India is currently in the throes of an ambitious Mission Millet. However, there may be a need to refocus the strategies of the mission to help achieve its goals of healthier living. MSME Promotion Council Vice Chairman, Dr C Suresh stated that, MSME Promotion Council is working towards awareness for millets as healthy food and industries associated with millets should be encouraged.
According to the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), Mission Millet needs to look closer to home to become successful.
At the moment, manufacturing industry giants are being encouraged to produce highly processed millet products to help boost its popularity. However, this is not conducive to the vision of the project, since ultra-processed food products are the opposite of healthy and does not allow for the healthy aspects of a millet-based diet to shine.
So what should be done instead? MSME Promotion Council Vice Chairman, Dr C Suresh suggested that MSMEs that specialize in street food and traditional healthy snacks should be encouraged to produce millet-based products that are not only likely to be appreciated by the country’s region-specific palate, but would also promote healthier eating practices.
