The Nagami Mithun breed of Nagaland has received official registration from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, boosting conservation and scientific recognition.
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DIMAPUR — The Nagami Mithun breed of Nagaland has been officially registered by the Breed Registration Committee of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), marking a milestone in the scientific recognition of the indigenous bovine genetic resource.
The Breed Registration Certificate was handed over by Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chauhan to the ICAR–National Research Centre on Mithun team during the Animal Breed Registration Certificate and Breed Conservation Award Distribution Ceremony held at the NASC Complex in New Delhi on January 14.
The certificate was received by Director of ICAR–National Research Centre on Mithun Girish Patil S, along with scientist Harshit Kumar and other members of the research team.
According to an update received here on Thursday, the Nagami Mithun breed has been registered under the accession number INDIA_MITHUN_1400_NAGAMI_08001. The application for registration was submitted by a multidisciplinary team of scientists from the ICAR–National Research Centre on Mithun, Nagaland, and the ICAR–National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal.
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Nagami Mithun is predominantly distributed across several districts of Nagaland, including Kohima, Peren, Chümoukedima, Zunheboto, Phek, Tuensang, Kiphire, Noklak, Shamator, Mon, Wokha, Tseminyu and Longleng.
The breed is characterised by a strong, well-built muscular body, a predominantly black coat with white stockings, and massive horns that curve upward with pointed tips. White-patched and piebald patterns are also observed.
Nagami Mithun is mainly reared for meat production and ceremonial purposes. Adult males generally weigh between 470 and 500 kg, while cows produce about 184 to 193 kg of milk over a lactation period of around 300 days. As per the 2019 livestock census, the estimated population of the breed is about 23,000.
The update stated that the registration is expected to aid conservation, breed improvement programmes and sustainable utilisation of the Mithun, which holds social, economic and cultural significance among tribal farming communities in Nagaland.
The ICAR–National Research Centre on Mithun has established conservation units at Khonoma and Thüvopisumi in Nagaland and is providing support to Mithun farmers to set up semi-intensive rearing units. Capacity-building programmes are also being organised to train farmers in scientific Mithun production practices.