Training programme on value addition of millets and demonstration of millet recipes on 01.09.2022

The United nations has recognized the year 2023 as International Year of Millets. In this connection a series of events are being organized by all the AICRP on Sorghum and millet centres from September 2022 to December 2023. As a part of these events, AICRP on Sorghum and Millets, RARS, Palem has organized a training programme on Value addition of millets and demonstration of millet recipes at RARS, Palem on 01.09.2022. In this program Dr. M.Goverdhan, Associate Director of Research, STZ, RARS, Palem in his introductory remarks emphasized that millets are the traditional crops of Mahabubnagar region which is prone vagaries of weather as they are climate resilient and urged for increased cultivation of millets; suggested to include them in the dietary pattern of all the people as they are nutritious and healthy. Dr.M.V.Nagesh Kumar, Principal Scientist (Millets) opined that after the pandemic of covid, all the people even in the rural areas have become health conscious and hence the millets have a lot of scope for value addition and there is a need to organize awareness and demonstrations on value addition to millets for meeting the nutritional security. Smt. Samanthakamani, a woman entrepreneur from SM Millets, Hyderabad who is promoting millets and its recipes since 15 years as a resource person highlighted the need for consumption of millets, dos and don’ts in the handling of millets for preparation of various millet recipes, the precautions in cooking of millet foods, oppurtunities for millet based enterprises. She stressed on the consumption of millets as main staple diet replacing the conventional rice with various millets for preparation of various breakfast, lunch items such as idli, dosa, pongal etc as they are gluten free and low in calories. Later, she has demonstrated the preparation of various millet recipes like arika pongal, sama halwa, jonna muruku, jonna gavvalu, sajja dosa, korra idli to the enthusiastic women participants which were served to all the participants who relished all the recipes followed by lunch to all the participants. The feed back of the millet recipes served was also taken from all the participants in the form of ratings to taste, colour, aroma, ease of preparation etc. in this programme Dr. B.Pushpavathi, Associate Dean, Agricultural College, Palem, Dr. M.Sujatha, Principal Scientist (Oilseeds), Dr.R.Neela Rani, Unit Coordinator, Dr.T.Kamalaja, Senior Scientist from AICRP on Women in Agriculture, scientists from RARS, Palem, KVK, Palem, non-teaching staff of RARS, Palem, Assistant Professors and AELP students of Value addition unit and students from Agricultural College, Palem, Agricultural Polytechnic, Palem, RAWEP students from B.Sc (H.Sc), 30 farmers and farm women from palem, vattem and kummera villages, neighbouring villages. A total of about 120 participants attended the training programme.