Aizawl, Oct 22 (PTI) Mizoram Agriculture Minister P C Vanlalruata on Tuesday said the state government will take steps to promote millet production in the state.
Addressing a function here on the promotion of millets in India, Vanlalruata said that the state has great potential for its production and favourable climate conditions for cultivation.
In the past, millet cultivation was widely practised, along with rice (paddy), in the state and emphasised the need to rekindle the cultivation with the help of modern farming methods, he said.
The event organised jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and North-Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC) under the DoNER ministry was attended by a sizable number of farmers and entrepreneurs from the state.
NERAMAC Managing Director Commodore Rajiv Ashok, while speaking on the occasion, highlighted the health and nutritional benefits of millets and reasons to use them as alternatives to rice.
He also spoke about the central government's thrust towards its production over the last few years.
About 12 stalls displaying various millet productions were set up on the occasion.