Mizoram: Over 33,000 pigs dead due to African Swine Fever, loss worth crores

Aizawl: An outbreak of highly contagious African swine fever (ASF) in Mizoram last year killed about 33,417 pigs and caused a financial loss of Rs 60.82 crore, state Minister for Livestock and Veterinary Medicine Dr. K. Beichhuah informed the state legislature. What on Monday.

Responding to a question from V.L Zaithanzama of the opposition Zorum People’s Movement (ZPM), Beichhua said that 10,910 pigs had also been killed to prevent further spread of ASF and that the deadly disease had been claimed.

He said that the estimated financial loss on dead pigs through ASF is more than Rs. 60.82 crore.

He said that the state government has sought compensation from the Center for the slaughtered pigs, while compensation of Rs. 3,000 for a dead pig has been sought from the state’s Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Department.

According to the minister, the epidemic, so far, is more or less under control.

No pig deaths have been reported from the ASF since last December, he said.

Beichhua also told the assembly that the state government had on February 1 lifted the ban on import of pigs from ASF-free states.

However, imported pigs must be brought with a Health Certificate and Common Swine Fever (CSF) Vaccination Certificate.

Mizoram banned the import of pork from Indian states and neighboring foreign countries for about 17 months between August 2020 and January 2022.

The first outbreak of ASF due to pigs imported from Bangladesh was reported on March 21 last year in Lungsen village in Lunglei district of South Mizoram, near the Bangladesh border.

Later in mid-April, the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal confirmed that the pigs had died of ASF.

The swine flu has affected more than 9,400 families in all 11 districts of the state.