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Telangana in budget blind spot, millets only trickle-down | Hyderabad News
HYDERABAD: The city is all set to become the national hub to promote millets after Union finance minister Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in her budget speech that the Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR) would be designated as the country’s nodal agency for research and developing a policy framework for the country. The announcement has been made at a time when 2023 is being celebrated at the International Year of Millets.
Although the institute was designated as national nodal agency about 18 months ago, the latest announcement will lead to more resources and the establishment of a millet promotion council.
With IIMR’s help, the Centre is also likely to expand research and technology assistance to African countries that rely heavily on millets.
“We cultivate a variety of Shree Anna varieties, including jowar, ragi, bajra, ramdana, cheena, and saama, which have been staple in our diet for centuries. IIMR will be transformed into a centre of excellence in order to make India a global hub for Shree Anna research,” Sitharaman said in her speech.
Dr B Dayakar Rao, CEO of IIMR’s Nutrihub and principal scientist, told TOI, “Since this is the only national-level research institute, we have started incubating about 250 startups interested in business and research related to millets.”
The research will focus on increasing production and productivity, increasing the nutritional value of millets for health benefits, developing new post-harvest technologies, and developing processing methods.
The institute will also develop outreach with countries around the world to promote millets and expand India’s export base. Processing and post-harvesting techniques are already being researched.
IIMR is working towards developing processed foods with millet (flakes and noodles) similar to rice and wheat. While many startups are already looking for opportunities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mentioned two incubated at IIMR, in Mann Ki Baat recently – one from Maharashtra and another from Andhra Pradesh.
The institute receives around 25 crore in budget allocations and grants. With the Centre’s mandate, it will receive additional support in its mission to become a global excellence centre.
Although the institute was designated as national nodal agency about 18 months ago, the latest announcement will lead to more resources and the establishment of a millet promotion council.
With IIMR’s help, the Centre is also likely to expand research and technology assistance to African countries that rely heavily on millets.
“We cultivate a variety of Shree Anna varieties, including jowar, ragi, bajra, ramdana, cheena, and saama, which have been staple in our diet for centuries. IIMR will be transformed into a centre of excellence in order to make India a global hub for Shree Anna research,” Sitharaman said in her speech.
Dr B Dayakar Rao, CEO of IIMR’s Nutrihub and principal scientist, told TOI, “Since this is the only national-level research institute, we have started incubating about 250 startups interested in business and research related to millets.”
The research will focus on increasing production and productivity, increasing the nutritional value of millets for health benefits, developing new post-harvest technologies, and developing processing methods.
The institute will also develop outreach with countries around the world to promote millets and expand India’s export base. Processing and post-harvesting techniques are already being researched.
IIMR is working towards developing processed foods with millet (flakes and noodles) similar to rice and wheat. While many startups are already looking for opportunities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mentioned two incubated at IIMR, in Mann Ki Baat recently – one from Maharashtra and another from Andhra Pradesh.
The institute receives around 25 crore in budget allocations and grants. With the Centre’s mandate, it will receive additional support in its mission to become a global excellence centre.
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