Merge millets with meals to stay healthy

Nauni, January 19, 2023: This year gives a fantastic opportunity to make millets an integral part of the meals and reap the benefits of good health. Nek Ram Sharma, a progressive millets farmer of Himachal Pradesh and popularly referred to as the ‘Millet man of Himachal’ expressed these views while addressing the teachers of Vidya Bharati who were on a one-day exposure visit to the Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni.

Addressing the gathering, Sharma said that the International Year of Millets has brought out the importance of millets to the forefront and has allowed us to increase awareness and incorporate these foods into our daily lifestyle. He also explained the various health benefits of eating different kinds of millets.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Rajeshwar Singh Chandel said the university has made an activity calendar for carrying out various activities for the promotion of millets in the state as these crops are essential for the food security of the world. He said that the university has decided to include one millet-based dish in the university programs to increase awareness about these superfoods. He urged the participants to grow these crops in their fields and encourage farmers involved in millets production by buying their produce for personal consumption.

Earlier, Dr. Inder Dev, Director Extension Education informed that millets constituted over 20 percent of food before 1970 but have been reduced to only 6 percent today. Ashish Gupta, a sustainable food systems expert, talked about the environmental impact of growing millets and how these could be grown without much input even in harsh conditions. 

Over 120 teachers from different Vidya Bharati schools from Himachal Pradesh and farmers from Uttarkashi, statutory officers and faculty of the university attended the event.