African Swine Fever Deals Heavy Blow to Mizoram, Loss Pegged at ₹114.64 Crore

According to an official from the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department, Mizoram lost ₹114.64 crore in 2025 as a result of the African Swine Fever (ASF) epidemic that killed over 9,700 pigs throughout the state. Esther Lalzoliani Ralte, Deputy Director (Disease Investigation and Epidemiology), told PTI that between March and December of last year, 3,620 pigs were killed as a preventative measure, and 9,711 pigs perished from ASF. During this time, 3,867 households were impacted by the pandemic.

On March 21, 2021, ASF was discovered in Mizoram at Lungsen hamlet in the Lunglei district, close to the border with Bangladesh. The pig population in the state has been negatively damaged by the illness ever since. Since 2021, 72,012 pigs have either perished or been put to death, impacting over 12,500 households and resulting in a total of ₹1,011.27 crore in financial damages. According to Ralte, 52,979 of these pigs were killed in order to stop the illness from spreading. The state’s most recent ASF-related swine fatalities were recorded on December 8 of last year.

She said that pig farmers had received compensation of more than ₹14.51 crore for pigs killed up till 2023, thanks to a combined effort between the state and federal governments. The Center has received a proposal requesting ₹24.94 crore in compensation for pigs killed in 2024, with the state and the Center splitting the sum evenly. However, pigs who pass away as a result of ASF are not compensated. Mizoram had the largest number of pig deaths in 2021 (33,417), followed by 14,950 in 2024 and 12,795 in 2022, according to government statistics. At ₹336.4 crore in 2024, the state also saw its largest financial loss, which was followed by ₹334.14 crore in 2021 and ₹210.32 crore in 2022.

ASF outbreaks often decrease in the winter but tend to reappear in the hot months, according to Ralte. She further mentioned that in 2013, 2016, 2018, and 2020, Mizoram saw outbreaks of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), which killed thousands of pigs and piglets and caused losses estimated at ₹10.62 crore.