Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday, conveyed his concern over the cases of African swine flu in Assam that has nearly killed around 2500 pigs. He also requested the veterinary and forest departments to make a layout to deal with the current crisis.
CM Sonowal asked the departments to work in collaboration with the National Pig Research Centre (NPRC) in Rani, Assam to overcome the crisis.
He also requested the officials to create threat-map for the state and ensure that containment measures are in place.
The government is set to announce bailout measures in order to protect the farmers.
Veterinary Minister Atul Bora on Sunday stated that this disease was detected in February end of this year, but had started in April 2019 in the village of China’s Xizang province bordering Arunachal Pradesh. He stated that government of Assam will not cull the pigs right away and will look for an alternative mechanism to control the spread of the disease.
As per the 2019 Livestock Census, the state has a pig population of 21 lakh, the highest in the country.
African Swine Flu spreads through direct or indirect contact with pig’s meat, blood, saliva, and body fluids. The death percentage of the pigs affected by the disease is almost 100 per cent.