Mizoram Incurred Rs 336.49 Crore Loss Due to African Swine Fever in 2024

AIZAWL: The Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department in Mizoram reported a huge loss of Rs 336.49 crore in the year 2024 due of the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF).

The department confirmed that the state has been facing a total financial loss of Rs 896.69 crore since 2021 due to this highly contagious disease affecting pigs.

According to the data presented by the department, ASF resulted in the death of 14,950 pigs and the culling of 24,177 others in the state from January to December 2024.

The outbreak, which first surfaced in Lungsen village in Lunglei district near the Bangladesh border in March 2021, has since had devastating effects on Mizoram's pig farming industry.

ASF claimed the lives of 33,417 pigs in 2021, and 12,568 more were put down as a precaution. In 2022, the disease still caused a great deal of damage, killing 12,795 pigs and culling 11,686 more. However, with just 1,139 pig deaths and 980 culled in 2023, things seemed to be getting better.

In 2021, 2022, and 2023, ASF caused total financial losses of Rs 334.14 crore, Rs 210.32 crore, and Rs 15.77 crore. The outbreak appears to be abating, according to officials, as there have been fewer reports of pig deaths and culling since mid-December. On the other hand, ASF usually disappears during the winter and then reappears during the summer months.

This is in addition to ASF, that the state had to deal with outbreaks of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) in previous years and also affected the pig farming industry.

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