Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, along with Rajbir Singh, Managing Director, NAFED, commemorated the launch of the first of its kind ‘Millets Experience Centre (MEC)’ at Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi on Friday.
NAFED in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare established the Millets Experience Centre with an aim to raise awareness on Millets and encourage its adoption among the general public.
Highlighting the visionary efforts of the Prime Minister, Tomar said India is gearing towards becoming a ‘Global Hub’ for Millets. The setting up of the MEC is a step in that direction, he added. Situated in the heart of Delhi, Dilli Haat is a national & cultural hub for visitors from all around the world.
Tomar also highlighted that the year-long celebrations for millets (Shree Anna) will entail myriad activities aimed at creating awareness around the environmental, health and economic benefits of millet farming.
Rajbir Singh, Managing Director, NAFED, praised the joint efforts by the Ministry and NAFED for the initiatives being undertaken for the promotion of Millets (Shree Anna) and execution of IYM-2023. “Millets Experience Centre (Shree Anna) is a unique concept that will help in the recognition of the immense potential of millets (Shree Anna) as a versatile and healthy grain” he added.
Nafed MD said this MEC (Shree Anna) will enable the consumers to enjoy an expansive Millet menu and an ‘in-store’ shopping experience featuring a wide variety of millet-based products developed by home grown startups- all under one roof. He further said that the millets (Shree Anna)-based products will also be instrumental in promoting healthy snacking among customers, encouraging them towards adopting healthier millets-centric diets.
Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, also highlighted the government-led
initiatives for mainstreaming millets. Speaking about the collaboration of NAFED and the Ministry, Ahuja said that ventures like the Millets Experience Centre would help widen the horizon for consumers who are actively looking for healthier alternatives and bring visibility to India’s robust millet-based start-up community.
Ahuja also added that more such Millet Experience Centres are likely to open across Delhi and other states very soon through partnership with retail chains, hotels and F&B industry.
It bears recalling that on the initiative of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and acting upon India’s proposal supported by 72 countries, the United Nations General Assembly declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM 2023).
Shubha Thakur, Joint Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare proposed vote of thanks.
