Secretary Ravinder Kumar chaired a meeting to discuss means and measures for the promotion of the cultivation of millets in Ladakh.
The year 2023 has been declared the “International Year of Millets” by the United Nations on India’s proposal, as India is the largest producer of millets in the world and aims to become the global hub of millets.
Gluten-free, high in fiber content, and loaded with proteins, essential minerals, iron, calcium, etc, the meeting held discussions on millets’ nutritional and health benefits and its suitability for cultivation in harsh climate conditions.
The meeting also held discussions of the two kinds of millets – foxtail millet and proso millet – cultivated in pockets across Ladakh and various traditional food items prepared with these millets, apart from being used as livestock fodder.
An urgent need to promote its cultivation as a second crop in Ladakh was highlighted during the meeting. In this regard, deliberations were held on conducting awareness programs in villages in collaboration with PRIs, incentivizing seeds, holding food festivals to promote millet recipes, developing recipe and information booklets, conducting school-level quizzes, identification of entrepreneurs working with millets, promoting millet items during government organized events, etc.
Director DIHAR Dr. Om Prakash Chaurasia, Director Tourism Kunzes Angmo, Director Health Dr. Mutup Dorjey, Director Horticulture Department, Leh Mohd Yousuf Dar, Dr. Dorjay Namgyall Associate Director SKUAST, Chief Agriculture Officer Kargil Mohd Ali Khan, Leh and representative of Chief Agriculture Officer Leh attended the meeting.
