Historical and cultural perspectives of pigs in ancient India and prospects of natural pig farming in contemporary India
The mythology and ancient history of India reveal that the pig held great cultural and civilizational significance. The intriguing symbolism that a boar represented in our history can be discovered through a cultural revisit through the sculptures and inscriptions. The pig was also portrayed as a s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Indian Council of Agricultural Research
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Indian Journal of Animal Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJAnS/article/view/159298 |
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| author | R THOMAS V K GUPTA V K VIDYARTHI R SOMVANSHI N M ATTUPURAM S KUMAR R K SINGH |
| author_facet | R THOMAS V K GUPTA V K VIDYARTHI R SOMVANSHI N M ATTUPURAM S KUMAR R K SINGH |
| author_sort | R THOMAS |
| collection | DOAJ |
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The mythology and ancient history of India reveal that the pig held great cultural and civilizational significance. The intriguing symbolism that a boar represented in our history can be discovered through a cultural revisit through the sculptures and inscriptions. The pig was also portrayed as a symbol of prosperity in ancient Indian agriculture. The domestication of pigs, Sus scrofa domesticus, has deeply impacted human societies across the globe, contributing to food security, agricultural practices, and cultural diversity. The current pig population in India is 9.06 million in comparison to the world population of about 778 million. Out of total pig population, 79.03 percent are indigenous and non-descript in India which make them well suited for natural farming. Current world pork production stand at 112.6 million tons, which has been estimated to grow at the pace of 2.3 percent year to year and expected to rise to 129 million tons by 2031.The world market for organic pork is a niche has been rapidly expanding segment within the global meat industry. At present pork is one of the most traded products in the world that held 136th position in 2022. India exported $3.75M and imported $2.97M pork in the year 2022, making it the 46th among the exporter and112th among importer of pork in the world. There is no doubt that natural and sustainable pig farming, combined with value addition and carbon neutrality, will greatly increase the prospects for Indian pig sector.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7e9a87df91254d06b4df41bbea5b93dc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0367-8318 2394-3327 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Indian Council of Agricultural Research |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Indian Journal of Animal Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-7e9a87df91254d06b4df41bbea5b93dc2025-08-20T03:49:59ZengIndian Council of Agricultural ResearchIndian Journal of Animal Sciences0367-83182394-33272025-06-0195310.56093/ijans.v95i4.159298Historical and cultural perspectives of pigs in ancient India and prospects of natural pig farming in contemporary IndiaR THOMAS0V K GUPTA1V K VIDYARTHI2R SOMVANSHI3N M ATTUPURAM4S KUMAR5R K SINGH6ICAR- National Research Centre On Pig, Rani, Guwahati-781 131 Assam, IndiaICAR- National Research Centre On Pig, Rani, Guwahati-781 131 Assam, IndiaAgricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), New DelhiICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly (UP)-243122, IndiaICAR- National Research Centre On Pig, Rani, Guwahati-781 131 Assam, IndiaICAR- National Research Centre On Pig, Rani, Guwahati-781 131 Assam, IndiaAngelic Enterprises, New Delhi The mythology and ancient history of India reveal that the pig held great cultural and civilizational significance. The intriguing symbolism that a boar represented in our history can be discovered through a cultural revisit through the sculptures and inscriptions. The pig was also portrayed as a symbol of prosperity in ancient Indian agriculture. The domestication of pigs, Sus scrofa domesticus, has deeply impacted human societies across the globe, contributing to food security, agricultural practices, and cultural diversity. The current pig population in India is 9.06 million in comparison to the world population of about 778 million. Out of total pig population, 79.03 percent are indigenous and non-descript in India which make them well suited for natural farming. Current world pork production stand at 112.6 million tons, which has been estimated to grow at the pace of 2.3 percent year to year and expected to rise to 129 million tons by 2031.The world market for organic pork is a niche has been rapidly expanding segment within the global meat industry. At present pork is one of the most traded products in the world that held 136th position in 2022. India exported $3.75M and imported $2.97M pork in the year 2022, making it the 46th among the exporter and112th among importer of pork in the world. There is no doubt that natural and sustainable pig farming, combined with value addition and carbon neutrality, will greatly increase the prospects for Indian pig sector. https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJAnS/article/view/159298Cultural perspective, Export and import, Historical perspective, Natural, Organic pig farming, Value addition |
| spellingShingle | R THOMAS V K GUPTA V K VIDYARTHI R SOMVANSHI N M ATTUPURAM S KUMAR R K SINGH Historical and cultural perspectives of pigs in ancient India and prospects of natural pig farming in contemporary India Indian Journal of Animal Sciences Cultural perspective, Export and import, Historical perspective, Natural, Organic pig farming, Value addition |
| title | Historical and cultural perspectives of pigs in ancient India and prospects of natural pig farming in contemporary India |
| title_full | Historical and cultural perspectives of pigs in ancient India and prospects of natural pig farming in contemporary India |
| title_fullStr | Historical and cultural perspectives of pigs in ancient India and prospects of natural pig farming in contemporary India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Historical and cultural perspectives of pigs in ancient India and prospects of natural pig farming in contemporary India |
| title_short | Historical and cultural perspectives of pigs in ancient India and prospects of natural pig farming in contemporary India |
| title_sort | historical and cultural perspectives of pigs in ancient india and prospects of natural pig farming in contemporary india |
| topic | Cultural perspective, Export and import, Historical perspective, Natural, Organic pig farming, Value addition |
| url | https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJAnS/article/view/159298 |
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