Campaign for use of millets picks up

• Majority consumed millets about 40 to 50 years ago 
• With the introduction of 2 a kg rice, age-old millet food was replaced 

Anantapur: Millets, the most nutritious and wholesome food which had gone into the back burner is now coming to the centre stage, thanks to the initiatives taken up by the Central and state governments and a galaxy of campaigners including Dr Khadar Vali, a scientist and nutrition researcher of par excellence and local millet activists S Kullaiswamy, Adarana Rama Krishna and Prof Gangi Reddy. 

The Andhra Pragati Grameena Bank (APGB) AGM Siva Sankar Reddy also joined the millets campaigners. Addressing media persons at a programme in connection with the release of millets poster at APGB regional office here on Friday, Kullaiswamy and Gangi Reddy announced their intention to bring millets into the centre stage of modern society by advocating millets consumption as the only panacea for several health problems. 

About 40 to 50 years ago, millets were the chief crop in the district and majority consumed millets, but over a period of time unhealthy food habits crept in and pushed the millets to back burner. Besides, the NTR's scheme of supplying rice at Rs 2 per kg further pushed people to go for rice replacing the age-old millet food.

Dr Khadar Vali, a millets campaigner of Karnataka is coming to the city on July 15-16 for addressing farmers, students and cross section of people at KSR Girls College, KSR Junior College and JNTU-Anantapur premises. 

Food stalls with millets also will be set up to give people a taste of millets food. The meeting felt that millets should be supplied to people through the PDS.