Radha Mohan Singh, the Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has sent a proposal to United Nations for declaring the year 2018 as ‘International Year of Millets’.
The proposal, if agreed, will raise awareness about millets among consumers, policy makers, industry and R&D sector. Promotion of production and consumption of millets through conscious efforts at global level is likely to contribute substantially in the fight against targeted hunger and mitigate the effect of climate change in long run, says a govt release.
An important staple cereal crop for millions of small holder dryland farmers across sub-saharan Africa and Asia, millets offer nutrition, resilience, income and livelihood for farmers even in difficult times.
They have multiple untapped uses such as food, feed, fodder, biofuels and brewing. Therefore, millets are Smart Food as they are Good for You, Good for the Farmer and Good for the Planet, says Singh.