The outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Mizoram since March has killed 25,260 pigs across all the 11 districts of the northeastern state causing financial losses of over Rs 121 crore so far.
As per reports, over 9,460 pigs have been culled so far to prevent ASF from spreading further among the healthy pigs.
The first pig death was detected in March at Lungsen village in south Mizoram's Lunglei district. The villagers had reported that the pigs were imported from adjoining Bangladesh.
When the samples of the dead pigs were sent to the Bhopal-based National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases, it was confirmed that the pigs died due to ASF.
According to the officials of the department, the ASF outbreak has been reported in at least 239 villages in all 11 districts across the state.
The officials said that of the 11 districts, Aizawl is the worst-hit where around 10,780 pigs have died, followed by Lunglei (4,135), Serchhip (3,500), and Mamit (2,880).
According to experts, the outbreak may have been caused by pigs or pork imported from neighbouring Myanmar, Bangladesh, and the adjoining state of Meghalaya.
The northeast region's annual pork business is worth around Rs 8,000-10,000 crore, with Assam being the largest supplier. Pork is one of the most common and popular meats consumed by the tribals and non-tribals in the region.
