For 15 years, Binita and Mridul Buragohain built their pig farm in Betbari village, starting with two pigs and slowly expanding to a herd of 75. In October last year, one of their pigs fell ill, and five others died soon after from African Swine Fever (ASF). The rest had to be culled to prevent disease spread.

Pig rearing in and around Betbari – a village of tidy homes among lush green fields, on the outskirts of Sivasagar town in Upper Assam – cuts across communities. Farming and livestock rearing sustain most families in the area. Ahoms, Motoks, Misings, Nepalis, Bodos and Adivasis all depend on pigs as a key source of income.

The Buragohains’ experience reflects the growing toll of ASF across Assam. With no vaccine available and multiple infection pathways, even a single infection can trigger culling drives – erasing years of investment and leaving farmers struggling to recover.

ASF is a highly contagious viral disease. Once infected, pigs do not recover, which is why ASF continues to be a major concern. It was first detected in Kenya in the early 1900s, spread to Europe, China and reached Northeast India in 2020.

“Floating carcasses were first spotted in parts of Dhemaji district in Assam,” Nagendra Nath Barman, head of the department of microbiology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry in Guwahati, said. The disease likely entered India through Arunachal Pradesh, he explained.

Since 2022, 64 countries and territories have reported the presence of the virus. In India, starting from Assam, the disease has spread to 22 states. In Europe, Belgium has reportedly managed to eradicate ASF through aggressive biosecurity measures.

Tens of thousands of pigs have died of ASF in Assam and Mizoram alone since 2020. In Assam, major waves hit 2021-2023, subsided somewhat in 2024, then peaked again in 2025 across 30 districts with over 300 epicentres, experts say.

According to Barman, of the 24 known ASF strains globally, a single strain –Genotype 2 – has been circulating in Assam. The same strain is prevalent across India and in several Southeast Asian countries, including China and Vietnam.

The virus is highly resilient and primarily affects the circulatory system, said Barman. Infected pigs may release large quantities of the virus through blood, faeces, urine and saliva. Transmission usually occurs when infected animals are moved, or when healthy pigs come into contact with contaminated secretions.

Padum Giri at his pig farm in Betbari in Sivasagar district of Assam. (Photo courtesy: Sanskrita Bharadwaj)

The culling protocol

Padum Giri from Betbari said 84 of his pigs were culled in October 2025. Pig farming was his primary source of income, supplemented only by a small kirana shop run by his wife, Kalpana Giri.

At its peak, Giri said, the farm generated around Rs 50,000 a month in profit. “The loss has left me with no way out,” Giri, who is also a member of the Pig Farmers’ Association Assam, told IndiaSpend.

Giri said the impact goes beyond individual households. Pig farming grows faster and yields quicker returns than goat rearing, making it central to rural economies in many parts of Assam and Northeast India. “As ASF wipes out herds, village-level financial systems are breaking down, with entire communities losing a key source of sustenance.”

“Livelihoods have been severely affected, particularly among families entirely dependent on pig rearing, leading to a growing social crisis,” said Barman.

Assam has the highest pig population in India at around 2.1 million, about 23% of the 9 million nationally, as per the 2019 Livestock Census. Pigs contribute roughly 5% to total meat output.

For suspected ASF cases, veterinary staff collect blood or tissue samples, which are studied at the regional laboratory in the North Eastern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Guwahati, and further at Bhopal’s National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases for final validation. Results are usually available within 36 hours.

Once a case is confirmed, under the National Action Plan for African Swine Fever – issued after the outbreak in 2020 – all pigs within 1-km radius of the infected zone are to be culled whether or not they show signs of the disease. Culling is undertaken by state and district veterinary authorities. A further 10-kilometre radius is designated as a surveillance zone.

In Betbari, the disease was first detected on Padum Giri’s........

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