Shillong, Feb 5: Members of the Khasi-Jaintia Pig Butchers Association has urged the Meghalaya government to take urgent steps to lift the inter-state trade restrictions relating to animal produce.

Addressing a press conference in Shillong on Friday, the general secretary of the Khasi-Jaintia Pig Butchers Association, Andy Lyngdoh, said, “We have been facing difficulties in our business

so we decided to hike the price of pork from Rs 360 to Rs 380. The reason is that inter-state transportation has not been lifted and we are having difficulties as the local supply of pork is not sufficient. The butchers are suffering losses as the local supply of pigs is expensive and there is a huge difference in the price of animals from Assam and the state”.
Appealing to the public to bear with the association, he said that they are helpless and needed to raise the price of pork in the region.

The association, while demanding the lifting of the inter-state transportation, also appealed to the state government to start the registration of pig traders numbering 60 of them so that the inter-state transportation is hassle-free.

Prior to the lockdown, pigs were sourced from Assam priced around Rs 12,000 whereas the local pigs from the state are priced at the rates of Rs 13000-Rs 14000 per animal.

The association pointed out that the import of pork is a must because the local production is not sufficient to meet the consumption demand of the state.