Mizoram pig farmers face devastating losses due to African Swine Fever outbreak

AIZAWL: Pig farmers in Mizoram have incurred losses exceeding Rs 20 crore following an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) that has claimed the lives of over 5430 pigs and necessitated the culling of more than 10,300 pigs since February.

Reports indicate that the ASF outbreak in Mizoram remains uncontained, with an average of over 100 pigs dying daily and more than 200 pigs being culled each day across various districts to control the spread of the highly infectious disease.

Officials have reported that pigs in over 160 villages across six districts—Aizawl, Champhai, Lunglei, Saitual, Khawzawl, and Serchhip—have been affected by the ASF outbreak.

The disease was first detected on February 9.

The ASF outbreak was first recorded in Mizoram's border areas in 2021.

According to Animal Husbandry and Veterinary (AHV) officials, 33,420 pigs and piglets died due to ASF in 2021, followed by 12,800 deaths in 2022 and 1,040 in 2023.

The initial case of ASF in Mizoram was reported in mid-March 2021 from Lungsen village in Lunglei district, near the Bangladesh border.

Since then, the disease has reappeared annually, causing significant losses to the pig farming community.

The continuous re-emergence of ASF poses a severe threat to the livelihoods of pig farmers in Mizoram, with efforts ongoing to mitigate the impact of the disease and prevent further outbreaks.