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Union govt sees need for Karnataka to augment millet production
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Friday, 14 January, 2022, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
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Union Government sees the need for Karnataka, to augment its millet production. The state which is the largest producer of millets accounts for the cultivation of all the seven varieities covering Foxtail millet, Pearl Millet, Barnyard Millet, Proso Millet, Little Millet and Amaranth Millet.
In fact, finger millet or ragi is the staple diet of the state along with rice. Hence the state should also look at marketing millets to other states in the country said Union Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey who was here in Bengaluru to meet up with the senior state officials.
Noting that it is important for Karnataka to partner with Hyderabad’s Indian Institute of Millets, Pandey said that it needs to enhance its market opportunity and encourage startups to take up processing of value-added products with millets.
With 2023 declared as the International Year of Millets, Pandey said that if millets were marketed to other states then the government would bear the logistics. It was since Karnataka was also known for rice consumption, he said that the state government should procure fortified rice locally and undertake fortification of rice at milling stage itself.
“FRK which is fortified rice kernels units need to be set up to garner the long-term objective of 100 per cent fortified rice. The State Health department can monitor health development of children to get benefits under the Integrated Child Development Scheme and Midday Meal Scheme under which fortified rice distribution is undertaken,” he said.
The Union government has also approved procurement of local varieties of paddy from Dakshina Kannada district. Following the state’s move to release the subsidy in advance, Pandey called to submit the provisional expenditure before commencement of procurement based on which advances can be released.
The state government also asked for one unified software for procurement operations which the Union food secretary said was under consideration.
Since Karnataka also was recognised as among the largest producers of sugar in the country, Pandey indicated the need to focus on ethanol production and blending as Karnataka was identified among eight states in the country for launch of 100 ethanol bunks in metros.
In addition, Pandey indicated the plans of ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ for migrant labourers, coffee plantation workers and other settlement workers engaged in construction activities to be taken up by the state government in a time-bound manner for the benefit of the poor.
Crops grown in Karnataka include rice, maize, pulses and oil seeds. Cashews, cardamom and chillies are also produced on a large scale in the state.
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