New Delhi, Jun 23 (PTI) Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Prahlad Singh Patel on Thursday termed millets as superfoods that are beneficial for our health and asserted on the need to boost its production to meet rising global demand.

The minister was speaking at a national conference on millets on the theme 'The Future Super Food for India' in New Delhi, organised by industry body ASSOCHAM with the support of Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

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Patel said there is a need to mainstream millets to improve India's nutrition outcomes.

Millets are beneficial from both health as well as environmental aspects, he said, adding that "millets are superfoods".

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Patel said there is a need to understand the value of millets.

The minister asserted that India should be in a position to meet rising global demand.

Talking about advantages, Patel said that millets have been among the oldest eatables in the country. It is a crop grown from small seeds which can be grown well in dry areas or even on lands with deficient and low fertility.

The minister said that due to their short growing season, millets can develop from seeds to ready-to-harvest crops in just about 65 days.

If stored properly, millets can keep well for two years or beyond, he added.

The major millets producing states in India include Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

According to an official statement, Minhaj Alam, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, talked about spreading awareness of millets all around the globe as India is now the fifth largest exporter of millets globally.

He informed that year 2023 will be the international year of millets that will create value generation and promotion of sustainable products in food choices. More investments are required in production and processing of millets, he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)