Uttar Pradesh govt looks to double millet area to 2.5 mn hectares

Close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi christening millets as ‘Sri Anna’ (divine foodgrain), the Uttar Pradesh government is looking to more than double the cultivated area of indigenous foodgrains.

The state is targetting to increase the millets acreage from about 1.1 million hectares to over 2.5 million hectares. UP is among the top millet producing states in India with its basket comprising jowar, bajra, kodo, ragi, kottu and sanwa.

At the same time, the state will launch exclusive millet outlets and engage women rural entrepreneurs and self-help groups (SHG) in its value chain.

According to the agriculture department, the current cultivated area of jowar and bajra in UP stands at more than 170,000 hectares and 900,000 hectares, respectively.

“Apart from increasing the acreage of millets, the state is also taking steps to augment the institutional procurement of ‘Sri Anna’ to encourage farmers to adopt its cultivation,” a senior official said.

Millets offer a spectrum of low-risk crops, which are resilient to climate change. As such, the state has decided to promote the cultivation of such nutritious cereals in the rain-fed areas.

Meanwhile, the government has drafted a multi-pronged strategy to promote consumption of millets and popularise cuisine based on such cereals. UP Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra issued a circular in this regard to the departments concerned, including tourism, food & civil supplies, rural development, etc.

While the state is planning to introduce millets in the mid-day meal scheme, the tourism department will organise cooking competitions for hotels and restaurants focussing on the cereal. Foodchains, hotels and restaurants have been advised to prominently display millet-based menus.

Under the one district one product (ODOP) template, bajra cultivation will be promoted in Agra and Kanpur divisions, while Mirzapur and Sonbhadra divisions will be entrusted with boosting kodo and sanwa.