The four-day-long Shri Anna Mahotasava-2023 in Dehradun was inaugurated byUttarakhandchief ministerPushkar SinghDhami on Saturday. During the inaugural session,Dhamiemphasised the aggressive promotion of , highlighting their Climate resilience and nutritional benefits.
The event was attended by Uttarakhand Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture minister Ganesh Joshi andUttar Pradeshagriculture ministerSP Shahi, who commended Uttarakhand’s efforts in promoting millet farming. Shahi expressed his interest in adopting Uttarakhand’s Marketing model to promote millets in Uttar Pradesh.
“Traditionally, Uttarakhand has been a hub for minor millets. The state has successfully developed an integrated system for the collection, packaging, and sale of millets, providing competitive rates to farmers. I am here with my marketing team to learn the intricacies of this marketing model so that we can adopt it in Uttar Pradesh as well,” said SP Shahi.
Uttarakhand has undertaken various initiatives to boost millet farming, including the inclusion of millet products in various government schemes. According to BVRC Purushottam, the secretary of the agriculture department, who was also present at the event, “Uttarakhand currently produces nearly 2 lakh metric tons of millets annually, and the agriculture department aims to increase production by 10% each year.”
Under the Lakhpati Didi Yojna scheme, the State Government has set a target of helping 1.25 lakh Women become ‘lakhpati’ (millionaires) by 2025 by involving them in direct procurement of raw millets from farmers and supplying them to the government.