Govt eyes to promote Mithun
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 25 2022:
The State Government is likely to take up an initiative to protect and promote Mithun (Shandang in local parlance and drung ox) in the hill districts of Manipur.
According to a highly placed source, a meeting of the Government for rearing and development of Mithun in all the hill districts of the State was convened today at the Chief Minister's Secretariat at Babupara.
It is said that the meeting was chaired by Chief Minister N Biren and participated by Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Minister Khasim Vashum and many important State Government officials.
The source added that the meeting deliberated on the importance of Mithun in the agricultural activities, upliftment of the socio economic condition of the tribal people and its relevance in tribal culture.
Mention may be made that some sections from hill districts had expressed serious concern on the declining population of Mithun in hill districts in the past.
In 2020, a former Director of the State Veterinary Director had stated that there had been a record 10 percent decline in the population of Mithun in the State.
Even in one of the stakeholder's meetings organized on the issue of declining Mithun population, many experts had underscored the importance of establishing Community Mithun Conservation Centres and fodder nurseries in addition to setting up of open nucleus breeding systems to conserve the animal.