Shillong, Aug 30: The CAU-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), South Garo Hills, under ICAR-ATARI Zone-VII, Umiam celebrated World Millets Day today in Chokpot.
The programme was organised to create awareness among rural youth about the nutritional, health and agricultural importance of millets and to promote their scientific cultivation.
The programme witnessed the participation of 48 rural youth from different villages of South Garo Hills.
On the occasion, a publication titled ‘Importance of Millets’, authored by Athokpam Haribhushan, Principal Scientist and Head, and Rike Chelchak A Sangma, Subject Matter Specialist(Agronomy), was released and distributed among the participants. The publication aims to enhance awareness about the nutritional and health benefits of millets and their importance in promoting healthy diets and sustainable agriculture.
In his inaugural address, Haribhushan emphasised the need to expand the area under millet cultivation and adopt scientific cultivation practices for enhancing productivity and improving farmers’ income.
The technical session was conducted by Sangma, who elaborated on the different types of millets suitable for the district, their nutritional and health benefits, and the complete package of practices (PoP) for successful millet cultivation under the agro-climatic conditions of South Garo Hills.
As part of the programme, different types of millets were displayed and demonstrated to the participants to provide them with a better understanding of millet diversity, identification and utilisation.
The programme concluded with an interactive session between the participants and KVK scientists and staff, during which various queries related to millet cultivation, value addition, processing and marketing prospects were discussed and addressed.
