Aizawl, Jan 16 (PTI) Mizoram suffered a financial loss of Rs 114.64 crore due to the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) that killed over 9,700 pigs in 2025, an official of the state’s Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department said.
Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department deputy director (disease investigation & epidemiology) Esther Lalzoliani Ralte told PTI that a total of 9,711 pigs have died due to ASF and 3,620 others were culled to prevent further spread of the disease between March and December last year.
She said 3,867 families have been affected by the outbreak in the same year, and the financial loss was estimated at Rs 114.64 crore.
According to the official, the ASF outbreak was first reported at Lungsen village in south Mizoram’s Lunglei district near the Bangladesh border on March 21, 2021.
Since then, 72,012 pigs have been killed, affecting over 12,500 families and incurring a staggering financial loss of Rs 1,011.27 crore, she said.
Altogether, 52,979 pigs were culled to prevent further spread of the swine disease since 2021, she said.
The last pig deaths due to ASF were reported in the state on December 8 last year, she said.
Esther said that over Rs 14.51 crore received from both the Centre and state government has been disbursed to compensate pig farmers for their pigs being culled till 2023, she said.
A proposal of compensation amounting to Rs 24.94 crore has been submitted to the Centre for pigs culled in 2024, which will be met by both the Centre and the state government on a 50-50 share, she said.
There is no financial aid for pigs killed due to ASF, she said.
According to the deputy director, Mizoram registered the highest pig fatalities in 2021, during which 33,417 pigs have died due to ASF, followed by 14,950 in 2024 and 12,795 in 2022.
The northeastern state suffered the highest loss due to ASF in 2024, and the total losses incurred by pig farmers during that year were estimated at Rs 336.4 crore, followed by Rs 334.14 crore in 2021 and Rs 210.32 crore in 2022, she said.
Esther said that the outbreak usually shows respite during winter and resurgence during warmer weather.
Mizoram was also hit by Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) in 2013, 2016, 2018 and 2020, killing thousands of pigs and piglets causing a loss to the tune of Rs 10.62 crore. PTI CORR RG
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