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Millet will be helpful during global food crisis: U.P. CM
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath emphasizes the significance of millet in the Vedic era and its usefulness in addressing future food crises. Adityanath inaugurated a state-level exhibition and workshop on millet, stating that research is needed to increase its productivity. He also expressed satisfaction that millets have become a part of daily consumption for many families. During the ceremony, Adityanath honored farmer producer organizations and provided assistance for millet processing plants.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has said that ‘Sri Anna’ (millet) has held significance since the Vedic era as he stressed that the future too when the world faces a food crisis, the usefulness of Sri Anna will increase.
Inaugurating a state level Sri Anna Mahotsav, exhibition and workshop here on Friday, he said the Covid period imparted a significant lesson that the more we embraced an artificial lifestyle, the more susceptible we became to epidemics.
“We must adopt a natural habitat and lifestyle and Sri Anna will be very helpful in this regard. There is a need for research and investigation to increase its productivity,” he said.
“Uttar Pradesh has the potential to emerge as a hub for Sri Anna production in the country,” he added. The CM also visited the exhibition organised by Sri Anna producers from all over the state. Sri Anna Mahotsav will be organised for three days.
Yogi noted that till the sixth and seventh decades of the last century, coarse grains were produced in large quantities. This was part of our daily lives. However, due to population growth and a slowdown in research and development, their production decreased.
The CM said it was a matter of satisfaction that now Sri Anna had become a part of every family’s daily consumption in one form or the other. “Substantial efforts have been initiated in this regard, leading to the creation of innovative products from millets. Not only are these products nutritious, they also offer a delightful culinary experience,” he said.
During the ceremony, the CM honoured 35 farmer producer organisations working in the area of ‘Sri Anna’. Apart from this, assistance of ₹95 lakh each was provided to five Krishi Vigyan Kendras of the state (Jhansi, Lalitpur, Banda, Hamirpur, and Ghazipur) for millets processing plants.
Besides, the farmer producer organisations that trained and encouraged a large number of farmers for millets farming were also honoured by the CM during the ceremony.
State agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi; MSME minister Rakesh Sachan; minister of state for agriculture Baldev Singh Aulakh; UP Agricultural Research Council chairman Captain Vikas Gupta; agriculture production commissioner Manoj Kumar Singh besides farmers from various districts were prominent among those present on the occasion.
