Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Pig farmers have incurred heavy losses in the past few years following the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the state since 2020. For the pigs that died from the disease, the farmers will not get a penny. In the case of culling by the Veterinary Department, there is a provision for compensation from the government for every pig culled. However, not every farmer has received such compensation.
As many as 582 ASF epicentres were identified until the middle of this year, starting from the first outbreak of the disease in 2020. A total of 51,621 pigs died from the disease, and farmers will not get any compensation for these deaths.
Since 2020, a total of 27,128 pigs were culled across the state. In the past financial year, compensation was provided to 595 farmers. However, an amount of Rs 66.90 lakh is yet to be disbursed as compensation for pigs culled. The compensation amount is provided by the central and state governments on a 50:50 sharing basis. In the current financial year, 963 pigs were culled, and 418 died, until the end of July 2026.
Farmers are seeking swift disbursal of the unpaid compensation amount, as they have already suffered immense loss.
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