The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, inaugurated a four-day millet festival in the state, with the aim of encouraging millet cultivation among farmers. The festival, named ‘Shree Anna Mahotsav 2023’ saw hundreds of farmers participate and was declared a watershed moment in the promotion of millet production in the state.
During the festival's opening ceremony, Dhami stated that the event would not only boost millet farming but also provide farmers with crucial knowledge about the crop. He attributed the United Nations' decision to designate 2023 as the International Millet Year to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had proposed the idea.
The Chief Minister emphasized the nutritional and medicinal properties of millets like Mandwa, Chaulai, and Jhingora, stating that such activities would assist in making these crops a part of every household's staple diet.
He also discussed the state government's efforts to promote millet production, including the announcement of a minimum support price for millet crops, the facilitation of online payment to farmers who sell their crops to the government for distribution through the public distribution system, and their inclusion in the mid-day meal program.
According to Dhami, these measures have encouraged farmers to produce millets, which has resulted in increased revenue for them. In the budget, the state has allocated Rs 73 crore for the Millet Mission.
During the festival, the Chief Minister visited millet-based product stalls and released a book called "Swad Ke Saath Swasthya," which talks about Uttarakhand's healthy crops. The agricultural minister of Uttarakhand, Ganesh Joshi, stated that the state has set a goal of tripling millet and horticultural production by 2025.
