ITANAGAR, 28 Sep: A two-day event titled ‘Promotion of millets in India’, organised by the North-Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC), a central public sector enterprise under the DoNER ministry, began at Dorjee Khandu Convention Centre here on Saturday.
The event was aimed at generating awareness and promoting benefits of millet consumption to create an upstream effect of increased production by farmers.
NERAMAC Deputy General Manager (Agri-Business) Anjal Kumar Dutta highlighted the benefits of millet, “India’s golden grain,” terming it “a nutritional powerhouse and an alternative to rice.” He also spoke about the Centre’s thrust towards the produce over the last few years, “leading up to the world recognising it in the form of the International Year of Millets in 2023,” and the NERAMAC’s drive to “make India’s golden grain a household name.”
Itanagar-based Agriculture Deputy Director (Plant Protection) Tumken Angu commended the effort being made by the NERAMAC in the agri-horti sector in general, and for the promotion of millets specifically. She said that “millet is a superfood in a true sense,” and that “a collaborative effort between the NERAMAC and the state government would yield beneficial results to farmers.”
The highlights of the event were the stalls displaying millet products for sale and for awareness of the public at large.
The event is being participated in by around 50 beneficiaries, including millet farmers and entrepreneurs from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The event is supported by the union agriculture ministry.
