pigs from Haryana and Punjab to the Northeast India. "I've written a letter to Union Animal Husbandry and Dairy Minister Giriraj Singh to withdraw the notification immediately as the situation in the State currently reeling under flood is not conducive for the arrival of pigs from other States. If the pigs from the two States bring virus with them, it will be very difficult for us to ascertain that as most of our officials are engaged in rescue and relief operations for the flood-affected people."

On damage by floods, the Minister said that the deluge has affected around 22 lakh livestock and 14 lakh poultry in the State. "Around 9.95 lakh farmers have been affected by floods in the State. The loss incurred by them is being assessed. In the meantime, we're helping out the affected farmers with schemes of the State and that of the Centre.

"The target of the PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojona) alone in the State is 10 lakh farmers. Rs 38 crore has been earmarked for the restoration of damaged by floods in the agriculture and allied sectors in the State. So far, under PM's Kishan Scheme we've disbursed around Rs 19 crore among the farmers. Through the KCC (Kishan Credit Cards) around 11 lakh famers have got loans from banks. We've already distributed 41,000 pump sets among the farmers under the RIDF (Rural Infrastructure Development Fund)."

He further said, "Moreover, we're going to fill up over 2,000 posts of various categories in the Agriculture department."

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