Jharkhand launches drive to promote millet farming amid low rainfall

Ranchi: With low rainfall likely this year because of El Niño, the agriculture, animal husbandry and cooperative department has launched a special two-week drive to promote millet farming and protect farmers from losses.Agriculture minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey said, “It is predicted that there will be less than regular rain due to the El Niño effect. To ensure that farmers do not suffer losses, the department is actively promoting cultivation of millets, which requires much less water than paddy.”Under the special ‘Millet Mission’ drive, farmers are being offered Rs 3,000 per acre for up to 5 acres, or a maximum of Rs 15,000 per farmer.

The drive will continue till July 22, and Tirkey urged farmers to visit their nearest Pragya Kendra and register.Agriculture director Bidyanand Sharma Pankaj said millets are suited for upland areas and regions with low rainfall as they ensure maximum production with minimum investment. “Along with providing up to Rs 15,000 per farmer for millet farming, the department is also providing millet seeds at 50% and 100% subsidy,” he said.

To expand coverage, awareness drives are being held across districts. Through ‘Krishi Raths’, the department is organising panchayat-level camps where farmers are being informed about millet farming through videos, songs in local languages and other information, education and communication materials.“Officials are actively supporting farmers with enrolment in the scheme. There are also plans to felicitate the best-performing farmers,” Pankaj said.On market demand, he said many farmers, especially in the South Chhotanagpur division, are already engaged in millet farming.“Women are also making and selling millet laddus and flour through self-help groups. As people in urban areas become more health-conscious, they are gradually shifting from rice and wheat to millets, making way for a bigger market. As a result, many traders from outside the state are also procuring millets from Jharkhand,” he said.Farmers are also selling produce at outlets and farmers’ markets organised by the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS). The department is trying to involve JSLPS more in millet marketing so that more farmers benefit.