Three-day ‘Chhattisgarh Millet Carnival’ in Raipur from February 17
National experts will share the specialties of Millets in Carnival
There will be a live demonstration of the famous chefs of the country’s millet dishes
Raipur, 16 February 2023
For the next three days, from 17th to 19th February, Netaji Subhash Stadium of capital Raipur will smell delicious millet dishes of kodo, kutki and ragi, filled with pearls of health. Here ‘Chhattisgarh Millet Carnival’ is being organized under the joint aegis of Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Association and IIMR Hyderabad. Discussions by experts, new recipes by renowned chefs, street plays, innovative dishes and products of millets will be the main attractions of the carnival to promote millets in the state.
It is worth mentioning that according to the intention of the Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel, a plan has been made by taking necessary initiatives to create a complete millet ecosystem from cultivation to consumption in the state of Chhattisgarh. In this context, carnival is being organized with the aim of including millet in the daily diet of the people and to create public awareness about its nutritious value. There will be a live display of products and delicacies of millets in the carnival. Along with this, there will be a Millet Food Court, where common citizens will be able to enjoy the delicious dishes of Millet.
Similarly discussions will be held by national experts to share the specialties of millets with the participants and visitors. Also, millet start-ups will display their packaged millet products to generate demand in millets. Apart from this, street plays by educational institutions and cultural programs by local folk artists will be presented every evening to make the young generation aware about the environmental benefits of millet cultivation. In this, the famous chefs of the country will also teach how to make new delicious dishes of millet.
It is noteworthy that after the announcement of celebrating the year 2023 as the International Millet Year, the Millet Mission was launched in Chhattisgarh on January 10, 2022, with the signing of an MoU between ICAR-IIMR and 14 districts in a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister. The Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Association was also directed to purchase Kodo, Kutki and Ragi at the minimum support price declared by the state government. On this occasion, the Minor Forest Produce Association also tied up with ICAR, under which IIMR became the knowledge partner of the Millet Mission.
National level experts will participate in the discussion from different states of the country
There will be an in-depth discussion by several national experts to share the specialties of millet with the participants and visitors to the carnival. Dr. Girish Chandel, Chief Scientist Dr. Adikant Pradhan, Dr. Vivek Kumar Tripathi and Dr. Hulas Pathak from Indira Gandhi Agricultural University Raipur will mainly participate in these. Similarly, Director APEDA Dr. Tarun Bajaj, Dean Dr. A.K. Dave, Scientist Dr. S. Babu, Senior Scientist Dr. K.N. Ganapati, Mrs. Priya Karkera from Nestle, Mrs. Trupti Pandey from Pepsi Company, Mr. Anant Arora and Mrs. Kavita Devi from Samarpan Natural Farms etc.
Eminent chefs of the country will demonstrate new millet dishes
Similarly, eminent chefs of the country will demonstrate the method of making new millet dishes and also present those dishes to the guests. These will include Chef Gunjan Goyla, Chef Sudhir Sibbal and renowned chefs from prestigious institutions of the country like Chef Vikas Chawla and Chef Neeraj Tyagi from GM Operation Haldi Ram New Delhi. The general public will also be introduced to the delicious dishes of millet through the millet food court during the carnival. Among these, Avinash Foods from Andhra Pradesh, Jagannath Millets Hub from Odisha, Naya Millets from Telangana and Millet Cafe from Raigarh Chhattisgarh will have live display through stalls.
Millet start-ups will be present with their packaged millet products
During the carnival, millet start-ups will be present with their packaged millet products to create demand for millet. In these, a stall will be set up in the name of Jeevitha Enterprises Jenny Millet Health Mixes from Karnataka. Similarly, Immuno Millets by Samarpan Natural Farms from Chhattisgarh, The Right Foods by Jobara Foods Pvt Ltd from Maharashtra and Grandmother Millets by Nutraceuticals Organic from Uttar Pradesh will be set up. Shatabdi Organics by Shatabdi Organics and Harika Foods by Harika Foods from Telangana, Enrich by Enrich and Coastal Foods by Coastal Foods from Andhra Pradesh and Ogmo Foods by Ogmo Foods from Tamil Nadu and Bisra Agrotech by Bisra Agrotech Pvt Ltd.
Chhattisgarh is the first state where Kodon, Kutki is being purchased at Rs.30 per kg and Ragi at Rs.33.77 per kg. CSIDC has introduced a scheme of 50 percent subsidy on land, plant and equipment in select blocks to encourage millet based industries. The state cabinet has announced an amount of Rs 9 thousand per acre under the Rajiv Gandhi Nyay Yojana to encourage the production of millet. This amount will be given to the farmers for cultivation of Kodo, Kutki and Ragi. In order to increase the consumption of millet products in the state, there is a plan to include millet products in PDS, Anganwadi and Mid Day Meal soon.
