Dr. K Beichhua, Mizoram’s Animal Husbandry, and Veterinary Minister told the Assembly on Monday that 33,417 pigs died in the state last year due to an epidemic of the extremely contagious African Swine Fever (ASF).
In response to a question from V.L Zaithanzama of the opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), Beichhua said that in addition to those killed by ASF, a total of 10,910 pigs have been culled to prevent the future spread of the disease.
According to him, the monetary losses sustained by ASF because to deceased pigs are projected to be more than Rs 60.82 crore.
Mizoram Government has requested compensation from the Centre for killed pigs due to ASF
The state government has requested compensation from the Centre for the killed pigs, while the state disaster management and reconstruction department has requested compensation of Rs 3,000 per dead pig. The outbreak, according to the ministry, is currently under control and contained. Since December of last year, he claimed, no pig deaths linked to ASF have been reported. On February 1, Beichhuah told the legislature that the state government had abolished an import ban on pigs from ASF-free states.
The imported pigs, however, must be accompanied by a health certificate and a Common Swine Fever (CSF) vaccine certificate, according to him. Between August 2020 and January 2022, Mizoram banned the import of pigs from other states and adjacent foreign nations for around 17 months.
On March 21, last year, the first epidemic of ASF, thought to be caused by pigs smuggled from Bangladesh, was detected in Lungsen village, Lunglei district, south Mizoram, close to Bangladesh border. The National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal later determined that the pig deaths were caused by African Swine Fever in mid-April.