The Kangayam region, home of renowned Kangayam cattle breed, had 14 surprise visitors from Bhutan a few days ago.
Sent by the Bhutanese government, they were livestock scientists and veterinarians from National Biodiversity Centre and from Department of Livestock and Agriculture, both under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests of Royal Government of Bhutan.
Purpose of the visit was to understand the breeding techniques of the elegant native Kangayam cattle and to study more about its dung and urine, which possess immense properties as organic fertiliser, considering that Bhutan is one of the profound propagators of organic farming practices in the world.
For that the entourage visited Senaapathy Kangayam Cattle Research Foundation (SKCRF) in Kangayam, the organisation involved in in-situ conservation and breeding of genetically pure Kangayam cattle for the last six decades and interacted with the experts in the Foundation as well as the local farmers.
Korangadu
The foreign delegation also visited Korangadu, a typical grazing area for the Kangayam cattle, containing 29 types of typical shrubs and trees which is referred by United Nations as “globally important agricultural heritage system”.
K.S.M. Karthikeya, managing trustee of the SKCRF, told The Hindu that the visit of the Bhutanese delegation turned to be fruitful for the local Kangayam cattle farmers and breeders too as they came to know more about the Nublang/Thrabum variety (Nublang is the male and Thrabum is female), a genetically unique cattle breed found in Bhutan.
Before leaving, Gonam Tsubsho and Santa Dir Tamang, who led the Bhutanese team, said that a set of farmers would be sent from Bhutan to Kangayam soon so as to get trained on the application of Kangayam cattle’s dung and urine in agriculture in appropriate cycles and mixtures.
