Member of Legislative Assembly Channareddy Patil Tunnur has appealed to farmers to grow more millets to meet the demand not only from within the country but also from all over the world as millets have now commonly become the super food due to government efforts.
He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a Millets and Organic Food Festival at the Agriculture College in Bheemarayanagudi of Shahapur taluk on Wednesday.
The programme was jointly organized by the district administration, the Zilla Panchayat, the Agriculture Department, the University of Agriculture Science (UAS) Raichur, the Karnataka State Agricultural Produce Processing and Export Corporation Limited (KAPPEC), the District Krishik Samaj and Atma Yojana.
Mr. Tunnur said that producing millets is not as complicated as other food produce. It is considered as an environment friendly produce with the use of less water and no damage by insects.
Moreover, millets have more nutrition than other produce, he said. Therefore, the government has been encouraging farmers and people to grow more millets as it has become the super food for people worldwide, he added.
Deputy Commissioner B. Susheela said that people many generations ago were using millets for food and they kept good health for that reason. Now, people of the present generation should understand the value of using millets for keeping good health and create awareness among farmers to switch to millets rather than growing only traditional farm produce, she said.
Chief Executive Officer of Zilla Panchayat Garima Panwar said that both the Health and Agriculture departments should manufacture food items using millets and put them up for sales in the open market to support the efforts in creating awareness on growing and using millets.
Krishik Samaj president Basanagouda Malipatil, member of Administrative Committee of University of Agriculture Science (UAS) in Raichur Mallikarjun D., Extension Director of UAS Raichur S.B. Gowdappa, scientist Jaya Prakash Narayan, Dean of Agriculture College, Bheemarayanagudi, Prakash Kuchanur, Agriculture Extension Officer Palaiah, Joint Director of Agriculture Manjula Basareddy and others were present.
