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It is interesting to get view on this topic. Some one should really come up an idea like this, which helps conservation and medicinal production as well.
Sir, your idea is very good, i think we should really look into farming must deer. On one side, Musk deer is protected animal as per FNCR and I wonder how the ITMS requirement of 28 Kgs fulfils annually. I know that some requirements are fulfilled through siezed musk from poachers, but what about the balance requirements. The need of musk by ITMS will not decrease annually, instead will increase annually.
So if we start farming musk deer, that will serve both conservation and medicinal requirements. One big question is how technically equipment are we to farm musk deer. Otherwise some one has to be really trained and specialized.If we start farming, who is resposible, ITMS or MoA or is it DOF.
If some starts something like workshop on musk deer farming, I think, we can get very good views. Policy?
Thanks
Phuntsho Namgyel <phuntshonamgyel2001@...> wrote:
Phuntsho Namgyel <phuntshonamgyel2001@...> wrote:
Musk is the most important of the animal based ingredients in
Bhutanese Traditional Medicine system. It is used in more than 30% of
the 206 medicinal formulations. To produce all of the formulations
containing musk, the Institute of Traditional Medicine Services
(ITMS) of Bhutan would require 28 kgs of musk annually!... and a kg
of musk in the international market can cost anything up US $
36,000/kg. Worse, musk deer is a protected species under CITES.
So, what is the way around it? As way back in 1996, the ITMS toed
the idea of starting a musk deer farm in Bhutan. They comminssioned a
consultant, and sent a team to Nepal to study the musk deer farm
there and learn lessons from it.
Eight years have passed since, and there is no musk deer farm in
Bhutan yet.
Is musk deer farming in Bhutan a far fetched idea ? or Could it
represent a great opportunity for Bhutan within the framework of
smart conservation, and comparative production advantage and niche
market?
I stop here with the two questions above. BeF members are welcome to
discuss the issue.
Last but not the least, it is an interesting reading the " The Use of
Animal Ingredients in Traditional Bhutanese Medicine" by Susan A.
Mainka (1996).
Kind regards
Phuntsho Namgyel
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