Economics of marketing chain for small-scale pig producers and bio-security practices: evidence from north-east states (assam, meghalaya and nagaland) of india

Small-scale pig farming is crucial for the economic and social structure of tribal households in North-east India. While pig production is the major source of their livelihood, the industry is still facing issues such as the reccurrence of diseases that affect the costs of the pig farmers and low-level efficiencies. With this background, the objectives of the study are to understand the socio-economic structures of the pig farmers, key factors influencing the cost structure of small pig farmers and identify the efficient marketing channel in Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland. The study also aims to identify the waste management practices followed by the farmers. For this purpose, a primary survey was conducted on three thousand households selected randomly. The methodologies used include descriptive analysis, multiple regression, and Acharya Modified Marketing index. The results indicate that though most farmers had knowledge of classical swine fever, less than twenty-five percent of the farmers had their pigs vaccinated. The primary cost contributing factors for backyard farmers are the stock purchase of pigs and feed cost. The marketing efficiency came out to be 1.5, 1.48 and 2.13 for Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland. The study suggests that awareness and training on sustainable pig production methods and digital marketing can lead to an improved productivity which can eventually achieve the target of doubling farmers' income. Further, given that the current waste management includes burning pigs leading to environmental pollution, the study suggests launching waste disposal training drives for farmers for enabling them to practice efficient waste management practices.