MoU to boost mithun rearing in Mizoram

AIZAWL: Mizoram government and the ICAR-National Research Centre on Mithun (NRCM) of Medziphema in Nagaland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Aizawl on Monday to strengthen cooperation in the successful use and propagation of technologies and their transfer for socio-economic benefits of mithun farmers in Mizoram, an official statement issued by the state animal husbandry and veterinary department said.
The agreement also laid down provisions to train state veterinary personnel, including veterinary officers, managers and farmers, on semen collection, freezing artificial insemination, value addition of milk and animal waste management at the ICAR centre. Under the MoU, 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 an artificial insemination unit with a semen-processing laboratory. NRCM, which was established by ICAR in 1988, is the sole institute in the country dedicated to conservation and characterization of Mithun ( Bos Frontalis). The institute has focused on application-oriented research for conserving mithun in its natural habitat and to exploit the potential of mithun as a source of meat, milk and hide. The ICAR-NRCM has taken a lead in the promotion of mithun farming through the propagation of semi-intensive mithun rearing, scientific identification and evaluation.
Being one of the few states which has a mithun population, the Mizoram government and the state animal husbandry and veterinary department has implemented a number of programmes and schemes to benefit farmers.
The agreement included scientific guidance and technology transfer to the state, including construction of sheds for Mithun sheds.