SHREE ANNA ABHIYAN (SAA)

INTRODUCTION

Ragi (Eleusine Coracana) is an important minor millet grown in India. It is gaining increasing importance as a food that can address several health and life-style issues that affect our population today, along with being a good source of essential minerals. It can withstand severe drought conditions and can grow throughout the year and on different soils, including weathered lateritic soils as well as tolerate high salinity. Its adaptability to the higher elevations makes its suitable to grow even at a height of more than 2000 meters above sea level.
Along with ragi, a whole range of millets have also been important staples of rural communities in different parts of India, and especially, the tribal regions, where upland rainfed cultivation is a common practice. These crops including sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), foxtail millet (Setaria Italica), little millet (Panicum sumatrense), kodo millet (Pasupalam scrobiculatum), barnyard millet (Echinochloa esculenta), etc. These are also highly known to be highly nutritious have an good market demand.

Objectives of the Project

The Millet Mission recognizes millets as a sustainable solution to rising crop failures and nutritional deficiencies. The project aims to revive millet cultivation and consumption through the following strategic objectives:

Increase consumption of millets in both rural and urban areas
Establish decentralized millet processing units
Improve overall productivity and crop resilience
Strengthen marketing systems for better price realization
Integrate millets into ICDS, MDM, and PDS schemes
Promote millet consumption through folk media, food festivals, and capacity building