In a proud moment for Nagaland, the indigenous Nagami Mithun breed has been officially registered by the Breed Registration Committee (BRC) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
The breed registration certificate was presented by Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan at a ceremony held at A.P. Shinde Hall, NASC Complex, New Delhi, on January 14, 2026. The event was attended by senior officials including Dr. Mangi Lal Jat (Secretary, DARE & Director General, ICAR), Dr. Raghavendra Bhatta (DDG, Animal Sciences, ICAR), Varsha Joshi (Additional Secretary, DAHD) and Dr. N.H. Mohan (Director, ICAR–NBAGR, Karnal).
The certificate was received by Dr. Girish Patil S, Director of ICAR–National Research Centre (NRC) on Mithun, Nagaland, along with Dr. Harshit Kumar and the research team. The Nagami Mithun has been registered under accession number INDIA_MITHUN_1400_NAGAMI_08001.
The breed is characterised by a strong, well-built muscular body and a predominantly black coat with distinctive white stockings, though white-patched and piebald patterns are also observed. It features an inverted triangular face with a straight forehead, a prominent dorsal ridge in both sexes, and massive corrugated horns that curve upward with pointed tips.
The discovery and documentation of the breed resulted from systematic field surveys conducted between 2023 and 2025 in the Kavünhou Community Reserved Forest near Khezhakeno village in Phek district. The work was led by Dr. Gyati Yam, with researchers Vieneite-o Koza and Joynath Pegu, and was supported by Nagaland University’s Start-Up Project for Young Faculty (SUPYF). The findings were published in the international journal Kew Bulletin.
Nagami Mithun is distributed across several districts of Nagaland, including Kohima, Peren, Chümoukedima, Zunheboto, Phek, Tuensang, Kiphire, Noklak, Shamator, Mon, Wokha, Tseminyu and Longleng. Primarily reared for meat and ceremonial purposes, adult males weigh around 470–500 kg, while cows yield 184–193 kg of milk over a lactation period of about 300 days. According to the 2019 livestock census, the breed has an estimated population of around 23,000.
Welcoming the registration, Dr. Girish Patil S said it would strengthen policy support, breed improvement programmes, conservation efforts and livelihood opportunities for mithun-rearing communities in Nagaland and the wider Northeast. He added that ICAR–NRC on Mithun has already established conservation units at Khonoma and Thevopisumi, supports semi-intensive mithun rearing units across the state, and conducts regular capacity-building programmes for farmers on scientific mithun production.
The breed registration application was submitted by a multidisciplinary team comprising scientists from ICAR–NRC on Mithun, Nagaland, and ICAR–National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, marking a major milestone in the conservation and recognition of Nagaland’s rich livestock heritage.
