The beginning of the Nutrient Enrichment Mission

The beginning of the Nutrient Enrichment Mission, aiming to increase the production of millets and pulses, has been announced by the Kerala Department of Agriculture. Agriculture Minister P. Prasad made the announcement at the Farmer's Day event organized by the Agriculture Department on the occasion of Chingam 1. Under the mission, millet production in Kerala will be increased to 3,000 tons, and the production of protein-rich pulses will be raised from the current 1,471 tons to 10,000 tons.

As part of the mission, six new millet processing units will be established. Currently, the state has only one unit in Atapadi. Prasad stated that the government also intends to collaborate with ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad, in the areas of technology transfer and processing. He mentioned that the Agriculture Department will encourage farmers to cultivate pulses as a third crop in paddy fields. 

The mission aims to motivate 2.5 million families this year to engage in vegetable and millet cultivation. According to him, by 2026, all households in the state will be part of the mission's activities. The minister stated that Kerala has been successful in increasing vegetable production from 6.28 lakh tons in 2015-16 to 17.1 lakh tons in 2022-23 but production still falls short of the actual demand. The Nutrient Enrichment Mission is designed to achieve its goals in the next three years.