KATHMANU, DEC 13 - Agro-experts today pointed out that the laxity in promoting millet as a healthy food-variety has led continuos fall in its consumption throughout the country. Millet, enriched with high nutritional values, is one of the major food-items of the country that occupies fourth place among rice, wheat and maize.
Speaking in the program organized by the NARC (Nepal Agriculture Research Council) on Food Security, experts also laid emphasis over the effective market promotion of millet.
Millet, according to the experts, is one of the rare agro-products that grows even in the low-fertility land. “One most effective way to minimise food insecurity is through planting millet and promoting its market,” the experts added.
These experts, however, also expressed displeasure over the current output of the millet in the country. “It is very disappointing to state that once a very popular agro-product now is loosing its edge. One major reason being the insurgency,” said Bhuvan Ratna Staphit, a representative of International Plant Genetic Resources Institute to Nepal
Staphit, on the occasion, gave a sharp decline of the market of locally brewed liquors as one major reason behind the downfall in millet consumption. “Insurgency has led restriction in brewing local liquors, which take millet as input,” he added.
An independent report estimates that millet is cultivated in an area of around two hundred and fifty thousand hectares in the country. The latest production figure indicates that the country will witness a total millet production around two hundred and eighty thousands metric tons, 77 per cent of which is believed to grow in the hilly region of the country.
Dr Surya Prasad Pandey attributed the sharp decline in liquor production for the low-price of millet in recent times. “And low price, in no way, can encourage farmers to grow millet,” he said and stated that the restriction in the transportation of liquors has invited problems to millet farmers.
NARC officials informed that the office currently has been experimenting millet production in two districts- Kaski and Nuwakot. Exhibitions of different food varieties made by the use of millet were held in the program. Millet-cookies and millet-cake were among the top favorites of the visitors in the program.Posted on: 2003-12-14 03:20

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