The complex recipes of baking is not everyone’s game, let alone one that replaces wheat with coarse grains. Take for instance, a sour cream crumble made from sorghum flour, or perhaps for those with a savoury tooth, a salty mixture with millets as its healthy base?
As daunting as they sound, these recipes are now at one’s fingertips, with the launch of ‘Millet Melodies’, a mobile app, during the National Trade Fair – Organics and Millets 2017 that concluded on Sunday.
The app, which is set to expand its menu, has recipes for 27 baked pastries and 14 savouries and sweets. From the simpler sorghum boondi to the more complicated ragi lemon drizzle cake, the app — developed by the government of Karnataka, agricultural research institute ICRISAT and the private company, Vasudhaika — shows the to-be healthy baker how to transform the humble coarse grains into a gourmet-style dessert.
Sunday saw the largest crowds visit the nearly 260 stalls at the three-day trade show. Over 49,000 people, including 11,000 farmers, are estimated to have visited the first government-organised fair which saw business of nearly ₹90 lakh. However, the success has come from the trader-farmer connect, said Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda. Twenty MoUs were signed during the event, generating business of more than ₹45 crore.
“The long-term assessment is that investment and business worth ₹100 crore will be generated through this,” said Mr. Gowda. “We will also set up an advisory council to advise the government on how to take millets to national and export market,” he said. Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman said organic exports in the country was seeing 30% growth, with Karnataka being a significant contributor. “There is a huge market for organic millet and farming products from here. Particularly, black pepper and Haveri (Byadgi) chilli ... We will work with the State government to improve the Spice Development Park at Haveri which has not been able to tap the potential of the Byadgi chilli,” she said.
