Punjab government would soon ink an MoU with British Pig Association (BPA) to develop and promote piggery on the latest and scientific lines in the state.
A decision to this effect was taken by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during a meeting with BPA Export Manager Chris Jackson here today, an official spokesman said.
The Chief Minister hoped the tie-up of state Animal Husbandry department with BPA would certainly turnaround the stagnated economy of beleaguered peasantry, which was grappling with acute agrarian crisis due to already squeezed margins on account of low returns from conventional farming.
The piggery would further add new dimensions to the state government's ambitious programme of farm diversification.
Jackson promised that BPA will provide all technical support and expertise to the progressive pig farmers in Punjab to further consolidate their economic position.
To achieve this object, BPA would provide live pigs and frozen semen to the animal husbandry department for high quality breeding at government pig farms, which in turn would supply the best quality piglets to the local pig farmers.
Jackson also visited the modern pig breeding farm, Nabha and was highly impressed with the latest infrastructure, equipment and advanced pig rearing practices followed there.
In another significant decision, the Chief Minister also gave a nod to AOV Group for setting a modern meat processing plant at a cost of nearly Rs 50 crore at village Mattewara in Ludhiana district for value addition of goat, sheep and pig meat.
The company would also export high quality meat products from this upcoming plant to ensure better remunerative prices to the pig farmers.
Earlier, Additional Chief Secretary (Animal Husbandry) had updated Badal about the status of pig development in Punjab and said earlier the pig rearing was in the hands of poor strata of the society and the people used to keep just three to four pigs in small enclosures.
Now with the passage of time, piggery profession was being adopted even by the affluent section of the society on commercial lines.
He informed that there was nearly 50,000 pig population in Punjab and approximately 234 progressive piggery farmers.
As per an estimate, pork production was pegged at nearly 76,000 tonnes in 2014-15.
Apart from this, there were three government pig breeding farms at Chajju Majra (Mohali), Gurdaspur, Malwal (Ferozepur) besides a state-of-the-art pig breeding farm at Nabha (Patiala) and three more were being set up there to promote the pig breeding practices in the most hygienic and advanced manner.
