The Millet Forum and the Millet Network of India have demanded that the State Government bring out a special agriculture policy to give priority on millet farming and introduce millet as a main food crop in the PDS and serve dishes made of millet in Midday Meals in schools and Anganwadi Centres.
Addressing a Press conference here on Friday, forum convenor Prasant Mohanty lamented that the Government has not given priority on millet farming for long.
While millet was cultivated on a total of 3.62 lakh hectares of land in 1980, the area of cultivation for the crop reduced to 0.17 lakh hectares, he said.
He said as nutrition value in millet is more than rice and wheat, the Government should come out a special agriculture policy for millet farming.