The consumption grew from 2-3 kg per person per month to 14 kg per person per month, according to Modi, who stated that since India began working to promote millets in 2018, consumption has increased in the roughly 12 states that cultivate millet.
Digital Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that India has similarly pushed millets for global benefit, citing examples of how it pioneered the globalisation of yoga and established an international forum for promoting solar energy. He claimed, in a speech at the World Millets Conference in New Delhi, that millets will benefit the nation's small farmers by providing revenue, addressing difficulties with food security, reducing lifestyle diseases, and enhancing climate change resilience.
Almost 75 lakh farmers virtually attended the conference at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Pusa in addition to representatives from nations including the Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, and the Gambia. At the event, a commemorative stamp and coin were also revealed.
The 2.5 crore small and marginal farmers who depend on these crops, according to the prime minister, will benefit from millets' increased global recognition. He claimed that the government was now paying attention to small farmers' concerns at this level for the first time since Independence.
The consumption grew from 2-3 kg per person per month to 14 kg per person per month, according to Modi, who stated that since India began working to promote millets in 2018, consumption has increased in the roughly 12 states that cultivate millet.
He said that more than 500 start-ups have been created to produce millet products. Self-help organisations and farmer organisations are also moving with this approach. Millet goods have been chosen as part of the government's "one district, one product" initiative in 19 districts.
The prime minister stated that in addition to sharing India's knowledge of millets with the globe, India would also like to pick up tips from other nations that could have more innovative ideas or specialisations.
He said that the government's production-linked incentive programmes might encourage an increasing number of millets-using food processing businesses to further promote millets. The prime minister urged other leaders to follow the example of the several states that already purchase millets as part of their public distribution system. He suggested including millets in the mid-day meals to provide them with more diversity, newer tastes, and nourishment. Millets make up approximately 5 to 6 percent of the country's total nutrition, according to him, thus there are numerous opportunities.
In his closing remarks, Modi urged everyone in attendance to think carefully about his points and develop a plan for implementing them into action.
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