PAU VC releases a brochure on millets

Ludhiana, September 23, 2024: In a significant step towards promoting the cultivation and consumption of millets, Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice-Chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), released an insightful and resourceful brochure on millets titled "Millets - Nature's Super-grain" with a tagline "From Field to Feast: Nourishing Future." It indicated the promising future of millets in terms of its nutritional value and market potential.

Dr Ruchika Bhardwaj, a noted Millets Breeder, PAU, along with Dr Maria Afzal, Business Mentor, and Alisha Kaur, Research Scholar, School of Business Studies, have contributed significantly to the creation of this document. Their combined expertise ensured that the brochure offered not just technical knowledge but also practical guidance to the millet growers, processors, marketers and the entrepreneurs.

Dr Gosal highlighted the importance of millets in addressing both health and environmental concerns. The brochure provided a comprehensive overview of the key millets cultivated in Punjab, and how they were being revitalized in the state's agricultural landscape, he observed. It emphasized how the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) and various initiatives by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) were playing pivotal roles in promoting millet cultivation and consumption, he said.

Dr Ramandeep Singh, Professor-cum-Director, PAU’s School of Business Studies, emphasized that this brochure served as a vital resource for the farmers, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), traders, exporters, and the importers by providing a reliable data on the ever-expanding millet market. It offered actionable insights into the cultivation processes, benefits of various millet varieties, and their significant role in diversifying Punjab's cropping patterns, he told. With detailed guidance on pricing, packaging, labelling, promotion, and distribution, the brochure aimed to empower the farmers and producers to better position themselves in the market, he added.

Dr Bhardwaj said that the brochure also depicted success stories of entrepreneurs, including homemakers turned agripreneurs, who had leveraged the rising demand for millets to create thriving businesses. “It is set to become a cornerstone for the farmers, entrepreneurs, and the policymakers in the region, bridging the gap between the field and the feast, for a nourished and sustainable future,” she stated.