Dimapur, June 3 (EMN): The government of Mizoram and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Research Centre on Mithun (ICAR) at Medziphema in Dimapur, Nagaland, have signed on June 3 a memorandum of understanding to promote animal husbandry specific to the mithun.
Updates informed that the ICAR is the sole institute in the country dedicated to conservation and characterization of Mithun (Bos frontalis).
“The institute focused on research relevant to societal needs and application-oriented research towards conserving Mithun in its natural habitat and to exploit the potential of Mithun as a source of meat and milk, hide and draft power towards the economic development of the Mithun rearing region,” the press release stated.
“The ICAR-NRCM has taken lead in the promotion of Mithun farming through the propagation of semi-intensive Mithun rearing, scientific identification, and evaluation of the Mithun.”
Being one of the few states having Mithun as livestock in the country, Mizoram government and the state Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department (the press release did not identify which state’s department it was referring to) has implemented numbers of programmes and schemes to benefit the farmers of the rural population.
To strengthen the activities, an agreement was made to cooperate in the use and propagation of technologies and their transfer for socio-economic benefits of Mithun farmers in the state of Mizoram, the updates stated.
The agreement is said to include scientific guidance and technology transfer to the state including construction of Mithun sheds for a semi-intensive system of Mithun rearing as developed by the NRCM in two districts of Mizoram; development and establishment of a Mithun breeding farm in the state; Supply of 500 semen doses for free to the state for improvement of Mithun population.
The agreement further expands for provisions to provide training of Mizoram personnel in Mithun rearing activities. The personnel include veterinary officers, managers, and farmers for semen collection, freezing artificial insemination, value addition of milk, hide, meat and animal waste management at the ICAR-NRC in Nagaland.
Another item in the agreement is to set up feed block making unit, the updates added.
‘Under the memorandum, the ICAR-NRCM also agreed to assist in the formulation of the project report, exploration of funding possibilities and to provide technical assistance for the establishment of artificial insemination unit with semen processing laboratory,’ the press release added.
