Aizawl, Jan 16: Mizoram suffered an estimated financial loss of Rs 114.64 crore in 2025 following the continued outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF), which killed more than 9,700 pigs across the state, a senior official of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department said.
Deputy Director for Disease Investigation and Epidemiology Esther Lalzoliani Ralte told PTI that 9,711 pigs succumbed to ASF between March and December last year, while another 3,620 animals were culled as a containment measure to prevent further spread. The outbreak directly affected 3,867 families during this period, dealing a severe blow to livelihoods dependent on pig rearing.
Ralte said ASF was first detected in the state on March 21, 2021, at Lungsen village in Lunglei district near the Bangladesh border. Since then, the disease has devastated Mizoram’s pig population, leading to the death or culling of 72,012 pigs, impacting more than 12,500 families and resulting in cumulative losses estimated at Rs 1,011.27 crore. Of the total animals lost since 2021, 52,979 were culled as part of preventive efforts.
The most recent ASF-related pig deaths in the state were reported on December 8 last year. Ralte added that compensation exceeding Rs 14.51 crore, sourced jointly from the Centre and the state government, has been distributed to farmers for pigs culled up to 2023. A fresh proposal seeking Rs 24.94 crore as compensation for pigs culled in 2024 has been submitted to the Centre, with costs to be shared equally by both governments. However, she clarified that no compensation is provided for pigs that die naturally due to ASF.
Official data show that the worst year for pig fatalities was 2021, when 33,417 pigs died, followed by 14,950 deaths in 2024 and 12,795 in 2022. Financial losses peaked in 2024 at Rs 336.4 crore, marginally higher than the Rs 334.14 crore recorded in 2021, while losses in 2022 stood at Rs 210.32 crore. Ralte noted that ASF outbreaks usually ease during winter months but tend to return with greater intensity during warmer seasons.
She also recalled that Mizoram had faced major pig losses in the past due to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, with outbreaks reported in 2013, 2016, 2018 and 2020, together killing thousands of pigs and piglets and causing losses estimated at Rs 10.62 crore.
