Tue Jan 21 15:55:10 UTC 2025: **Ballari Deputy Commissioner Promotes Millet Cultivation for Economic and Health Benefits**
BALLARI, Karnataka, January 21, 2025 – Ballari Deputy Commissioner Prashant Kumar Mishra urged farmers to embrace millet cultivation, highlighting its economic viability and contribution to public health. Speaking at a millet workshop on Tuesday, Mishra emphasized the crop’s low water requirement, making it a suitable alternative amid fluctuating rainfall patterns. He assured farmers of full administrative support for cultivation and the establishment of processing units.
The workshop, jointly organized by the district administration, Ballari Zilla Panchayat, and the Department of Agriculture, showcased the nutritional benefits of millets, aligning with the UN’s declaration of 2023 as the International Year of Millets. Participants emphasized the shift towards healthier food choices and the growing consumer demand for millets as a response to the prevalence of unhealthy processed foods.
Joint Director of Agriculture Somasundar K.M. highlighted India’s food security but stressed the need for nutritional security, advocating millet cultivation as a key solution. The event included presentations on millet cultivation techniques and health benefits, along with the felicitation of successful millet farmers. Forty stalls showcased millet products and government support schemes. The event underscored the potential of millet cultivation to improve both farmer livelihoods and public health in the Ballari district.
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