Aizawl: The government of Mizoram is likely to declare a 'state disaster' due to the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the state which has claimed the lives of over 37,000 pigs.
State Animal Husbandry and Veterinary minister Dr K Beichhua said on May 31 that Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga has granted his nod to declare the outbreak as a state disaster and added that official notification will be released soon.
Notably, more than 50 villages in seven districts of the state were affected by the ASF.
The data released by the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department on May 25 revealed that over 37,000 pigs have died as a result of ASF since March 2021 and it has resulted in significant monetary losses.
At least 14,174 pigs have been culled to contain the African Swine Fever and to prevent the outbreak from spreading any further.
The data also disclosed that as many as 3,890 pigs have died and 3,264 have been culled since February of this year owing to ASF.
The animal husbandry and veterinary minister also informed that the government has received funds to compensate farmers for their culled pigs.
Meanwhile, in Assam, African swine fever had been reportedly detected in a good number of pigs on a private farm in the Pratapgarh area in the Biswanath district.
After receiving this information, the veterinary department in the area made efforts to prevent the spread of the disease to other pigs. Some pigs reared in the slum areas of Pratapgarh had already died. African swine fever was feared to have spread to the nearby farms from these pigs reared in exposed conditions.
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