Shillong, Sept 14: Days after the Hill Farmers Union (HFU) staged a protest march with pigs over the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the state, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has expressed difficulty in providing compensation to affected farmers and waiving loans availed under the Piggery Mission.
The development came after an HFU delegation led by its president, Commander Shangpliang, met the Chief Minister on Monday following an invitation from the Chief Minister’s Office.
Speaking to media persons after the meeting, Shangpliang said the delegation discussed four demands with the Chief Minister — strengthening of checkpoints, setting up health check-up and quarantine centres, compensation for affected farmers, and waiver of loans taken under the Piggery Mission.
“We had taken out a peaceful rally regarding the ASF outbreak. We were invited by the Chief Minister’s Office and we met him today. We discussed four demands — strengthening of checkpoints, setting up of health check-up and quarantine centres, compensation to affected farmers and waiver of loans under the Piggery Mission,” he said.
According to Shangpliang, the Chief Minister was positive about strengthening checkpoints and establishing quarantine facilities.
“The Chief Minister has not given a categorical assurance, but we could sense that he will do the needful for setting up checkpoints, health check-up and quarantine centres,” he said.
However, Shangpliang said the Chief Minister expressed difficulties in providing compensation and waiving loans.
Also read: KSU Seeks PWD Clarification Over Road Excavation at Lad Tongseng
“He has shown difficulty in giving compensation and waiving loans. He said he would discuss internally with officers of the department,” Shangpliang said, adding that the Union had insisted that compensation must be provided to affected farmers.
“We told him clearly that compensation should be paid to piggery farmers and we will just not keep quiet if the government does not compensate,” he asserted.
The HFU attributed the ASF outbreak to the alleged failure to properly regulate the entry of pigs from outside the state.
“The reason for this outbreak is pigs being brought into the state without proper health check-ups. If health check-ups were conducted, infected pigs could have been detected and quarantined. At present, due to the non-availability of checkpoints for health check-ups, police are checking and collecting money while allowing pigs to freely enter without any health check-up,” Shangpliang alleged.
He also said insurance was not a practical solution for farmers affected by ASF.
“Government keeps asking us to do insurance. But whenever pigs are affected and we call doctors, they are not ready to come to the shed for check-up, maybe fearing that humans might also spread the disease. For insurance, we have to take pictures and conduct post-mortem to be eligible. If we leave pigs until they die while waiting for post-mortem, the disease spreads to healthy ones. So we bury pigs even before they die. So where is the question of insurance? That is why we demand compensation and waiver of loans for those who have taken loans under the Piggery Mission, because how will they repay when pigs have died?” he explained.
Also watch:
On the agriculture policy, Shangpliang said the Chief Minister informed the delegation that the draft policy had been uploaded on the government website for public feedback.
“He said the government has drafted the agriculture policy and has floated it on the website for suggestions from the public, especially the farmers’ community. We will submit our suggestions and request all farmers to go through the draft. The Chief Minister said by October this year, the government should be able to finalise and approve the agriculture policy,” Shangpliang said.
Shangpliang said the delegation had also requested the Chief Minister to invite them for another meeting after his internal discussions with the concerned department so that the Union could provide further inputs on measures to prevent similar outbreaks in the future, particularly those linked to the movement of livestock without proper health screening.
