Nagaland's Nagami recognised as world's first mithun breed, set to boost conservation, breeding

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India in 2023 recognised Mithun as a meat animal.

Guwahati: Nagami Mithun, a unique bovine species traditionally reared by communities in free range on the hills of Nagaland was often seen as a cattle or a buffalo species due to lack of a scientific breed identity.

Nagami Mithun, however, has finally been registered as the world's first recognised Mithun breed, giving Nagaland's state animal a scientific identity.

The National Research Centre on Mithun (NRCM), based at Medziphema, Nagaland on Monday announced that the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR), Karnal (Haryana) confirmed the registration following years of systematic scientific investigation, documentation and validation.

"The recognition of Nagami as a registered breed will facilitate targeted conservation strategies, scientific breeding programmes, enhanced livelihood opportunities for farmers, and sustainable development of Mithun production systems in Nagaland. This is a historic milestone in view of the fact that Mithun was recognsied as a food animal by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India in 2023 and was also included in the domestic animal diversity information system of FAO, Rome," said Girish Patil, the director of ICAR-NRCM, Nagaland.

The FSSAI recognition provided a boost to promote Mithun as an alternative and a new option for meat lovers.

Nagami Mithun is widely distributed across several districts of Nagaland, where it is traditionally reared under free-range, community-managed forest grazing systems. Nagami Mithun is distinguished by its unique phenotypic and genetic features, including a predominantly black coat colour with characteristic white stockings, strong and compact body conformation, excellent adaptability to forest-based hill ecosystems, and high cultural significance among Naga tribes.

"Molecular and genetic analyses carried out as part of the application confirmed the distinct genetic identity of Nagami Mithun, clearly differentiating it from other Mithun populations of the North-Eastern region," Patil said.

Mithun is part of culture and tradition of several indigenous communities in the Northeast. Despite its importance, Mithun populations had remained largely uncharacterised at the breed level, which posed challenges for scientific conservation, genetic improvement, and policy support, he said.

Patil said the successful registration of Nagami Mithun is the outcome of dedicated and sustained efforts of ICAR-NR on Mithun, including extensive field surveys across Nagaland, large-scale phenotypic and morphometric recording, genetic characterization, and continuous engagement with Mithun farmers, village councils, and state line departments.

The application for breed registration was submitted under the leadership of Patil. The breed characterization project was led by Harshit Kumar, a scientist at the ICAR-NRCM, Nagaland.