Millets Can Boost Farmers’ Resilience, Promote Healthier Food Systems: LG Sinha

Jammu, Sep 21: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday called for bringing millets back into mainstream Indian diets and agriculture, saying the traditional crops can strengthen climate-resilient farming, improve farmers’ livelihoods and promote healthier food systems.

Addressing a national dialogue on “Millets for health: Building healthy ecosystems, climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable food systems” at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology here, Sinha said millets had been part of India’s agricultural heritage for centuries.

“Today, science is understanding this traditional wisdom through new research and evidence. Countries across the world that are facing the challenge of climate change are also realising that the food of the future will not merely be food that can be produced in large quantities. It will have to be nutritious, profitable for farmers and sustainable for the planet,” Sinha said.

According to experts, millets are climate-resilient, nutrient-dense crops that can replace water-heavy grains like rice, wheat, and maize as global temperatures rise and water becomes scarce.

Tracing the heritage of millets, Sinha said sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, kodo millet, little millet, foxtail millet and barnyard millet had nourished generations of farmers and families.

He said millet crops could grow in difficult weather conditions and provide support to farming families.

Expressing gratitude to Padma Shri Dr Khadar Vali, widely known as the “Millet Man of India”, and Umendra Dutt of Kheti Virasat Mission, who is credited with reviving and preserving organic farming and natural farming methods, Sinha lauded their efforts in spreading awareness about millets in Jammu and Kashmir through the National Millets Mission.

Highlighting the relevance of millets to Jammu and Kashmir, he said more than 80 per cent of farmers in the region were small and marginal and depended heavily on uncertain weather conditions.

Millets require comparatively less water and fewer inputs and could provide farmers greater resilience and sustainability, he said, urging them to embrace millet cultivation as a pathway towards self-reliance.

“I see the millets mission as the greatest hope for the smallest farmer in our villages,” Sinha said, adding that the administration had prepared a strategy under the Holistic Agriculture Development Plan to promote the health of future generations, prosperity of farmers and protection of the environment.

He said millet cultivation could give marginal farmers in Jammu and Kashmir greater confidence while reducing farming risks.

“Although the size of your landholding may be small, your contribution to building a self-reliant Jammu Kashmir can never be small,” he said.

The Lt Governor also highlighted the nutritional benefits of millets, including dietary fibre, low glycaemic index and nutrients such as iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc.

He urged people to include millet-based foods such as bajra rotis, ragi dishes and barnyard millet rice in their diets to help address lifestyle-related health concerns such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension.

On the economic potential of millets, Sinha stressed the need to develop a millet economy from farm to market and promote value-added products.

“With India producing 18 million tonnes of millets in 2024-25 and accounting for 38 per cent of global production, the importance of value-added millet products is immense,” he said.

He called for encouraging women’s self-help groups and young entrepreneurs in Jammu and Kashmir to develop millet-based enterprises, packaging and branding under initiatives such as One District, One Product.

Sinha urged farmers, researchers, doctors, entrepreneurs and citizens to work towards making food systems more diverse, nutritious, sustainable and resilient.

“Millets are not merely a heritage of the past, but they are a strategy for the future of Jammu Kashmir,” he said, calling for efforts to ensure that every village has opportunities and future generations inherit a healthy planet.

Sinha said the event was not merely a seminar but a celebration of a revolution rooted in India’s villages.

He also highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in promoting millets, noting that they were described as “nutri-cereals” and given the name “Shree Anna” in 2018, while the UN declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets.

On the occasion, Sinha released several publications, including “A Laboratory Manual on Soil Microbiology,” “Fundamentals of Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing”, and “Package of Practices for Minor Millets.” (DE)