BENGALURU: Within 18 years, global warming can be mitigated if farmers stop growing rice, wheat and sugarcane. If millets are grown instead, over 10.4 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide can be reduced around the world, said Dr Khadar Vali, a nutritionist, popularly known as the Millet Man of India.
Dr Vali explained that millets grow by themselves and don’t need much assistance. Karnataka, currently facing drought in several districts, can easily grow millets, which are versatile. “Come rain or shine, millets can be grown in drought areas as they can flourish between 10 degrees and 45 degrees Celsius because of the genomic content of the grain. However, unfortunately, our food culture has increasingly become monoculture between rice and wheat,” he said.
For the last 30 years, Dr Vali has been propagating the benefits of millets and creating awareness on how the super foodgrains can keep diseases in check. “We need robust research on millets that will make them acceptable in society. Millets can protect your mitochondria and safeguard your body against microbial imbalance and hormonal imbalance. If you eat millet every day, you will get rid of diabetes, thyroid, cancers and all other diseases that will be thrown out of your body. Each year, $827 billion is collected by diabetic pharmacies,” he claimed during the conversation.
Currently, millets constitute only 1.5 to 1.8 per cent of the total grains produced in the country. "We need to focus more on rain-fed agriculture and initiate policy changes. Subsidies should be made available to farmers who depend on rain for their farming. Only when we popularise eating millet in society will farmers be able to grow them. A demand needs to be created,” he emphasised.
Dr Vali said he has been consuming millet for the last 30 years and every meal can be a millet meal. He emphasised the need to make midday meals only out of millet so that they are more nutritious. He explained that experts, doctors and agriculturists need to come together to create a movement on millets.