African Swine Fever slashes Assam’s pig population by 8 lakh in 5 years

Guwahati, June 24: Once a booming sphere in the rural economy, the piggery sector has been ravaged in the last five years due to the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in Assam. This exotic disease was first reported in the State in May 2020.

According to the officials of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department, in 2019, the total pig population in Assam was around 21 lakhs and the recent outbreaks of ASF have reduced the number to around 13 lakhs.

“Due to the outbreaks of ASF, many pig rearers of Assam quit the business, as no insurance company is inclined towards giving compensation coverage for ASF-affected animals. At the same time, a large number of animals died of ASF and some were culled in the affected areas as a preventive measure. As a result, the pig population has decreased significantly in the State,” a senior official of the department told The Assam Tribune.

After its first detection, the disease largely affected the State in 2022. During that year, most of the upper Assam districts were affected in ASF. This year, the State again witnessed a surge in the disease, particularly in Barpeta, Darang, Nalbari and Kamrup districts.

The senior official informed that in 2022, altogether 67 epicentres of ASF were detected across the State. An epicentre is an area covering one km radius from the affected farm, where the department conducts culling of existing pigs after the detection of the disease.

This year, as many as 21 epicentres have been detected so far in Assam. In 2024, altogether seven epicentres of ASF were detected. After culling, an affected farmer avails Rs 2,200 to Rs 15,000 as compensation against per culled animal. But the amount is too small to compensate the actual loss.

Although many orgnizations across the globe are trying to develop a vaccine for the deadly disease, no breakthrough has been made so far. Recently, scientists of the United States in collaboration with the scientists of the Philippines developed a vaccine, but it failed to yield the expected results during trial.

In Assam, IIT Guwahati and the College of Veterinary Science, Guwahati are also working to develop a vaccine for ASF.

“The African swine fever virus is a large and double-stranded DNA virus. It mutates very fast. So it is a challenge for the scientists to develop an antibody from the virus to produce antigen. Still, we are hopeful that within two to three years of time, the vaccine will be discovered,” the official said.

He also informed that lack of bio-security in the pig farms is one of the major reasons behind the recent surge in outbreak, which has become an endemic disease of the veterinary sector in Assam.

Despite the impact of ASF, the State Government continues to provide financial assistance to the pig rearers of Assam. In the last financial year, the State Government provided around Rs 8 crore of financial assistance covering around 600 pig rearers. Many beneficiaries in lower Assam, who availed the financial assistance, also incurred losses due to the recent outbreak of the disease.