Our Correspondent
Kohima | July 24
Contrary to the belief that Mithuns destroy forests, “we found that Mithuns and forests complement each other,” stated CEO of Entrepreneurs Associates (EA), Neichute Doulo.
“Mithuns nurture forests by foraging the higher layers of vegetation which clears the forest from bush cover, enabling sunlight and space for regeneration of trees on the forests,” he added during the recently concluded seminar on “Mithun rearing for enhanced livelihood and forest conservation” here.
It may be recalled that with the support of the community and Sir Ratan Tata Trust Mumbai, EA has fenced over 120 square kilometers of forest land in five villages of Phek district.
Neichute said the learning and observations from 11 years (2005-2016) of work in Mithun rearing has shown that it is the best passive income activity for farmers. All Mithun farmers under EA project netted few lakhs of cash in five years enabling them to send their children to colleges and also build their houses, it was noted.
The EA CEO also pointed out that rearing Mithuns does not require daily supervision as Mithuns in free range require hardly 25 days of supervision in a year making it the most lucrative passive income for many farmers and others alike.
“Rightly, we call Mithun ‘Nature gardeners’ because foraging higher layers of vegetation and creepers make trees healthier and Mithun’s dung fertilizes the soil,” Doulo said. He also stated that the EA found that Mithuns do not destroy crops. “They just need to be managed like any other livestock. Because Mithun is semi domesticated, it is an exotic bovine for tourism and nutrient meat.”
But the exotic bovine, he added, has become an endangered species in its own native country. “Most Naga villages have stopped rearing Mithuns owing to the prevalent misconception that they deplete forest cover which actually they do not. The main reasons for loss of forest cover are due to the rampant logging and felling of trees for firewood,” he said.
Since Mithuns thrive in forests, promoting Mithun, he asserted, means necessarily conserving forests which will have positive impacts on the state.
“This can bring huge dividend to the state by way of Carbon Sink & Trading while protecting our fragile sub Himalayan mountain eco-systems. Mithun generates significant cash without active monitoring but by simply free ranging in forests. It is nature’s own gift to Nagas,” Doulo said.
Managing Mithun propagation, fencing Mithun forest, supporting Mithun herdsmen mechanisms and pricing mechanism for the exotic Mithun nutrient meat will promote afforestation and create wealth for the people, he stated.
“While we value Mithun in our logos and official seals, let us also revive our cultural merit of rearing Mithuns for prosperity.”
Presently, there are 35,000 Mithuns in Nagaland.
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