Millets Â
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Context
- For increasing exports through quality production and processing, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) signed a MoU with ICAR-Indian Institute of Millet Research (ICAR-IIMR), located at Rajendranagar (Hyderabad, Telangana), which is expected to boost value addition and farmers’ income.
Details
- The key focus of the MoU would be to promote commercial cultivation of processable varieties developed by ICAR-IIMR for exports which is expected to promote value addition of millets, a cereal with high nutritive value.
- A joint coordination committee with representatives from APEDA and ICAR-IIMR would be set up to achieve the goals envisaged under the MoU.
Millets
- Millets are cereal crops with high nutritive value and categorized as small-seeded grasses.
- The key varieties of millets include Sorghum, Pearl Millet, Ragi, Small Millet, Foxtail Millet, Barnyard Millet, Kodo Millet and others.
- Recently, the United Nations General Assembly has passed the resolution to celebrate the International Year of Millets (IYM) in 2023, to promote the health benefits of millets.
APEDA
- Agriculture and processed food production export Development Authority (APEDA) is an apex body that promotes export trade of agricultural products in India.
- Set-up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, APEDA was formed under the act passed by parliament in 1985.
- APEDA is mandated with the responsibility of export promotion and development of the following scheduled products:
- Fruits, vegetables and their products
- Meat and meat products
- Poultry and poultry products
- Dairy products
- Confectionery biscuits and Bakery products
- Honey, jaggery and sugar products
- Cocoa and its products, Chocolates of all kinds.
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
- Cereal and cereal products
- Groundnuts peanuts and walnuts
- Pickles, papads and chutney
- Guar gum
- Floriculture and its products
- Herbal and Medicinal plants
- The above product categories are almost covered 50% of all Agriculture products exported from India.
- APEDA has also been entrusted with the responsibility to monitor import of sugar.