With the initiative of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, the country’s largest millet processing industry is going to open in Chhattisgarh. Under the Millet Mission in collaboration with the Government of Chhattisgarh, Avani Ayurveda Pvt Ltd has established a processing unit for Kodo-Kutki-Ragi and its related value addition product at village Nathianwagaon in Kanker district. In which rice and its porridge, semolina, flour vermicelli, pasta, soup mix, biscuits, cookies, laddus etc. will be made from Kodo-Kutki-Ragi. Established by Avani Ayurveda Pvt Ltd, the annual processing capacity of this unit is 10 to 12 thousand tonnes. About 35 to 40 tonnes of Kodo-Kutki-Ragi would be required per day for the said processing unit. Raw material for this unit will be provided by Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Co-operative Federation, for which MoU has been done between Chhattisgarh Government and Avani Ayurveda. Subsidy will also be provided by CSIDC to encourage this unit established under Millet Mission of Chhattisgarh Government. IIMR for setting up this unit. MoU has been signed with Hyderabad between Avani Ayurveda Pvt Ltd and District Administration North Bastar Kankar for technical know-how, establishment of high quality seeds, seed bank and training. More than 100 people will get direct and indirect employment from the processing unit of Avani Ayurveda Private Limited and thousands of farmers of Chhattisgarh state will also be benefited, who produce Kodo-Kutki-Ragi. Farmers will get a fair price for their produce. Under Millet Mission, farmers are getting more and more benefit from Chhattisgarh government’s support price and input subsidy and with the establishment of this unit, farmers will be encouraged to cultivate Koda-Kutki-Ragi and Chhattisgarh will become Millet Hub. Millets such as Kodo-Kutki-Ragi are highly nutritious cereals. Millets are gluten free and are rich in protein, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. Millets are beneficial for obesity, diabetes, heart disease and many other diseases and they increase immunity. Millets are produced in more than 20 districts of Chhattisgarh and the establishment of this unit will provide employment to women groups and youth. Millet Mission has been started from the year 2021 with the objective of promoting the production, processing and use of millets in the state of Chhattisgarh. Traditionally, Kodo, Kutki and Ragi have been cultivated in the state, but due to no policy or program for its procurement and processing, the farmers were not getting its benefits. From the year 2020-21, for the first time, arrangements were made for purchase of Kodo, Kutki and Ragi through primary minor forest produce cooperative societies while fixing the support price. For Kodo and Kutki Rs. 30/- per kg and for ragi Rs. 33.77 per kg support price fixed. Like this:Like Loading… Continue Reading