In a major initiative aimed at bridging the nutrition deficiency among tribespeople in Attappady, a millet village scheme has started functioning in the tribal region under the joint aegis of the Agriculture Department and the SC/ST Department.
Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar inaugurated the project at Kunninchalla tribal settlement by ploughing the land meant for cultivation using bulls on Tuesday. The special scheme aims at promoting cultivation of cereals such as millet, ragi, bajra and maize by setting up the millet village in Attappady.
The project is also aimed at protecting seeds of traditional varieties of millets and ensure food security and livelihood for the tribes. The State government has earmarked ₹2.40 crore for the first phase of the millet village project, where ₹2 crore will be expended by the Agricultural Department and ₹40 lakh will be given by the SC/ST Department.
In the first phase, the project will be implemented in 32 selected tribal settlements. The government has aimed at cultivating ragi in 200 hectares, small cereals in 100 hectares, and horse gram and beans in 10 hectares, each during the first phase. The Minister said that project would later be expanded to the tribal areas of Idukki and Wayanad districts.