Imphal: Pig farmers in Manipur have accused the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Services Department, Government of Manipur of failing to take adequate measures in response to the outbreak of African Swine Fever among pigs in the state. The Manipur Progressive Pig Farmers’ Association has accused the department of failing to take necessary precautionary measures, leading to the deaths of numerous pigs.
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According to an estimate by the association reported on October 11, the total loss incurred since the outbreak of the disease in March this year till the first week of October in 5 districts of Manipur namely Imphal West, Bishnupur, Kakching, Thoubal and Imphal East district is worth around 20 crore rupees. This amount is expected to have risen manifold, as mass scale deaths of pigs in different farms have been reported since then. The situation is disheartening for a state like Manipur, where agriculture and allied activities are the main source of livelihood for many and especially when the state is already reeling under a tense situation due to the ongoing ethnic clash which erupted on May 3.
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According to the Association’s Joint Secretary, L Vidyasagar, African Swine Fever has claimed the lives of many piglets and matured pigs in both the hills and valley regions of the state. Some farmers have resorted to culling their pigs to prevent further spread of the disease, he added. Vidyasagar explained that the delay in obtaining test results from samples sent to Guwahati, which takes over 10 days, results in healthy pigs becoming infected and dying before test results are available. He also pointed out that the sale of infected pigs contributed to spreading the disease.
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Vidyasagar emphasized that the department’s lack of effective measures during last year’s African Swine Fever outbreak has led to the current situation. Pig farmers are suffering significant financial losses, and those who have taken loans to rear pigs are facing extreme hardship, he said. In the wake of lack of proper insurance policies for pig farmers in the state, he appealed to provide compensation for those affected by the disease. Without these measures, he expressed concern that farmers would no longer be able to rear pigs. “Other farmers told this reporter that there is no credible commercial vaccine against ASF yet so insurance companies don’t provide coverage for ASF. Forget about ASF, insurance companies don’t even want to provide insurance for pigs,” they added.
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It is worth noting that the first positive case of ASF in Manipur for this year was detected at a pig farm in CAU, Imphal West on October 12. This was followed by confirmed cases in other districts namely, Bishnupur, Kakching, Thoubal and Imphal East District. Except for press releases confirming positive cases of ASF, the relevant department has failed to raise awareness programmes for farmers.
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