Training and Awareness Program on promotion of millet cultivation held
The Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, SASRD, Nagaland University, Medziphema under its Farmer Awareness Program banner “Socio-economic upliftment of farmer community using millet based technologies” organized a training and awareness program on promotion of millet cultivation in collaboration with State Agriculture Research Station at Yisemyong, Mokokchung on Tuesday.
Temsuinla, Joint Director of SARS, underscored during a brief keynote presentation that farmers urgently need to recognize the negative consequences of climate change and how to grow different millets by changing their agricultural practices. According to her, “Climate change has led to altering patterns in plant growth, leading individuals to adopt different agricultural farming practices.”
She also emphasized the significance of maintaining and improving soil quality, which she said has been declining as a result of the use of salt.
According to Dr. Pankaj Shah, Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding NU: SASRD, Coordinator- Millets Scheme, who spoke at the program as a resource person, millets have been cultivated in the Indian subcontinent for more than 5000 years. He continued by saying that research showed people who consumed millets were more immune to diseases and other deficiencies.
Dr. Shah continued by highlighting the benefits of millets consumption and pointing out that they are high in dietary fiber, devoid of gluten, and do not produce acids. Additionally, millets are a good source of protein, phytochemicals, and minerals.
Dr. Shah also provided a brief overview of the Millets Promotion Scheme, which was sanctioned by the ICAR-IIMR in Hyderabad for SASRD, Nagaland University with the goal of promoting millets production in the state of Nagaland. According to him, the department of GPB, SASRD, NU, Medziphema has set up the main milling facility for millets, and for which different pieces of machinery, including vacuum packing machines, grader, pulverizer, polisher, dehullers and destoners, have been purchased and installed at the facility.
Speaking at the program, representatives of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Yisemyong, Dr. Keviletsu Khathe. Sr. Scientist & Head and Tokiho Achumi, Asst. Chief Technical Officer, Division of Agronomy, KVK-Mokokchung spoke on the cultivation of millets in Nagaland. Dr. Khathe reminisced how as a child 30 years back, millets were considered as food products ate by the poor sections of the society, adding to that he said it had been a misconception.
Dr. Khathe continued by saying that millets are a smart crop since they are helpful for conditions like diabetes and hypertension and are not impacted by droughts or heavy rains.
Achumi emphasized the Buy Back Policy of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, which let farmers to get free seeds while the KVK would assure that the department purchased the crop back after harvest.
Thepfukolie Kehie and Barbara M. Humtsoe, JRF, resource persons, discussed climate change and the enhanced Jhum Compost Method during the program, while Temsuinla, Joint Director, discussed composting techniques.
Around 60 people from the adjacent villages of Salulamang, Mopungchuket, Sungratsu, Mongsenyimti, and Yisemyong participated in the program.