Aizawl, Jan 16: Mizoram incurred a financial loss of Rs 114.64 crore in 2025 due to African Swine Fever (ASF), which claimed the lives of over 9,700 pigs, an official from the state’s Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department said.
Deputy Director (Disease Investigation & Epidemiology) Esther Lalzoliani Ralte told PTI that 9,711 pigs died from ASF between March and December 2025, while 3,620 others were culled to contain the disease. The outbreak affected 3,867 families.
The first ASF case in the state was reported on March 21, 2021, in Lungsen village of Lunglei district, near the Bangladesh border. Since then, ASF has killed 72,012 pigs, with 52,979 culled, impacting over 12,500 families and causing total losses of Rs 1,011.27 crore.
The last reported pig deaths occurred on December 8, 2025. Compensation of Rs 14.51 crore for culled pigs up to 2023 has been disbursed by the central and state governments. A proposal for Rs 24.94 crore for 2024 culls is awaiting approval, with funding to be shared equally by both governments. Pigs that died naturally from ASF are not covered under any compensation scheme.
Mizoram recorded the highest ASF fatalities in 2021 (33,417 pigs), followed by 2024 (14,950) and 2022 (12,795). Corresponding losses peaked in 2024 at Rs 336.4 crore, followed by 2021 (Rs 334.14 crore) and 2022 (Rs 210.32 crore). Ralte noted that ASF cases decrease during winter but rise in warmer weather.
The state has also faced Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) outbreaks in 2013, 2016, 2018, and 2020, which killed thousands of pigs and caused Rs 10.62 crore in losses.
