TAG: GS 3: AGRICULTURE
THE CONTEXT: Vishala Reddy Vuyyala, an entrepreneur based in Hyderabad, has launched “Decode Millet,” a comprehensive project aimed at promoting millets among corporate sector employees across eight major cities in India.
EXPLANATION:
- This initiative, spanning over 16 months, aims to engage a million employees through various activities such as presentations, cooking sessions, and pop-up events.
- Vishala’s journey into the millet business was inspired by her upbringing in the agrarian belt of Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh, where millets like ragi, jowar, samalu, and arikelu have been traditionally cultivated.
- Witnessing the decline in millet cultivation and the meager returns received by farmers, Vishala was motivated to revive interest in millets both for their nutritional value and economic viability.
Decode Millet’s Objectives and Strategy
- Decode Millet aims to dispel misconceptions about millets and promote their consumption among corporate employees, particularly in the IT sector.
- By engaging with 150 corporate houses across major cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad, Vishala hopes to highlight the health benefits of millets and encourage healthier dietary choices among professionals.
- The importance of promoting millets as a healthier alternative has been emphasized, especially in light of the health risks associated with sedentary lifestyles prevalent in the corporate sector.
- Millets offer nutritional benefits and are well-suited to arid climates, making them an environmentally sustainable choice for agriculture.
- Through the company Millet Bank and Minkan Agro Industries Pvt Ltd, she not only produces millet-based products but also offers a range of traditional craft accessories under the brand Krisayu Gifting.
Millets:
- Millets are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food.
- Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae.
- Millets are important crops in the semiarid tropics of Asia and Africa (especially in India, Mali, Nigeria, and Niger), with 97% of millet production in developing countries.
- This crop is favored due to its productivity and short growing season under dry, high-temperature conditions.
- The term millet is sometimes understood to comprise the widely cultivated sorghum.
- Apart from that, pearl millet is the most cultivated of the millets. Pearl millet and sorghum are important crops in India and parts of Africa.
- Finger millet, proso millet, and foxtail millet are also important crop species.
- Millets may have been consumed by humans for about 7,000 years and potentially had “a pivotal role in the rise of multi-crop agriculture and settled farming societies.
International Year of Millets (IYM):
- The International Year of Millets (IYM) was declared by the United Nations General Assembly at its 75th session in March 2021, designating 2023 as the year to celebrate and raise awareness about the importance of millets globally.
- This initiative, led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in collaboration with various stakeholders, aims to highlight the nutritional and health benefits of millets, promote their sustainable production, and create new market opportunities for producers and consumers.
- Millets, often referred to as “Nutri-Cereals,” are known for their high nutritional content compared to common cereals like wheat, rice, or corn.
- They are resilient crops that can grow on arid lands with minimal inputs, making them ideal for countries looking to enhance self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imported grains.
- The International Year of Millets serves as a platform to emphasize the significance of millets in addressing food security, nutrition, and climate resilience, while also encouraging investment in research and development to enhance their production and quality