Ranchi: International Millets Year 2023 is being celebrated globally in all the countries including India. On the initiative of the Vice-Chancellor of BAU (Birsa Agricultural University), there is a possibility of promotion of millets crop in the state by the successful demonstration of millets crops by the scientists in the research of millets (coarse grains) crop in the current summer. The Directorate of Agriculture is likely to decide the strategy of the road map related to millets in the entire state in the state level Kharif Workshop cum Millets Mission program on May 17.
The Kharif Research Council meeting to be held on May 20 and 21 under the chairmanship of the BAU Vice-Chancellor and the upcoming Extension Council meeting will decide the strategy for the special research and extension program for the entire state, while in the recently held Seed Council meeting, BAU subordinate A strategy has been decided for maximum production of quality breeder seeds, foundation seeds and certified seeds of millets crops in seed production units. There is a plan to promote the cultivation of millets crops in the state by organizing workshops at the state and national levels, through KVKs, through extensive awareness campaigns and demonstrations.
Vice-Chancellor of BAU, Dr. Omkar Nath Singh says that millets are being cultivated in the state since ancient times. During the Green Revolution, the cultivation of millets was adversely affected. Ragi (Madua), Jowar and Bajra etc. are the main food crops in Millets in the state and Madua is cultivated in coarse grains in more or less all the districts. Vice-Chancellor says that in place of traditional farming of local varieties, more yield and profit can be taken by scientific farming of advanced varieties at much less cost. In the ICAR-All India Coordinated Research Small Millet Project, operated under BAU, the yield potential of improved varieties has been found up to 30 quintals per hectare, in the experiments conducted in the farmers’ fields and in the experimental fields. In years of research, BAU scientists have got success in developing 4 high yielding advanced varieties suited to the state.
The products of Millets crops are being promoted through processing and value addition in the Community Science Department of the University. A total of 300 rural women from different districts have been benefited in practical training programs last year. Information on making, packaging and marketing dozens of value added products of millets is given by the experts. Agriculture graduate students are also told about processing and value addition of millets crops. Farmers of the state can buy free technical information and certified seeds at fixed rates from the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Seed and Field Directorate and Agricultural Science Centers of the University.
