Nongpoh, September 21, 2026: The Hill Farmers’ Union (HFU) has launched a series of district-level meetings across Meghalaya to press the state government to address the losses suffered by pig farmers due to disease outbreaks and the unchecked movement of pigs brought from outside the state.

The agitation began in Ri-Bhoi district on Monday with a public meeting at Madan Pahamsyiem, where HFU leaders from the district and the central body met pig farmers and discussed their demands.

HFU General Secretary Alfondbirth Kharsyntiew said the five-day agitation announced earlier should not be viewed as having ended following the union’s recent meeting with the Chief Minister.

He said Monday’s programme marked the beginning of a wider agitation, with similar public meetings scheduled across the districts.

According to Kharsyntiew, Ri-Bhoi was chosen as the starting point because of concerns over pigs being brought into the district from outside Meghalaya without adequate health checks and quarantine measures.

He alleged that pigs were being brought into the state and exchanged through handshakes at Thanat Byrnihat, a practice the union had already brought to the attention of the Chief Minister.

The HFU has submitted a memorandum containing more than 100 pages, along with signatures of affected pig farmers, highlighting their losses and seeking government intervention.

Farmers at Monday’s meeting said many had taken bank loans with government assistance to establish pig farms, while others had been involved in pig farming for several years without taking loans.

They said the arrival of pigs from outside the state, coupled with disease outbreaks, had severely affected the local market.

According to the farmers, pigs that previously fetched around ₹18,000 were now being sold for approximately ₹12,000, as buyers were unwilling to pay higher prices when cheaper pigs brought from outside were available.

The farmers also pointed out that while the price they receive for live pigs has fallen, the retail price of pork has continued to rise.

They said the situation had become more difficult due to loan repayments and losses caused by disease outbreaks, with some farms left empty after pigs died and had to be buried.

The HFU has raised three principal demands before the state government:

• Waiver of loans taken by affected pig farmers.
• Compensation or financial assistance for losses suffered by farmers.
• Establishment of check points and quarantine centres for pigs brought into Meghalaya from outside the state.

Farmers also expressed concern over how they would repay bank loans after losing their livestock, even in cases where the loans carried no interest.

The meeting was attended by Nongpoh MLA Mayral Born Syiem, District AH and Veterinary Officer Ri-Bhoi Dr Ririti Kharbuli, HFU central General Secretary Alfondbirth Kharsyntiew, HFU Ri-Bhoi District President Ronald Khongjoh, District General Secretary Pynshai Masharing and other union leaders and pig farmers from across Ri-Bhoi.

The HFU said it would continue its district-level campaign until the government addresses the concerns raised by affected pig farmers.