Nagaland is an agrarian economy with majority of its population depending on agriculture and livestock for livelihood, yet the state doesn’t produce enough to meet its own needs. According to a report by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Medziphema, the state’s per capita pork consumption is highest in the country, with an annual demand of almost sixty thousand metric tonnes. However, the state produces only about thirty thousand tonnes, which means the state has a deficit of about 50%. The state continues to import live pigs from Punjab, Haryana and other neighbouring states to meet its growing demands, and the trend is likely to stay as human population increases while pig population declines. This growing demand and supply gap is not good for the state’s economic health. It also makes the task of containing the spread of diseases in animals much harder and almost impossible. The consumption of meat, especially pork, may decline in future as people are becoming more health conscious and tilting towards balanced diets unlike a decade ago. But that doesn’t negate the need for increasing pig population in the state and curbing import.
While the decrease in pig population is a matter of worry as far as the state’s economy is concerned, frequent recurrence of highly contagious and fatal diseases like African swine fever (ASF) and Classical swine fever (CSF) dampens the spirit of existing farmers as well as those planning to take up the profession. It affects the farmers in rural areas, who rely on livestock for income, more than others. Besides affecting income of individuals, it also disrupts demand-supply chain in the state. This makes educating the farmers about common diseases- symptoms, cure, prevention and containment extremely important.
Following the detection of ASF cases in several districts, the Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Service has issued protocols including disposal of dead pigs, disinfection, vaccination, etc. to contain the spread of the deadly disease. It also advised the people not to consume meat of dead pigs citing possible health consequences and to report suspected illnesses in pigs to concerned authorities. The department deserves appreciation for its prompt action; informing the people about the dos and don’ts ever since suspected ASF cases were reported in the state. Now, this advisory and protocol should reach the farmers in rural areas, who are the main suppliers of pork. Department officials, community leaders and NGOs should help explain the guidelines to farmers in their local dialects, so that they can implement it in real life. This is pertinent as the situation is not getting any better with extreme weather caused by global warming affecting agricultural production and frequency of disease recurrence in livestock rising. Knowing how to rare and what breed to rare is important to boost pig population and income. This will help reduce import, which is one of the biggest challenges in containing the spread of diseases in animals.