North Bastar Kanker: Farmers cultivating Kodo-Kutki are moving towards prosperity…

The area of small grain crops increased from 5400 hectares to 10056 hectares in one year in the district

Small grain crops like kodo kutki have been termed as super foods because of high nutritional and fibre content along with high protein value in these crops.

These crops are being cultivated in low fertile, gravelly tribal-dominated land where other crops cannot grow but the cultivation of kodo kutki is resulting in high-harvest and other farmers of the region are getting encouragement to take on cultivation of Kodo Kutki due to high yields.

A year ago, the area under small grain crops in Kanker district was about 5,400 hectares, which has increased to about 10,056 hectares in one year.

The productivity which was earlier around 566 kg per hectare has increased to 816 kg per hectare in one year.

Earlier, due to lack of awareness and marketing arrangements, farmers were giving priority to cultivating paddy crop instead of small grain crops.

Moreover, processing of small grain crops ie extracting rice from kodo, kutki and polishing of ragi was very labor intensive.

Due to high labour work, it was grown by the farmers for their own use only, whatever was saved, they used to sell it to the local traders at low prices.

Keeping these problems in mind, with the aim of promoting the production and processing of small grain crops by the district administration, a small grain processing unit was established at Krishi Vigyan Kendra Kanker and village Gotulmunda of Durgukondal development block, which was inaugurated by the Chief Minister Bhupesh. Baghel, thus the “Millet Mission” was started from Kanker district. Last year, seed production program of improved varieties of Ragi, Kodo and Kutki was taken up on 100 acres of farmers land. Simultaneously, a group of 300 farmers producing Kodo and Ragi was formed and they were linked to the production and collection work. The farmers who used to sell their produce Kodo and Ragi to the middlemen at a low price, are now selling small grain crops at the support price.

The support price of Kodo, Kutki and Ragi has declared by the government has also increased in one year.

Last year Kodo Kutki was purchased at the rate of Rs.03 thousand per quintal and Ragi at three thousand 370 per quintal.

This year, kodo is being purchased at Rs. 03 thousand per quintal, Kutki at Rs. 3,100 per quintal and Ragi at Rs. 3,578 per quintal.

In the last year and a half, about 4,100 quintals of processed Ragi, Kodo and Kutki have been prepared in Kanker district, which are being sold to Anganwadis and other consumers of the district under the Mukhyamantri Suposhan Campaign.

In Anganwadis of the district,this product is being provided to malnourished, anemic and pregnant women and malnourished children in the form of Kodo Rice Khichdi and Ragi in the form of Halwa.

Women and children are getting nutritious and hot food from the Government’s Suposhan Abhiyan, on the other hand women engaged in collection and processing work are also getting employment at the local level.

The members of the committee are earning a profit of Rs. 15 per kg in Ragi and Rs. 20 per kg in Kodo from the processing work. Moreover,the members of the group have received an income of Rs. 09 lakh 50 thousand in one and a half years and 2,300 human-days of employment have also been created.

The country’s largest millet processing unit has been set up by the private sector “Avani Ayurveda” at Nathianwagaon village in Kanker district, which is a fully automated processing unit.

With the establishment of this unit, the farmers of the district will get a fair price for their produce and the processing work will increase employment generation and income.

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