Jammu and Kashmir administration has approved an ambitious Rs 15 crore project to prop up nutri cereals besides promoting and enhancing millet production and consumption in the Union Territory, a senior official said on Monday. ?

The project, planned to be implemented over a period of three years, aims to promote cultivation of millets, increase their value addition and generate entrepreneurship opportunities for farmers, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo said. ?He said the initiative also seeks to generate awareness regarding the nutritional value of millets, which are rich in proteins, micronutrients, and phytochemicals. ?

“Despite growing awareness and popularity of millets, their production and consumption is still limited and there are several challenges that need to be addressed. One of the significant challenges is the lack of awareness and knowledge about millets among farmers and consumers,” Dulloo said.

Many farmers are still unaware of the benefits of millet cultivation and continue to struggle to cultivate high-input crops, resulting in depletion of soil fertility and water resources, he said, adding these are the issues that this ambitious initiative seeks to address. ?

Millets are known as the "miracle grains" or "crops of the future" due to their resilience to climate change. ?They can grow in drought prone areas and do not require large amounts of water or external inputs, making them an ideal crop for small scale farmers in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.