If the government’s efforts bear fruit, Uttarakhand will take a huge leap in the production of grains i.e. coarse grains in the near future. Under the State Mission Millet, to increase the area of coarse grains like Manduwa, Jhangora and Ramdana, unused cultivable land is being searched in the valleys and other areas in which they can be cultivated. The intention of the government behind this is to increase production by increasing the area, so that the increasing demand for food grains can be met. Uttarakhand has different landforms from mountains to plains. The climate and vegetation vary with the altitude of the place.
The mountain consists of gravel and light textured soil, which does not retain water for long. It is considered suitable for small millets like Manduwa, Jhangora, Ramdana. These crops are known for their resilience. That is, they are helpful in adjusting to diverse environmental conditions. This is the reason why they have been cultivated in 10 hilly districts of the state. Since these crops are completely organic, their demand is also high. Despite this, the area under coarse grains is decreasing.
Productivity increased even after area decreased
If we look at the data, the area of Manduwa in the state was 127733 hectares in the year 2000-01, which decreased to 85880 hectares in the year 2021-22. It is a different matter that productivity has increased. In the year 2000-01, the productivity of Manduwa was 12.71 quintals per hectare, which has now increased to 14.78. Similarly, the area of Jhangora has also reduced to 40814 hectares, but its productivity has also increased.
Purchase of 16500 metric tons of coarse grains from 7429 farmers
Meanwhile, when the Central Government started the exercise of promoting millet i.e. coarse grains, Uttarakhand also announced the State Millet Mission for the year 2023-24 to 2027-28. For this, a provision of Rs 73.16 crore was made, in which, in order to increase the area and production of coarse grains, an amount of Rs 53.16 crore was provided to the Agriculture Department and Rs 20 crore was provided to the Cooperative Department for the purchase of Manduwa, Jhangora, Ramdana. In the current financial year, 16500 metric tons of coarse grains have been purchased from 7429 farmers.
coarse grains will be less
In order to promote coarse grains, the government has decided to provide one kg Manduwa per ration card through the public distribution system. Along with this, millet has been included in women and child nutrition schemes. In such a situation, the current production of Manduwa and Jhangora may fall short for this supply. In view of this, efforts are now underway to increase its area.
Agriculture department will mark unused agricultural land
During the recent review of Mission Millet, Chief Secretary Radha Raturi gave instructions to select such cultivable land which is lying barren or useless in the valleys and other places in the hilly districts of the state. There is a plan to cultivate Manduwa, Jhangora, Ramdana in this land through collective or cooperative. While this will increase the area of these crops, production will also increase. Also, farmers will benefit from this.
