The Punjab government taking a step ahead to encourage diversification was in the process of providing novel services in different fields. The department of Animal Husbandry Punjab has also provided various services to encourage the youth to adopt piggery or pig farming as an alternative venture.Stating this here today the Animal Husbandry Minister Mr. Gulzar Singh Ranike said that with the persistent efforts of the department there are about 234 pig farmers in the state and 50,000 pigs in Punjab. During the year 2014-15 the state has produced about 76000 tons of pork, said the Minister.Adding further, he said that that to extend every kind of assistance to the farmers, the government has also set up 4 Pig Farms in the state at Kharar, Gurdaspur, Nabha and Ferozepur. Besides this the Punjab government was going to ink a MoU with the British Pig Association in the coming days to ensure more advanced and scientific techniques in this venture.Giving details about the Pig farming in the state, Mr. Ranike said that the state run advanced Pig Farms have the breeding facility where large Yorkshire specie of pigs was being produced. The Punjab government was paying special attention to cultivate this variety of pigs and was providing the piglets of this variety at reasonably affordable rates to the pig farmers.
The Minister also said that the a 15-day advanced certificate training course has also been planned for the pig farmers in the Pig Farms where they have been given advanced latest technical knowledge of the field. A loan was being provided under RKVY scheme. As many as 110 Pig Farmers availed this loan facility during the years of 2009-2014.In another significant decision, the Chief Minister Punjab Mr. Parkash Singh Badal the AOV Group has been given approval to set up a meat processing plant at Ludhiana with a cost of Rs. 50 crore. The goats, sheep and pigs’ meat would be processed here in this Processing Unit. The AOV group worth Rs. 900 crore has a track record of producing best quality meat. Similar Plants have already been set up in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. This company is a registered member and is working under the guidelines of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority and Food Security.