Mithun: A Call for Inclusion in Central Livestock Schemes for Sustained Growth
Scientists and tribal farmers in Northeast India urge the government to include mithun in central livestock schemes. Despite its cultural and economic value, mithun is excluded, causing its population to decline. Inclusion could enhance research, conservation, and tribal livelihoods, potentially boosting the regional rural economy.
- Country:
- India
Scientists and tribal farmers from Northeast India are advocating for the central government to incorporate mithun, an indigenous bovine species, into principal livestock schemes. They argue that this step is crucial to ensure the sustainable development of mithun farming and to halt the decline in the species' population.
In a plea to Union Animal Husbandry and Dairying Secretary Alka Upadhyaya, Dr. S Girish Patil, Director of ICAR–National Research Centre on Mithun (NRCM), emphasized the animal's exclusion from central livestock development schemes despite its significance. Mithun remains a vital part of the region's ecology, economy, and culture.
The inclusion of mithun into schemes like the National Livestock Mission (NLM) would enhance research on breeding and health, provide better support for remote farmers, and recognize mithun's importance on national and international platforms.
(With inputs from agencies.)
Google News