Nellore: Though the returns from the cultivation of minor millets (chiru dhanyalu) are much higher than paddy, with health-conscious people switching over to millets, farmers are wary of cultivating the millets because of lack of government support in marketing and absence of processing units.
Scientists of Agriculture Rice Research Centre (ARRC) at Podalakur near Nellore claim that the weather conditions of AP are suitable for raising millets in upland areas.
O. Venkateswarlu, principal scientist and ARRC head, said the scientists had been carrying out research for the last four years on Foxtail millets (korralu), proso millet (vangalu), little millet (samalu), and kodo millet (arikelu) apart from jowar, maize, bajra and finger millets (ragi).
Referring to these crops raised on a trial basis at the research station, he said the experiments are successful and all drylands are most suitable for the crops.
While the investment on paddy reaches Rs 50,000 per acre, millets cost Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000. The returns on paddy around Rs 10,000, and for millets Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000, Venkateswarlu said.
He underlined the need to give some value addition to mini-millet farmers by involving women self-help groups to boost profitability.
Venkateswarlu said farmers of the Nellore region can make use of a processing unit available at the Regional Agriculture Research Centre at Tirupati, for a nominal price.
He said jowar, maize, bajra and finger millets are being raised in nearly 5,000 hectares in the district and mini-millets in 200-300 acres.
Attributing the farmers' reluctance to cultivate mini-millets to lack of post-harvest processing facilities, a farmer, J. Chandrasekhar Reddy, said farmers are accustomed to paddy cultivation in AP.
He said farmers in upland areas could switch to growing mini-millets if the government sets up mini- processing units and helps the farmers in marketing the produce.
Though the market rate for mini-millets is around Rs 80 per kg, middlemen offer farmers Rs 30 to Rs 40, Reddy alleged while stressing the need for government intervention to ensure reasonable rate.
