The only state in the country where millets are being bought at the support price
Millet will be sown in 1.5 lakh hectare in the current Kharif season
Raipur, 17 June 2023
Chhattisgarh is becoming the millet hub of the country. Here, due to the encouragement of millet cultivation by the state government, the trend of farmers is increasing rapidly towards the cultivation of Kodo, Kutki and Ragi. Millet Mission has also been started to promote millet cultivation in the state. Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Association has purchased 5 thousand 273 tonnes of millet worth Rs 16.03 crore in the year 2021-22 and 13 thousand 05 tonnes of millet worth Rs 39.60 crore in the year 2022-23 at the support price. In the Kharif year 2023, a target has been set to increase the area under cultivation of millets from 96 thousand hectare to 01 lakh 60 thousand hectare.
Special initiative of Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel Millets are being procured on support price. Chhattisgarh is the only state in the country, where along with the purchase of Kodo, Kutki and Ragi at the support price, the work of its value addition is also being done. The state government has fixed the support price of Kodo-Kutki at Rs 03 thousand per quintal and Ragi at Rs 3 thousand 377 per quintal. In the last season, farmers had sold 34 thousand 298 quintals of millets for Rs 10 crore 45 lakh on the support price.
Mr. Balluram earned 68 thousand rupees from ragi cultivation
Mr. Balluram, a farmer of Amlidih village of Dongargaon development block, planted ragi crop in 1 hectare instead of paddy under the National Agriculture Development Scheme. In which vermicompost prepared under the government’s ambitious Godhan Nyaya Yojana was used and the seeds of ragi crop were also provided free of cost to the farmers. In which 12 quintals of production was obtained after harvesting and by selling ragi, he got an income of 68 thousand rupees. Balluram told that comparing the cost and profit with his traditional paddy crop, his profit has been almost one and a half times more. Now every year ragi crop will be taken in maximum area.
Millets are rich in nutrients
Coarse grains have been used for a long time in many tribal areas of the country. It is very beneficial from the point of view of health, so now these grains are being used a lot in other areas as well. According to experts, Kodo, Kutki and Ragi are considered protein and vitamin rich grains. Its consumption gives benefits in diseases like sugar, BP. Crops like Kodo, Kutki, Ragi have an important place in the tribal culture and food of Surguja and Bastar.
Chhattisgarh has got National Award
It is worth mentioning that the state of Chhattisgarh has also received the National Level Nutritious Grain Award 2022 for promoting the cultivation of millets. To promote millets production in the state, it has been included in the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana. To encourage millets producing farmers, input assistance of Rs 9 thousand per acre is also being given. The cultivation of millets requires less water and less fertilizer. As a result of which the cost of its cultivation is very less and the profit of the productive farmers is more.
Millet will be hi-tech farming in 14 districts
Keeping in mind the promotion of millet cultivation, training of farmers, availability of high quality seeds and increase in productivity, the Millet Mission is being run in the state. 14 districts have signed a tripartite MoU with IIMR Hyderabad under the Millet Mission with the efforts of the Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Association. Under the Chhattisgarh Millet Mission, a target has also been set to increase the productivity of millet from 4.5 quintals per acre to 9 quintals ie doubling.
