ICAR-NRC on Mithun, Medziphema, Nagaland organized one-day Brainstorming workshop on “Rearing of Mithun under Free-- Present Scenario and Way Forward” on 18th March 2017. The various issues related to mithun farming including the estimation of the carrying capacity & biomass of mithun inhabited the forest, the equivalence of livestock unit for mithun, bio-fencing as a solution to the social conflict, and suitable control measures for vertebrate predators were discussed in the workshop.
Dr. Abhijit Mitra, Director, ICAR-NRCM, in his welcome address highlighted the present scenario of mithun husbandry and constraints faced by the farmers. The sacrifice of the best mithun on ceremonial occasion is one of the leading cause of loss of superior mithun germplasm, he added.
Dr. P. Ghosh, Director, IGFRI, Jhansi advocated the introduction of Pennicum maximum (Guinea Grass) and Pennisetum spp (Dinanath Grass) on trial basis. Dr. Ghosh further assured that a team of Scientists from IGFRI will shortly visit Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh to conduct a survey to recommend the types of fodders to be grown to ensure nutritional security to mithun.
Dr. B. P. Bhat, Director, ICAR-RCER, Panta stressed the importance of the identification of fodder & trees, mapping of the resources, and conducting experimental trials to characterize the fodders best suited to mithun at few locations covering the various altitudes.
Dr. A. Arunachalam, Principal Scientist & Scientific Officer to the Secretary DARE & DG, ICAR also stressed to conduct a SWOT analysis for Mithun Farming as well as Mithun Framers and to integrate mithun rearing with Jhuming and to establish more protected forests for mithun rearing.
Further, the house suggested that NRC on Mithun should conduct awareness camps in collaboration with the Forest department and identify the rich pockets of mithun in all the mithun rearing states using GIS mapping in collaboration with NASTEC. The house agreed to review the progress of the actionable points on six monthly basis.
The program was attended by a gamut of stakeholders including eminent scientists, educationist, KVK personnel, farmers and officials from ICAR Institutes, Govt of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
(Source: ICAR-NRC on Mithun, Medziphema, Nagaland)
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