KISAMA — Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under National Research Centre on Mithun, Medziphema, has put up a Mithun exhibition at the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama.
Visitor to the 24th edition of the Hornbill Festival 2023 can get a glimpse of the Mithun at the amphitheatre of Kisama.
The ICAR maintained that its vision was to preserve, conserve and propagate superior quality Mithun germ-plasm for a sustainable production system and subsequent utilisation for better nutritional and socio-economic support to the farmers.
Its mission was to formulate scientific management, feeding practices and advanced bio-techniques for reproduction and health with an ultimate objective to develop economically viable and sustainable technologies for the benefit of farming communities rearing Mithun.
Mithun meat has been approved as food by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and included under Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD- IS) database of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Mithun Day is celebrated on September 1 every year.
ICAR stated that there is potential of Mithun and could be used as a valuable draught animal by the farmer in remote hilly slopes where traditional draught animals are not available. It added that young Mithun bulls, less than two years of age, were selected and trained successfully for work.
According to a publication titled "Mithun: A promising livestock of Northeastern hills" by the ICAR-National Research Centre on Mithun, Medziphema, Mithun population was recorded at 2.64 lakh in India of which more than 2.18 lakh (82.84%) of Mithun were present in Arunachal Pradesh alone followed by Nagaland with 12.63%, Manipur with 3.79% and Mizoram with 0.73%.
The population of Mithun in Nagaland during the 1997 livestock census was 33,445 and in 2003 its stands at 40,452 and in 2007 there were 33,385.
Also read: ICAR-NRC Medziphema observes Vigilance Awareness Week