BENGALURU: As part of its efforts to celebrate year 2023 as ‘International Year of Millets’, as designated by the United Nations, Karnataka, one of the leading cultivators of millets, is planning to promote the crop by increasing its use among the people of the state, especially among children and youngsters, besides helping farmers to get better returns.
The Agriculture Department is approaching various stakeholders, including the Departments of Public Instruction, Higher Education, Social Welfare and even Women and Child Welfare to promote the use of millets in a big way.
Currently, Food and Civil Supplies Department is supplying millets like ragi and jowar under the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the state.
Speaking to The New Sunday Express, Agriculture Minister B C Patil said, “We have urged the Education Department to introduce millets in mid-day meals for schoolchildren from the next academic year.
Depending on the region, food ranging from ‘ragi mudde’ to ‘jowar roti’, will be introduced,” he said.
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The Social Welfare Department has been told to promote the use of millets in hostels being run by them for students from Backward Classes. Likewise, Women and Child Welfare Department will be introducing millets in Anganwadi centres.
Explaining further, Minister Patil said, “We want the young generation to take nutritious food. This also means that we are building a stronger next generation to some extent. We are trying to ensure that our farmers too have good returns,” he added.
The government has also decided to approach private colleges to urge them to include millets in their college canteens. “There are many recipes that can be made with millets. If this proposal is accepted by private colleges, it will open a new market for our farmers,” BC Patil said.
It can be noted that during Siddaramiah-led Congress government, the then Agriculture Minister Krishna
Byregowda had strongly advocated the use of millets at the Central level as well as in the state. “His efforts led to the Centre declaring year 2018 as the ‘National Year of Millet’, a senior Agriculture Department official said.