Saturday, 08 APRIL 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi on Friday said that the State government aims to double the millet production by the year 2025. He said this in an interaction with the officials of the Agriculture Department, vice chancellors of Agriculture Universities and hoteliers in a one-day workshop regarding millet fairs to be held next month. The first fair will be held in Dehradun on May 13 and 14 and second will be held in Haldwani on May 29 and 30 under the State’s Millets Mission programme. Joshi along with VCs, departmental officials and hoteliers presented their views regarding benefits of including millets in daily meals as well as on increasing its production across the State. Joshi said that most of the farmers in the state grow millets and its mention in the union budget by the central government will certainly open new doors of opportunities for farmers here at state and central level. It will expand the market of traditional produce of the state benefitting the farmers at every level, added Joshi. He said that the state government is also making all efforts to promote millets to give a boost to the farmers here and the millet fairs is one of such initiatives which will be a huge success. Joshi said that Uttarakhand is the first state in the country to fix the minimum support price of finger millet. He said that the state government has also made provision of Rs 15 crore under the State Millet Mission besides making a provision of Rs 20 crore under the incentive programme for local crops in the state. He said that it is the State government’s resolution to double the millet production by 2025 and all steps are being taken in this direction. Joshi also informed that the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in Dehradun and Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Chaudhary in Haldwani along with agriculture ministers of different states will join the fairs too. Agricultural scientists, VCs of various universities besides industrialists and farmers will also participate in the fairs. Stalls from various millet producing states will also be set up in the fairs apart from Uttarakhand farmers. Joshi also asked the officials to take initiatives to promote millet fairs across the state to make it a big success.
