Kohima, Apr 21 (PTI) Naga People’s Front (NPF) secretary general and MLA Achumbemo Kikon on Tuesday called for scaling up local pork production in Nagaland to bridge a major supply deficit, while urging educated unemployed youth to take up entrepreneurship in the sector.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the pork store here, Kikon, while highlighting the scale of pork demand, said Nagaland requires around 60,000 tonne of pork annually, while local production stands at only 30,000 tonne, leaving a 50 per cent shortfall.
The supply gap presents major economic opportunities for local entrepreneurs and farmers, he said.
Describing pork as integral to Naga culture and festivals, Kikon said the sector holds strong market potential, with demand already firmly established.
He also stressed the need to promote hygienic pork production and consumption, saying quality and food safety must become a priority.
He urged educated youth to explore business opportunities, particularly in piggery and allied sectors, saying government jobs have reached a saturation point.
Speaking at the programme, Piggman CEO and co-founder Manoj Kumar Basumatary said the enterprise began in 2014 with a small farm of 25 pigs and has since grown into a 200-sow breeding farm producing around 2,500 piglets annually.
He said the company has also been working with farmers by promoting scientific pig farming practices, including vaccination, biosecurity and clean feeding protocols, drawing from best practices adapted from European farming systems to suit Indian and northeastern conditions.
Basumatary, a former banker who left banking in 2013 to enter the pig farming sector, said he saw major opportunities in the industry and sought to build a quality-driven pork value chain.
He said the company expanded into pork processing during the COVID period and now offers a wide range of pork products using imported processing equipment.
With the Kohima outlet becoming Piggman’s 11th store, including company-owned and franchise outlets, Basumatary said the brand aims to expand further across the Northeast and beyond while promoting a local northeastern brand nationally. PTI NBS NBS RG
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