The Anantapur District administration has begun popularising the cultivation of millets in the International Year of Millets in 2023. It had set a target of doubling the total sown area of Jowar from 5,300 acres this kharif to 10,100 acres by the next year.
The first batch of millets beginning with Ragi, was distributed through the Public Distribution System (PDS) from June 1 in the district. To encourage the cultivation of millets, the government will now buy hybrid sorghum at ₹3,180 per quintal minimum support price against ₹2,970 last season and Ragi at ₹3,846 against ₹35,78 per quintal last season.
Anantapur Joint Collector Ketan Garg told The Hindu on Monday that Ragi was cultivated in only 100 acres in the district, which is proposed to be expanded to 1,000 acres (ten times the current sown area) to locally meet the demand for millets in the Public Distribution System supplies.
Last year the Civil Supplies Corporation procured 125 MTs of Jowar within the district and brought the balance of 500 MTs from Karnataka to bridge the gap.
Jowar was procured at ₹29.70 per kg locally, and Ragi was procured free of cost from Karnataka under the support of the Government of India.
The Joint Collector has ordered all agricultural officials to organize awareness programmes on the cultivation of Millets in the district at all the revenue divisions, mandals and Rythu Bharosa Kendras.
Grama Sabhas are being organised at various places to tell farmers about the benefits of cultivating millets. The farmers are being made aware of the benefits provided by the State/Central governments to increase the area of cultivation Millets.
The Jowar varieties being promoted are Mahindra C-43, Mahyco -51; Mahalaxmi Private Hybrids and N-13,14,15 and these were available abundantly in the market, he said.
The right time for sowing Jowar, Ragi and Korra was between July 15 and 31, and Korra is presently being produced on 5740 acres, which will be increased to 6500 acres, said Mr. Garg. Mini kits of seeds procured by the AP Seeds Corporation would be supplied to the farmers.
