Jonathan Horam and Koireng Shaiza have successfully set up their own piggery farms and have seen big growth in the last two years. Now they are seeking financial assistance from banks and the Manipur Government to help them upscale their farms and also to encourage other farmers to set up their own too.
TFM Ukhrul Correspondent
An awareness cum training capsule on piggery was held on Tuesday at the 27 AR complex situated at Wino Bazaar, Ukhrul.
The programme was organised by 27 AR B-COY and SBI Somsai Branch to spread awareness and educate the local farmers of the huge potential of the piggery sector and now the integration of subsidy loans to Interested farmers (assured by State Bank of India (SBI) and Manipur State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) who wants to set up their own piggery farms.
Speaking at the occasion, Commanding Officer of 27 Assam Rifles, Colonel Rippon shared his side of the story on how he developed his interest in piggery and how he has also took loans from bank and set up his own piggery farm. During his two and a half years of stay in Ukhrul, he has noticed that almost every household in villages rear pigs for their personal consumption.
“I have seen how every Tangkhul household treats their pigs as if it’s their own children, with the best quality food and the cleanest water, but it is done in a very traditional manner, so we want to impart the idea to the locals for the commercialization of piggery and to move the benefits beyond personal consumption. In Ukhrul, the demand and market for pork meat is huge but unfortunately the local production is too less to meet this huge demands and as a result more than 90% of the meat comes from Assam and other vegetarian states like U.P, Haryana and Punjab, So our main aim is to set up a well-established piggery sector in Ukhrul so that the price of pork will also decrease as there is availability. Doing so, Ukhrul will become self-reliant and the piggery farmers will be financially more well off,” said Colonel Rippon.
In the past year, the 27 AR has also held training capsules and workshops for the piggery farmers, on 29th may 2019 under ARCAP twenty farmers were selected for ‘on the job’ training tour in Tezpur, Assam at Symbiotic Foods Pvt. Ltd.
Two such returnees who have received professional training and technical certificates under the training tour are Jonathan Horam and Koireng Bjohn Shaiza were also present in today’s program. They have successfully set up their own piggery farms and have seen big growth in the two years since their return. Now they are seeking the help of Banks and of the Manipur Government to help them upscale their farms and also to encourage other farmers to set up their own too.
The piggery farm of Koireng Shaiza whose farm is in Langdang villages was inspected by SBI officials on Tuesday led by SBI Branch Manager, Somsai Ukhrul Thangam Jelly and Colonel Rippon Bora.
Around 30 interested people from Lunghar, Peh, Hoomi, Sihai khunou and other villages attended the programme.