Prospects and Potentiality of Improving Pig Farming in North Eastern Hill Region of India: An Overview

The North-Eastern region of India comprises of a high proportion of tribal people and pig rearing is an integral part of their way of life since time immemorial. The scope for piggery production has high potential, because of the food habit of the in habitants, being mostly non –vegetarian. Nonexistence of properly defined production practices, organized breeding programmes, high cost of feed, lack of appropriate marketing systems, lack of finance, non availability of quality piglets, lack of knowledge on scientific methods of pig farming and lack of timely health care and vaccination facilities are the main constrain in improvement. The unemployed educated youth, retired persons from the affluent families / societies have taken up this venture as means of their livelihood / occupation or as subsidiary income generation.