ICAR-CIPHET Ludhiana organized Awareness Programme 

Ludhiana, February 3, 2023: ICAR-CIPHET Ludhiana organized a one-day Awareness Programme for Scheduled Caste Community of Ajnoud and adjoining villages of Ludhiana under the SCSP scheme. As India & World is celebrating this year as International Year of Millets 2023, CIPHET mandated with post-harvest processing activities is planned with number of activities in this calendar year on post-harvest management of millets. 

To make rural youth and farm worker aware of this important message; team comprising of Dr. Ranjeet Singh, Principal Scientist, Dr. Rahul K. Anurag, Sr. Scientist & Nodal Officer SCSP, Dr. Chandan Solanki Scientist (SS) & Nodal Officer (International Year of Millets 2023) and Dr. Vikas Kumar Scientist (SS) reached Ajnoud village Tehsil- Payal, Ludhiana. Dr. Chandan Solanki spoke on millet cultivation, its processing and stressed that growing such crops is much economical compared to wheat and rice and requires lesser agricultural inputs which can generate self-employment opportunities for the rural youths of Punjab. Further he highlighted about the prospects of processing millet crops into various value-added products such as popped grains, multigrain flour, high fiber rich baked products that can be made using these grains.  With this he emphasized on the nutritional and health benefits on consumption of millets. 

Dr. Ranjeet Singh delivered a talk on starting processing activities by rural unemployed youth taking help of Agri Business Incubation opportunities available in the Institute. The facilities of Agro-Processing Centre machineries and pilot processing units were showcased by videos.

Sarpanch Sukhjit Singh Sidhu Ajnoud Village welcomed Director Dr. Nachiket Kotwaliwale into the programme. The concluding session was chaired by Dr. Kotwaliwale, and he addressed the gathering by highlighting the role played by CIPHET in hand holding of self-help groups especially village women’s interested in processing activities. He said in the era of climate change, food supply is deepening due to the decrease in the production of food grains, millets cultivation and its processing into value added nutritious products can solve issues of malnutrition. 

Director Dr. Kotwaliwale and the programme team distributed beneficiary items under SCSP to 50 participating farmers from SC community.