Aizawl: Mizoram suffered a financial loss of Rs 114.64 crore in 2025 due to an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) that claimed the lives of over 9,700 pigs, an official of the state Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department said.
Deputy Director (Disease Investigation and Epidemiology) Esther Lalzoliani Ralte said that a total of 9,711 pigs died from ASF, while 3,620 others were culled between March and December last year to prevent the further spread of the disease.
The outbreak affected as many as 3,867 families across the state during the year, she said, adding that the estimated financial loss stood at Rs 114.64 crore.
According to Ralte, ASF was first reported in Mizoram on March 21, 2021, at Lungsen village in Lunglei district near the Bangladesh border. Since then, the disease has caused massive damage, with 72,012 pigs dying, over 12,500 families affected, and total financial losses amounting to Rs 1,011.27 crore.
To contain the spread of the infection, a total of 52,979 pigs have been culled in the state since 2021, she added. The last ASF-related pig deaths were reported on December 8, 2025.
The official said that more than Rs 14.51 crore received from both the Centre and the state government has been disbursed as compensation to farmers for pigs culled till 2023. A compensation proposal of Rs 24.94 crore for pigs culled in 2024 has been submitted to the Centre, which will be shared equally by the central and state governments.
However, she clarified that there is no provision for financial aid for pigs that die due to ASF, and compensation is provided only for animals culled by authorities.
Ralte said Mizoram recorded the highest number of ASF-related pig deaths in 2021, when 33,417 pigs died. This was followed by 14,950 deaths in 2024 and 12,795 in 2022.
The state suffered the highest financial losses due to ASF in 2024, with estimated losses of Rs 336.4 crore. Losses in 2021 were pegged at Rs 334.14 crore, while in 2022 they amounted to Rs 210.32 crore.
She further explained that ASF outbreaks generally subside during the winter months but tend to resurface with greater intensity during warmer weather.
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Apart from ASF, Mizoram has also faced outbreaks of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) in 2013, 2016, 2018 and 2020, which killed thousands of pigs and piglets and caused losses estimated at Rs 10.62 crore.
