6.6 International trade
At the global level, international trade, despite bringing potential health benefits through economic growth is one of the major driving factors of emerging diseases of animals as well as humans (Labonte et al., 2011). At present, ASF is a global threat to food security and economic stability of nations (Evans, 2019). Already, China, a home to half the world’s pig population has lost a third of its pigs (about 100 M) to the devastating outbreak of ASF in the year 2018 and estimated to have led to a direct economic loss of one trillion yuan (approximately142 billion USD)(Huang, 2020).Besides China, the country Vietnam, where the pork industry is worth approximately 4 billion USD, has confirmed several outbreaks of ASF in the recent years (Evans, 2019).In India pork production is limited, representing only 9% of the country’s animal protein sources. Production of pork is concentrated only in few India states and mainly in the NE region of the country primarily consisting of backyard and informal sector producers (dahd.nic.in). As per Government of India reports, the total pork production in the year 2014-15 was 464.11 thousand tons. The Indian market for processed pork products is small, and the majority of this market is supplied through imports by Belgium, Sri Lanka, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands in recent years (dahd.nic.in; USDA FAS 2016).India’s global interaction in import of pork and pork products and human movements in dealing pigs might spread infectious diseases like ASF to emerge further outbreaks.
The listed risk factors or indicators and the critical risk control measures to reduce or eliminate threat of future emergence of ASF in India are described in Figure. 3. However, reviewing and updating the identified risks is an important future research for the global control and eradication of ASF.