Kurnool: People told to consume millet-based food products
District Collectors of Kurnool and Nandyal, Dr G Srijana and Dr Manazir Jeelani Samoon besides MPs and other political leaders are seen at the virtual Bhumi puja conducted in Kurnool and Nandyal for setting up of secondary millet processing units on Wednesday.
Kurnool/Nandyal : District Collectors of Kurnool and Nandyal, Dr G Srijana and Dr Manazir Jeelani Samoon, said that the government has been encouraging the cultivation of millets in a large scale across the state to overcome nutritional deficiency.
The collectors along with the MPs Dr Sanjeev Kumar, Pocha Brahmananda Reddy and others participated at the Bhuomi puja performed by the Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy through virtual mode from Tadepalli camp office on Wednesday for the construction of secondary millet processing units in both Kurnool and Nandyal districts. The secondary millet processing units at Kurnool and Nandyal would be set up at a cost of Rs 8.82 crore (each Rs 4.41 crore).
In Kurnool, District Collector Dr G Srijana, speaking on the occasion, said that the secondary millet processing unit would be set up at Chinna Pendakal village in Adoni mandal at a cost of Rs 4.41 crore. This processing unit would be more useful to the millets cultivating farmers. She said the farmers on the western part of Kurnool district would cultivate Jowar, foxtail millets, peral millets and others would be cultivated in larger extents. To encourage the farmers, the government has set up the secondary millets processing unit here at Chinna Pendakal village, the collector said.
She further said that the millets would be processed into fine powder and later it would be converted into millet flour, biscuits, millets flakes, vermicelli, noodles and others, which would fetch good price after marketing. The financial status of the farmers and the people, who consume the diet made of these millets, would reap abnormal benefits. The other benefit is with the setting up of the millet processing unit, people would get direct and indirect employment.
In Nandyal, Collector Dr Manazir Jeelani Samoon said that the secondary millet processing unit would be set up at Rayamalpuram village in Nandyal mandal at a cost of Rs 4.41 crore. This unit would be more helpful to all the farmers, who cultivate millets. The people are told to consume the diet made of millets as it helps in protecting their health. The millets would have a large component of nutrients, he added.