Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday visited Regional Institute of Livestock Entrepreneurship and Management (RILEM) and took stock of the swine fever situation.
As the sudden spurt of African Swine Fever has reportedly hit some districts of the state with the pig population took the brunt of this viral infection,
Sonowal asked the state Veterinary Department and Forest Department to work with the National Pig Research Centre of Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
He asked them to draw a broad roadmap to save the state’s pig population from the African Swine Fever.
Sonowal held a meeting with the doctors of ICAR and RILEM and discussed in detail the magnitude of swine fever and strategy of the state to mitigate the problem.
He also asked the doctors and other functionaries to ensure total cleanliness and sensitization of the pig habitable areas and use disinfectants.
He also said that in the face of absence of any vaccination to deal with the infection, cleanliness, distancing and containment are the golden protocols to fight against the virus.
After the outbreak of the swine fever in Assam, an expert team was constituted taking animal scientists within its fold, as Chief Minister Sonowal reiterated on the need to contain and control the spurt of the virus to save the piggery industry from this onslaught.
During the meeting, Sonowal also asked the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department to do a ‘threat-mapping’ and undertake containment measure across the state.
He also asked the department to find out the total number of entrepreneurs engaged in piggery sector and their financial liability so that government can take pragmatic steps to announce bailout package to save the entrepreneurs from penury.
Sonowal also visited Nucleus Pig Breeding Centre and took the first-hand information of the condition of the pigs.
He also took stock of the skill development training programmes of RILEM and asked it to enhance its ambit to bring more entrepreneurs to lend skilling to them.