Initiative to promote millet cultivation

Women showing a collection of millets in Visakhapatnam on Friday. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

To revive cost-effective and hassle-free millet cultivation across the Eastern Ghats and help identify, conserve, and develop the coastal region as one of the rich biodiversity corridors, a two-day workshop on millets will be held in Visakhapatnam on December 13 and 14.

Millet Network of India (MINI), Hyderabad, is organising it for the first time in the city partnering with Andhra University, Sarada Valley Development Samithi, and Sabala, a civil society organisation.

The regional-level conference aims at bringing about change in farming culture, apart from advocating the ancient art of millet-based culinary skills.

Inclusion of millets in the Public Distribution System and mid-day meal scheme, promotion of millet cropping system among the farming community, and challenges involved in producing and marketing the coarse grains will be discussed during the conference.

“The objective is to promote millet food tradition across all levels. But the task before us is to figure out ways to make this education as absorbing as possible, and help people drive home the message of long-term benefits of including power-packed millets in the diet,” says Spurgeon Raj, coordinator of MINI.

Farmers, journalists, anganwadi workers, nutritionists, and experts from various departments would participate in the conference. Paper presentation, case studies, PowerPoint presentation, and an organic food exhibition will form a part of the programme.

“There is a need for a paradigm shift in agriculture and food consumption to arrest malnutrition. Millets like finger millet (ragi), foxtail millet (korra), and little millet (saama) are rich in minerals, proteins, fibre, and vitamins, and play a role in boosting our immune system and can replace rice and wheat in our diet,” says K. Saraswathi, executive secretary of Sabala.

NGO representatives and farmers from Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam districts are expected to take part in the two-day workshop to be held at AU Economics Department from 10.30 a.m. to 6 p.m.