Kalimpong: High quality seeds of Ragi millet distributed among farmers
KOLKATA: The state Agriculture department has laid special emphasis on sericulture and millet cultivation at Kalimpong. State Agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay along with six senior officials of his department visited the place for distribution of high quality seeds for sericulture and millet cultivation.
“The growth of sericulture in Kalimpong is immense. We want to involve more SHG groups here to provide boost to sericulture. A farm with excellent facilities for sericulture is located in a 10 acre land and we want to utilise the same to its full potential,” Chattopadhay said.
He also held a meeting with senior officials of GTA where it was decided that the department and the GTA will join hands for further boost to agriculture in the Hills.
More than 70 farmers were handed over high-yielding variety seeds of Ragi millet at Pedong in Kalimpong.
Ragi flour which is rich in protein has a much lower surge in sugar levels in comparison to wheat and hence controls diabetes.
It is intolerant to gluten and has many antioxidants that help the body to fight against infections. In Uttarakhand roti prepared from Ragi is extremely popular as it provides relief from bitter cold.
“Kalimpong is also predominantly cold and so the potential for ragi cultivation is immense here,” a senior official of the Agriculture department said.
The West Bengal Comprehensive Area DevelopmentCorporation (CADC)- an autonomous organization under Panchayats and Rural Development department has undertaken ragi cultivation at Saharjore in Purulia and also at Kalimpong for its health benefits. “We have plans to introduce the same in sweet manufacturing with people being very health conscious in modern times,”a senior official of CADC said.
1103 kg of finger millets have been produced under CADC’s project this year.