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Leading the Way on Millets - Minister for Agriculture Krishna Byre Gowda - Across my Table
Wednesday, April 26, 2017Me! In words
The state and the country are sitting up and paying attention to the growing focus on millets. The Minister of Agriculture Krishna Byre Gowda and The Government of Karnataka is doing some really interesting things (check it out here) to promote the use of millets, which, let's face is an intrinsic part of our culinary heritage. As part of the run-up to the The ‘National Trade Fair – Organics & Millets 2017’ I spoke to the
Minister of Agriculture Krishna Byre Gowda on his vision for millets in the state and country. 
Minister of Agriculture Krishna Byre Gowda
Why the thrust on bringing millets back?
The thrust of bringing back millets is a recent
phenomena, which has been gaining momentum over the last 4-5 years, for
numerous reasons. The interest in millets rose partly due to a rise in lifestyle related
ailments, coupled with an increase in the awareness and desire for a balanced
diet. Healthy living and eating has been gaining priority. Millets are nutritional
powerhouses, high in proteins, dietary fiber, B complex vitamins, essential
amino acids, folic acid and Vitamin E. They are particularly high in minerals
such as Iron, Magnesium, Copper, Phosphorus, Zinc, Calcium and Potassium and
hence helps cure numerous ailments. Moreover, Millets require 70% less water than rice. They require no pesticides and
minimal chemical fertilizers making them mostly organic and environment
friendly. They are low cost crops and can be grown well eve in marginal lands,
with low rainfall.
What are the measures the Government in putting
in place to make millet cultivation more lucrative for farmers?
On the production side, we have
provided greater support to farmers in terms of training and development, good
quality seeds and higher procurement prices. Efforts have been invested in creating market awareness through various
melas that were conducted in various localities of various cities in Karnataka.
We are also proactively linking business organisations with farmer and farmer
groups, with the objective of providing all stakeholders with mutual benefits. We have also been proactively establishing and
maintaining dialogues with various groups of influencers such as health
correspondents, nutritionists, health bloggers, chefs, restaurants etc. in
order to amplify the message of millets.
What are the primary
nutritive components of millets that we seem to have forgotten about and why is
it important to our diets?
Millets
are nutritional powerhouses high in proteins, dietary fiber, B complex
vitamins, essential amino acids, folic acid and Vitamin E. They are
particularly high in minerals such as Iron, Magnesium, Copper, Phosphorus,
Zinc, Calcium and Potassium. They are known as the ‘Super Food’ and apart from
reducing the risk of Diabetes, their high dietary fibre provides hunger
satisfaction and helps reduce obesity. They also help reduce the risk of cardio
vascular diseases, and are beneficial in the treating and prevention of
gallstones, stomach ulcers and relives constipation. As millets are nutritionally dense, they reduce anaemia, liver
disorders and asthma. Its hypo allergic properties help prevent allergic
reactions. Being rich in anti oxidants, millets are known to reduce oxidative
stress and reduce the risk of cancer. Lastly millets also aid in reducing the
occurrence of hyper tension.
What are the kinds of associations you have
with restaurants across the city to promote millet consumption?
We have been proactively establishing and maintaining dialogues with chefs and restaurants around the
state, in order to amplify the message of millets and have seen support from
many restaurants including Smilefe,
Soulfull Cereals, Millet Bowl, Yoga Bars and FreshMenu, who serve various
dishes made from millets.
What advantage does the state of Karnataka have
in millet production?
Karnataka aims to be the millet bowl
of India and production-wise, we aim to be the national leader in millet
production and marketing. Though millet cultivation is present in
many states across the country, from a promotional angle, no other state is
promoting millets in a comprehensive manner like Karnataka. Now due to the buzz created by Karnataka,
1 or 2 other states are taking cues to develop the cultivation and market for
millets.
What can we expect from the National Trade Fair
to be held shortly?
The ‘National Trade Fair – Organics & Millets 2017’
is a national conference and exposition on vista of opportunities in
agriculture and horticulture, processing and marketing. The event offers an
excellent opportunity for farmers, buyers, sellers, exporters of organic
produce and millets. This fair also facilitates organic product processors,
manufacturers of farm equipment and others to showcase their respective
products and expertise in organic and millet related areas. The fair serves as
an important confluence for all organic stakeholders for the promotion of
trade, sharing information and knowledge about organic agribusiness. In
Karnataka, Organic & Millet farmers have been organized into 14 Regional Federations.
They produce wide ranging variety of organic & millet crops. This trade
fair is an easy platform to connect with this wide producer base. It is a one
stop opportunity to source your requirement of organic and millet crops.
Hoping to make Karnataka the Millet Bowl of the Country
The Organics and Millets National Trade Fair 2017, 28-30 April. Join the Facebook community at https://www.facebook.com/
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