Pasighat: In a bid to raise awareness among the people about the benefits of millets, a walkathon was organised at the College of Agriculture (CoA) in Pasighat in Arunachal’s East Siang district on Wednesday.
The walkathon of around 5 km was organised as part of the yearlong celebration of the ‘International Year of Millets’.
The event was participated by Pasighat East MLA Kaling Moyong, Dy. Commissioner of East Siang district Tayi Taggu, State BJP Kisan Morcha president Dunggoli Libang, Adi Baane Ane Kebang president Onam Darang Pertin and general secretary Binoymoti Modi Tayeng, farmers and students.
Pasighat East MLA Kaling Moyong and East Siang DC Tayi Taggu urged the people to know about the nutritional and medicinal values of millet, which is being cultivated in 16 selected districts across the state.
Both Moyong and Taggu also appealed to the farmers to start cultivation of millets in large numbers like in the past wherein millets happened to be the major food cereal of the state.
Scientists and professors of the agriculture and horticulture colleges elaborated on the food and medicinal values of millets. They said that “millets are a good source of nutrition and all varieties of millets are beneficial for human health.”
The organisers and the participants took part in the walkathon from the College of Agriculture (CoA) to the College of Horticulture & Forestry (CHF).
The organisers said that they will conduct a series of workshops and field programmes on millet cultivation in different districts as part of the yearlong celebration.
The CoA is implementing the Millets Cultivation Project, sponsored by the ICAR-run Indian Institute of Millets Research, covering 16 districts, including the Siang belt of central Arunachal, and Tirap district.
The walkathon programme was organized in collaboration with the CHF, the East Siang KVK, and the ICAR’s Hyderabad-based Indian Institute of Millets Research.
EASTMOJO PREMIUM
Help sustain honest journalism.
“Today’s millet walkathon run is a precursor to India’s lead in celebrating the International Year of Millets 2023. It aims to raise public awareness about the benefits of millets and it follows ‘Millets healthy breakfast’. In this way, it helps to bring back disappeared millets from our plates as well as fields,” said Dr. AK Triparthi, Dean, College of Agriculture, Pasighat.
Also Read | Arunachal govt terminates 2 agri officers in APPSC paper leak case
