Zunheboto, 20 September (MTNews): In honor of the International Year of Millets, Nagaland University celebrated the occasion by hosting the 3rd Millet Recipe Contest in Lumami village on 20 September 2023. The event, graced by Dr Rakesh Kumar Chaurasia, Principal Scientist and Head of KVK, Nagaland University, aimed to promote the consumption of millets and encourage local farmers, particularly women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs), to explore millet-based entrepreneurship.
Competitors from nine SHGs of Lumami Village enthusiastically participated in the contest, showcasing their culinary creativity with various millet-based dishes. The program was presided over by Narola Anichari, Technical Officer in Home Science at KVK, NU.
Dr Rakesh Kumar Chaurasia delivered an insightful address, emphasizing the numerous health benefits associated with incorporating millets into one’s daily diet. He highlighted millets’ role in managing health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, celiac disease, and osteoporosis. Dr Chaurasia also encouraged local farmers to consider millet cultivation as it can yield premium prices in the market. He urged women’s SHGs to explore value addition in millets, a potential avenue for increasing their income.
The Millet Recipe Contest witnessed the preparation of a diverse range of millet-based delicacies, including millet pancakes, millet cupcakes, millet biscuits, millet pakoras, steamed millet dishes, and millet laddus, among others. The contestants’ culinary skills were met with admiration from the audience.
To recognize and reward the exemplary efforts of the SHGs, cash awards and certificates were presented to the top five performing groups. The winners were acknowledged for their culinary innovation and commitment to promoting millet consumption in their community.
The event concluded on a high note with a vote of thanks delivered by Dr Visakho Shunyu, Chief Technical Officer in the GPB/AGR division of KVK, NU. Dr Shunyu expressed gratitude to all participants, sponsors, and supporters for making the 3rd Millet Recipe Contest a resounding success.