Gujarat organises event to promote millet

GANDHINAGAR - Gujarat Saturday celebrated “Nagli Mahotsav” to popularise delicacies made from the highly nutritious finger millet, grown in the predominantly tribal hilly district of Dang bordering Maharashtra.

An official spokesperson said here that during the event, the government-sponsored village development agencies arranged marketing drives to popularise delicacies made from nagli by women self-help groups.

One such fair was organised in front of the secretariat in the state capital Gandhinagar.

The finger millet, a coarse grain known as nagli here or ragi in other parts of India, is known to be a natural source of nutrients. Its importance is now gradually being recognised to beat under-nourishment.

Rich in protein, calcium, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, non-protein nitrogen and carbohydrates, it is easy to digest and thus recommended for infants, pregnant women, nursing mothers and elderly.

The grain can be subjected to value addition and can be given the shape of ready-to-cook

idli, dhosa, dhokla, upma (Indian variants of porridge, pudding, cake), and ready-to-eat papdi, sev, shakkarpara, shiro (snacks and sweet meats), biscuit, bhakri (flake), besides rotla (flat loaf) taken with the main meals.