For better health, nutrition and energy, now Small Millets (ShreeAnn) will also be included in the food menu of the soldiers and officers of Jharkhand Sector of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The amount of iron, micronutrients, protein and fiber in small millets is higher than that of wheat and rice.

For this purpose, a team of 10 CRPF personnel received three days training in the Community Science Department of Birsa Agricultural University (BAU) to increase awareness about the properties of small millets and to get proper information about the manufacturing process of various processed products made from it.

Chairperson of the Department of Community Science, Dr Rekha Sinha and SRF Bindu Sharma gave them technical information about making various products prepared from millets like rice, roti, porridge, khichdi, halwa, biscuits, cookies, cakes, laddus, vermicelli, chowmein, macaroni  and others. She gave and explained about the functioning, capacity and estimated cost of various machines. A group of CRPF trainees had come under the leadership of Party Commander, Narayan Kisku.

As per the decision of the United Nations, the year 2023 is being celebrated as the International Year of Millets all over the world. Food grains include Madua, Gundali, Bajra, Kangni, Sawan, Kodo, Kutki, Chena, Hari Kangni etc.

Head of the department, Dr Rekha Sinha said that CRPF IG had recently visited the department and had bought Maduwa cookies from here. Impressed by its taste and qualities, he sent his forces for training and said that as per requirement, small plants would also be set up there for manufacturing processed products of millets. Dr Sinha said that currently many millets are being found expensive in the market, but as the demand increases, farmers will leave other crops and start growing them and with the increase in productivity, their prices will automatically reduce in the future.