Aizawl, Sep 7 (IANS): Over 12,200 pigs were killed and over 21,000 pigs culled as the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) continued in Mizoram for over past seven months, officials said on Monday.

Mizoram Animal Husbandry and Veterinary (AHV) Department officials said due to the outbreak of ASF, a large number of farmers across the state incurred huge losses.

AHV Department officials said that though the ratio of pig deaths due to ASF and culling has reduced in the past few weeks, the outbreak of the infectious disease continues unabated in many districts.

As per unofficial estimates, pig farmers and rearers in six of the 11 districts in the mountainous bordering state have suffered huge losses of over Rs 23-25 crore due to the outbreak of this communicable disease since February this year.

The ASF, which, however, does not affect humans, is a highly infectious disease among pigs and poses a severe threat with a very high mortality rate.

Since 2021, the ASF outbreak caused huge losses to the farmers and government farms, the AHV officials said, adding that this year's first ASF case was reported on February 9 in Leithum village in Champhai district, which shares unfenced borders with Myanmar.

According to the AHV officials, the pigs both in government and private farms and homes in over 180 villages in six districts -- Aizawl, Champhai, Lunglei, Saitual, Khawzawl and Serchhip -- have been infected by the ASF outbreak so far.

The ASF was first reported bordering Mizoram in 2021, when according to the AHV Department officials, 33,420 pigs and piglets died due to the contagious disease while 12,800 pigs and piglets died in 2022 and 1,040 in 2023.

The first case of ASF in Mizoram was reported in mid-March, 2021, from Lungsen village in Lunglei district along the Bangladesh border and since then, the disease has resurfaced every year.

Mizoram Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister C Lalsawivunga recently said in the state assembly that the pig farmers of the state incurred a loss of nearly Rs 800 crore following the outbreak of ASF in the state in 202.

After the outbreak of ASF, the AHV department following the central guidelines has declared various villages and localities in six districts of the 11 districts in Mizoram as infected areas under the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Disease in Animals Act, 2009, a senior AHV Department official said.

To prevent the spread of the ASF virus, the department has barred the supply of pigs, piglets and pork from the infected areas.

Mizoram government also banned the import of pigs and piglets from neighbouring states and countries where often ASF infestations are being reported.

Officials said that the outbreak of ASF mostly occurs when the climate begins to warm up and pre-monsoon rain commences in the state.

The government has provided compensation to several hundred families for the loss of pigs due to the disease.

According to experts, the outbreak of ASF may have been caused by pigs or pork brought from neighbouring Myanmar, Bangladesh, and the adjoining states of the northeast.

Mizoram shares a 510-km-long unfenced border with Myanmar and 318 km with Bangladesh.

Pork is one of the most common and popular meats consumed by both the tribals and non-tribals in the northeastern region.

With heavy demand for pork in the region, its annual business is worth around Rs 8,000-10,000 crore in the northeast region, with Assam being the largest supplier.