Madhya Pradesh State Millet Mission Scheme implemented

• 12 Apr 2023

Why in News?

On 11 April 2023, the Council of Ministers under the chairmanship of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan decided to implement Madhya Pradesh State Millet Mission Scheme in the state.

Key Points

• The implementation of this scheme will be done in all the districts through the Director, Farmers' Welfare and Agriculture Development, as well as a state-level committee will be constituted under the chairmanship of the Agriculture Production Commissioner to monitor this scheme.
• The duration of this scheme will be 2 years (2023-24 and 2024-25). In these two years, 23 crores 25 lakh rupees will be spent on the scheme.
• Under this scheme, advanced certified seeds of coarse cereals will be provided to farmers with an 80 percent subsidy from cooperative/government institutions.
• To promote the production, processing and marketing of millet crops under the Millet Mission scheme, there will be training programs for farmers and study tours outside the state. Fairs, workshops, seminars, food festivals, and road shows will be organized at the district and state levels to promote millet.
• It is notable that millet grain crops were once at the centre of the state's food and drink culture. At present, keeping in view the nutritional importance of these crops, it is necessary to promote them. These crops are often cultivated in less fertile areas.
• At present, the demand for millet crops is increasing due to increasing health awareness among consumers. Crops like Kodo, Kutki, Ragi, and Sava are very beneficial from the point of view of health. Because of the importance of these millet crops, they have been given the status of nutritious grains.
• The grains of these crops are rich in iron, calcium, fiber etc. as well as the percentage of fat in them is also less, due to which their use by heart patients and diabetes patients has been found safe. That's why it is necessary to encourage the cultivation of millet crops among the farmers and to propagate the dishes prepared from millet crops.
• There are ample possibilities for area expansion, productivity and production increase of Kodo-Kutki, Jowar & Ragi in Madhya Pradesh. Along with this, because of the increasing market of millet crops, the possibility of value addition is also very high.