Special Article
Chhattisgarh is the only state in the country where millets are procured at the support price
Kodo-Kutki Producing Farmers in the State are Prospering
Farmers have started earning crores from Kodo
Four fold increase in income from the sale of seed
Chhattisgarh has been awarded as The Best Emerging State of the Nation in terms of promoting millets
Dr. Daneshwari Sambhakar, Assistant Director
Raipur, 23 December 2022/ As a result of the effective implementation of Chhattisgarh Millet Mission, more and more farmers are getting inclined towards the cultivation of Kodo, Kutki and Ragi i.e. millets. Earlier, farmers had to sell millets at throw away prices, but now with state government’s support they have started receiving fair price of their yield. With the procurement of millets at support price, on the special initiative of Chief Minister, farmers have started earning in crores. In the previous season, farmers had sold 34298 quintals of millets at the support price for Rs 10 crore 45 lakh. Chhattisgarh is the only state in the country, where Kodo, Kutki and Ragi are being procured at the support price and the work of its value addition is also being done. Kodo-Kutki is being procured at the rate of Rs.3000 per quintal and ragi is being procured at the rate of Rs.3377 per quintal.
Government’s ambitious scheme Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana and Millet Mission are proving to be a boon for the farmers. In the year 2021-22, 5,273 tons of millet worth Rs. 16.03 crore has been procured at the support price. In the year 2022-23, State Government has set the target to procure 13,005 tons of millet worth Rs 39.60 crores at support price.
Coarse grains or millets have been the staple in many tribal areas of the country. With the growing awareness towards the nutritional value of millets, its consumption has significantly incresed in other parts of the country as well. According to the experts, Kodo Kutki is rich in protein and vitamins, and can prove beneficial in cases of diabetes and blood pressure. Kodo is a coarse grain, which is known in English as Millet or Cow Grass. Kodo grains are eaten as rice and in the local dialect it is known as bhagar rice. Crops like Kodo Kutki Ragi have an important place in the tribal culture and cusine of Bastar.
With the help and guidance of the Chhattisgarh State Seed Certification Institute, farmers have started earning substantial profits by producing certified seeds of Kodo. In the last one year, the number of farmers producing certified seeds has increased by almost 5 times and the income from the same has increased by 4 times. In the year 2021-22, 3089 quintals of certified seeds were produced by 171 farmers of 11 districts of the state, which the Seed Corporation procured from the farmers at the rate of Rs. 4150 per quintal and paid them an amount of more than Rs one crore 28 lakh 18 thousand. The certified seeds produced by the farmers of the state are being supplied through cooperative societies for sowing.
Officials of the Seed Certification Institute informed that in the year 2020-21, only 716 quintals of certified seeds were produced by 36 farmers in 7 districts of the state, earning an income of Rs 32 lakh 88 thousand from the same. In 2021-22, the number of Kodo seed producing farmers and the profit from the sale of seeds have increased manifold. In the last three years, Kodo certified seed producing farmers have sold seeds worth Rs 1 crore 65 lakh 18 thousand 633 to the Chhattisgarh Seed Development Corporation.
Officials informed that the cultivation of Kodo is more beneficial in agricultural land where paddy production is nominal. Kodo cultivation requires less water and less fertilizer, has less input cost and it is more profitable. He informed that in the year 2019-20, only 103 quintals of certified seeds were produced in the state. Since the implementation of the Millets Mission, the Chhattisgarh State Seed Certification Institute, in coordination with other government institutions, is making continuous efforts to promote Kodo seed production.
It is worth mentioning that the state of Chhattisgarh has also received the National Level Nutritious Grain Award 2022 for promoting the cultivation of millets. State Government has included millet farming under Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana. Millets producing farmers are being provided exchange grant of Rs 9 thousand per acre under the scheme.
As a result of State Government’s efforts, the area under cultivation of Kodo, Kutki and Ragi in the state has expanded from 69 thousand hectare to one lakh 88 thousand hectare in the state. Millet Mission is being implemented in the state with the objective of promoting millet cultivation, providing training facility for farmers, ensuring availability of high quality seeds and to increase the productivity. With the efforts of Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Association, 14 districts have signed a tripartite MoU with IIMR Hyderabad under the Millet Mission. State Government has set the target of doubling the millet productivity under Chhattisgarh Millet Mission from 4.5 quintals per acre to 9 quintals.
