IMPHAL, February 18: Encouraging mithun rearing will certainly help in promoting eco-tourism and protecting the forest cover, said chief wildlife warden Forest department PN Prasad said today at the valedictory function of a three-day training programme cum Mithun Mela on scientific mithun husbandry for improving livelihood at Haipi Village.
He continued that setting up of an eco-tourism centre in Haipi Village has been included in the detailed project report for the eco-tourism project in Manipur.
Haipi Village, he said has a high potential in horticulture, eco-tourism.
The village has a self-renewing source of water thanks to the thick forest cover surrounding the village which has been left untouched by the villagers for rearing of mithuns, he said observing that it is a known fact that most areas in the hills face problems in getting potable water.
Prasad said the government will soon provide some three-five tourist huts.
Elaborating on the benefits of a mithun, he said the camel skin was said to be the strongest, but we have come to know that the skin of a mithun is much stronger and at the same time its milk is better than a domesticated cow.
Unfortunately, the farmers in the region haven’t harvested the milk of mithun till date, he said observing that the ICAR NRC on Mithun Magaland has already been urged to focus on developing a technology for harvesting milk.
There is also an old belief that areas where the mithun is found is said to be god-gifted places, as places where we get to see mithun is always full of resources.
He added the NRC is trying to promote and increase the Mithun population in the North Eastern region.
Observing that the process of identifying places for development of eco-tourism spots in the State is underway, he said haipi Village which encourages rearing of Mithun has met all the criteria needed for setting up of an eco-tourism spot.
The chief wildlife warden also said that rearing of mithun needs rock salts which will be provided by the Forest department, which the farmers can collect in June.
Former minister Thangmeinlien Kipgen said the rearing of mithun also brings people of different communities together and further appealed to the NRC Nagaland to allow the trainees visit their campus and witness the practise of domesticating mithuns.
Speaking on the occasion, ICAR-NRC director Dr Abhijit Mitra said during the training programme, the trainee farmers were educated on identifying mithun without cutting their ears. He said in the next visit, they will provide trainings on how to fence for mithun enclosure and vaccinations.
He also said that the size of the mithuns found in Manipur is smaller than those found outside, but the major concerned at the moment should be to increase their population at the moment.
He said that the KVK Senapati is becoming a secondary station for any information on rearing of Mithun and problems related for famers.