Mizoram loses Rs 114.64 crore due to African Swine fever in 2025

Aizawl: Mizoram suffered a financial loss of Rs 114.64 crore due to the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak in 2025, with 9,711 pigs dying and 3,620 more culled to prevent the disease's spread.

According to Esther Lalzoliani Ralte, Deputy Director of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department, the outbreak affected 3,867 families between March and December last year.

This is a significant decrease from the previous year, when the state suffered Rs 336.4 crore in ASF-related damages, Rs 221 crore more than in 2025.

The ASF outbreak was first reported on March 21, 2021, in Lunglei district, near the Bangladesh border. Since then, 72,012 pigs have died, affecting over 12,500 families and causing a total financial loss of Rs 1,011.27 crore. Additionally, 52,979 pigs were culled to control the disease's spread.

The government has disbursed Rs 14.51 crore to compensate pig farmers for pigs culled up to 2023. A proposal for Rs 24.94 crore has been submitted to the Centre for pigs culled in 2024, which will be shared equally by the Centre and the state. However, there is no financial aid for pigs that died directly from ASF.

Mizoram recorded the highest pig fatalities in 2021, with 33,417 pigs dying, followed by 14,950 in 2024 and 12,795 in 2022.

The state suffered its largest financial loss in 2024, estimated at Rs 336.4 crore, followed by Rs 334.14 crore in 2021 and Rs 210.32 crore in 2022.

Ralte noted that the ASF outbreak usually subsides during winter and resurges in warmer months. Mizoram has also faced other pig diseases, including Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) in 2013, 2016, 2018, and 2020, which killed thousands of pigs and piglets, causing losses of around Rs 10.62 crore.