Taking up the cause of the humble millet

First-of-its-kind millet national trade fair begins in Bengaluru

April 28, 2017 11:34 pm | Updated 11:34 pm IST - Bengaluru

Visitors at the inauguration of the Organics and Millets National Trade fair in Bengaluru on Friday.

Visitors at the inauguration of the Organics and Millets National Trade fair in Bengaluru on Friday.

‘Let’s Millet’ reads a stall of the State government along with a tag-line ‘Next generation smart food.’

The stall is part of the three-day first-of-its-kind ‘Organics and Millets National Trade Fair-2017’ inaugurated at the Palace Grounds on Friday.

With over 250 stalls, the fair, organised by the State Department of Agriculture, will see 20,000 farmers congregate to seek advice and interact with company representatives and government agencies.

It is Karnataka’s flagship initiative to revive traditional food habits and soil value.

“Apart from 14 organic farmer federations, State agriculture universities are also part of the organic and millet bonhomie in Bengaluru, which is regarded as the millet capital. The fair is a precursor to a national movement in millets, which are drought-resistant and require just 20% of water compared to rice. They are also packed with nutrients,” said Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda.

From a farmer’s advice book for organic farming to tips on growing, packing, grading and labelling millets and arranging a farmer-trader interface, the government is attempting to provide millets the importance that it deserves.

“The poor man’s food will become a rich man’s saviour,” said Mr. Gowda and requested the Union government to increase the base procurement price for millet to make it attractive for farmers.

“These trade fairs serve as a meeting point and space for structured negotiations between farmers and traders,” insisted the Minister.

Mr. Gowda said that Karnataka had increased organic farming from 2,500 hectares in 2004 to nearly 1 lakh today.

Union Minister for Fertilizers, Ananth Kumar said, “We will be organising a national congregation to promote healthy practices in cultivation and consumption.”

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