- With the establishment of the unit, farmers will be able to get a fair price for their produce.
To provide the district’s farmers with the benefits of improved market and value addition, along with improved finger millet (shri grain) production, the first finger millet, millet puff, and porridge processing unit has been successfully established in Ganekera village. With the completion of construction, the unit is now fully ready for finger millet processing. With its opening, finger millet-producing farmers in the region will have access to modern processing facilities at the local level. Following the instructions of Collector Mr. Vinay Kumar Langeh, the Agriculture Department is encouraging farmers to grow millet and finger millet crops instead of paddy in the district. This year, a target has been set for growing other crops on 15,000 hectares.
Deputy Director of Agriculture Mr. F.R. Kashyap inspected the processing unit and reviewed the machinery and other necessary arrangements. He directed the concerned officials to commence operation of the unit soon and ensure maximum benefits to farmers. Mr. Kashyap stated that the establishment of the finger millet processing unit will help farmers obtain a fair price for their produce. Local processing will reduce transportation and processing costs, while the production of value-added ragi products will also increase farmers’ income.
He said that the central and state governments are continuously promoting the production and use of coarse grains (Shri Anna). Consequently, this unit will provide a new direction for Shri Anna-based agriculture in the district.
He urged farmers to adopt ragi cultivation in larger areas and take advantage of various government-run agricultural schemes, technical guidance, and incentive programs. He said that ragi is a nutritious, water-efficient, and climate-resilient crop, and its market demand is constantly increasing. Therefore, it is emerging as a profitable option for farmers. The operation of the ragi processing unit will also create local employment opportunities and provide women self-help groups and farmer producer organizations (FPOs) with new opportunities in the production and marketing of ragi-based food products. This will accelerate the Shri Anna Mission in the district and provide farmers with better facilities from production to processing and marketing. Officers and employees of the Agriculture Department and farmers of the area were present on this occasion.
