Stakeholder discusses issues of declining Mithun population

Dimapur, November 26 (MExN): ICAR-NRC on Mithun organized a virtual stakeholder’s meeting on ‘Issues of declining Mithun population and strategies for organic Mithun production’ on November 26. 

The meeting began with ICAR song followed by a brief presentation by Dr MH Khan, Director, ICAR-NRC on Mithun on status of mithun production, factors affecting mithun population and initiatives taken by NRC on Mithun. 

Dr Khan said that high input price for jungle fencing, lack of institutional support, frequent predator attacks on mithun calves, jhum, deforestation, etc. as the probable causes for declining mithun population. He stated that establishment of semi-intensive mithun farming units, development of mithun breeding policy, registration of mithun as food animal, organic mithun production and registration of mithun as food animal are few among the various initiatives taken by ICAR-NRC on Mithun to check dwindling mithun population.

According to a press release from ICAR-NRC on Mithun, the Officials from Veterinary & Animal Husbandry Department, Government of Nagaland stressed upon migration of farmers from rural to urban areas, shrinkage in pastoral areas, diseases like FMD and predators as the major causes for recent decline observed in mithun population. 

Dr H Chaoba, Director, State Veterinary Department, Manipur uttered that the State of Manipur has recorded a significant decline of 10% in mithun population and agreed with the causal factors put forth by Nagaland State Veterinary Department. 

Dr Taba Heli, Nodal Officer, NLDB, Arunachal Pradesh urged that need of the hour is to establish community mithun conservation Centres and fodder nurseries to conserve mithun population. Dr Vineet Bhasin, Principal Scientist, ICAR stated that mithun conservation must include establishment of open nucleus breeding system and mithun meat value chain linked system. 

Dr Nazrul Haque, Principal Scientist, ICAR-NRC on Mithun put forth his views on mithun as a component of alternative or speciality animal production system. 

Dr P Baswa Reddy, Principal Scientist, ICAR-NRC on Meat, Hyderabad expressed his views on issues and prospects of organic mithun production and stressed on establishment of demo organic mithun farm by ICAR-NRC on Mithun. 

Dr Abhijit Mitra, Director, ICAR-CIRC, Meerut made an appeal to State Veterinary Department, Nagaland to take a lead in promoting mithun and semi-intensive mithun farming in the State. Dr. Rajan Gupta, Principal Scientist, ICAR insisted on dissemination of technologies developed by ICAR-NRC on Mithun among mithun farmers.

Dr Amrish Tyagi, ADG, ICAR shared that propagation of quality mithun meat through marketing strategies is also of utmost importance. 

The meeting was attended virtually by all the Scientists and Technical officers from ICAR-NRC on Mithun, Nagaland, Directors of different ICAR Institutes, Experts from ICAR-NRC on Meat, Hyderabad, State Veterinary Officials of mithun rearing States, ICAR-KVK officials and Mithun Stakeholder’s from different States.