Mylliem village in East Khasi Hills which is just 17 kilometres away from Shillong, is one of the many villages in Meghalaya with a remarkably scenic landscape, lush green cover pine tree groves and pristine rivers. Located on the highway leading towards Sohra (Cherrapunji)-the best known tourist destination in the state -Mylliem has always been a food halt for travellers. Its quaint food stalls are always packed with people and stocked with its famous local delicacies. The most famous of Mylliem’s local cuisine is its smoked meat – either beef or pork - and its smoked meat dishes.
Smoked meat from Mylliem, particularly pork, is highly sought after by people from within Meghalaya and outside. The reason is the unique flavour of the smoked meat here which is different from that of smoked meat elsewhere. It is said that this flavour owes itself to the meat from local varieties of pigs and cows, and to the specific local traditional method of smoking. Meat lovers and tourists who frequent this village swear by the meat, and often come from great distances just to sample it. Since pig farming is one of the most common livelihood activities in Mylliem, the Knowledge Management team of MBDA travelled to the village to speak with local community members involved in activities along the local piggery value chain to better understand the sector that lies behind the famous Mylliem smoked pork.
Piggery: A traditional Livelihood of Mylliem
Many residents of Mylliem engage in livestock sector activities, with most households rearing livestock in their backyard; pigs are the more common of all livestock. Piggery appears to be the preferred option because of the ease with which pigs can be reared and sold. On average each household rears 2 - 3 pigs. In fact the entire piggery value chain in the area is well developed. Pig rearing in Mylliem is usually done using traditional practices.
Farmers usually make an initial investment of about Rs. 3,000 per piglet. This is the biggest single investment that the farmer typically makes in this activity. The pig sty is constructed out of locally available materials gathered by the farmer, making the cost of construction minimal. As most households also practice farming, food for the pigs comprises organic waste such as rice husk or vegetable that is generated by the farms. The pigs become ready for sale after 9 to 12 months. Fully grown pigs sell between Rs. 10,000 to 15,000 depending upon their weight.
A New Approach to Overcome an Old Problem
In the past, farmers from Mylliem would sell their pigs to aggregators who came mostly from the Khasi Hills area although some would also come from the Jaintia and Garo Hills. These aggregators often exploited the local farmers by forcing them to sell their pigs at unreasonably low prices. Since the farmers did not have any alternative means to sell their pigs, they were forced to accept these low prices. One of the local residents of Mylliem - Bah Darington Kharsohnoh felt that there was an urgent need to change this exploitative system. Thus Bah Kharsohnoh started efforts to bring together members from the local community and gradually formed a group that could aggregate a supply of locally reared pigs, and sell the meat directly in the market at higher prices. Proceeds from the sale would be returned to the farmers. In return, each farmer would have to pay a fee of Rs. 500 per pig for this service.
This group-based approach proved to be extremely successful. It was quickly supported by most or all local farmers who now sell their pigs through this group since they are able to earn much more this way. As business has grown, so have group operations, but prices have always been kept fair. Butchering is done early in the morning, between 5 am to 7 am. After this, the meat is then sold in shops that are also operated by the group. The group currently operates two meat shops in Mylliem where they only sell local pork. Today, Bah Kharsohnoh and his group have expanded their sourcing to include pigs from farmers in villages neighbouring Mylliem.
He explained that this has significantly increased their work but has also allowed the group to cater to increased demand. During our discussion with Bah Kharsohnoh he recalled that this activity was not always smooth sailing. When the group first ventured into this business, many people accused the group of selling non local varieties of pigs but passing them off as local varieties. Bah Kharsohnoh and his group ignored these comments and focused instead on improving the quality of their services. Today, this group is widely acknowledged by the local residents as the one that turned Mylliem into a popular market for high quality pork.
In fact, as word of this market spread and customer footfall rose, the number of local eateries specializing in smoked meat dishes also went up, turning Mylliem into a food attraction for tourists and local foodies.
Bah Pynthymmailang Marbaniang, a local meat seller, informed us that he sells 80 kilograms of pork daily. On an especially busy market day such as Saturday, he sells as much as 100 kilograms in a day. Bah Marbaniang sells meat sourced only from local varieties of pigs through Bah Kharsohnoh. Having been in the meat business for 15 years now, Bah Marbaniang has been able to build a comfortable life for his family and himself with the earnings from this enterprise. Bah Marbaniang is just one out of many community members in Mylliem that have been able to build successful businesses in the piggery sector, and be part of this thriving and famous local market.
Over the years, the piggery sector in Mylliem has grown so fast that the village is unable to meet the demand for piglets. Hence, most farmers buy their piglets from neighbouring villages, which is the only gap in an almost complete value chain. However, the local farmers are hopeful that they would one day be able to bridge this gap and buy piglets from their own villages.
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