Compensate ASF-affected farmers: MPPFA
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, November 02 2023:
The Manipur Progressive Pig Farmers Association (MPPFA) has urged the government.to provide compensation to the pig farmers whose pigs perished due to the African Swine Fever (AFS) irrespective of whether or not the pigs were culled and buried by the authority concerned.
Addressing media persons at Manipur Press Club, here, on Thursday, MPPFA joint secretary L Vidyasagar said that outbreak of ASF is causing serious financial distress to many pig farmers in the state.
The farmers in Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Thoubal and Kakching who are under the association have lost altogether 5000 pigs to the epidemic.
He further informed that all pigs within the radius of 1 km from the epicentre are to be identified by the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Services Department and tested for ASF.
If found positive of ASF, the pigs are culled and buried at safe places.
According to the national guidelines, only those pigs which are culled and buried by the department are to be compensated for.
However, in Manipur, even if tests were conducted on suspected pigs, many of the pigs died before the test results arrive and hence the department does not officially bury these carcasses.
Therefore, under Such a condition it is likely that many of the pig farmers whose pigs have died of ASF will not get any relief.
As such, the state government should provide compensation to farmers who have lost their pigs due to the ASF irrespective of whether the pigs were culled and buried by the authority concerned or not, the joint secretary reiterated.
Vidyasagar also said that farmers affected by ASF will not be in a position to sustain livelihood if the government ignores their suffering.
He also urged the state government to look into the issue of non-functioning of the veterinary dispensaries in the state while charging the government of not taking up necessary measures during the ASF epidemic which hit the state last year.
Vidyasagar further stated that since the ASF epidemic has been hitting the state every year since 2018, the government should establish a testing centre in the state so that test certificates could be provided in time.