Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav congratulated the farmers cultivating Sri Anna, noting that 2023 was designated as the “International Millet Year” due to an initiative by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at the United Nations. This innovative move by Prime Minister Modi has provided a new direction for the production of Sri Anna in both the country and the state. CM Dr. Yadav expressed gratitude for the Prime Minister’s efforts in the agriculture sector, highlighting that the hard work of farmers has led to a doubling of Sri Anna cultivation in Madhya Pradesh over the past three years. The state government is making unprecedented efforts to promote the production and consumption of Sri Anna (millet), yielding positive results. The area dedicated to millet cultivation has seen a remarkable increase, rising from 67,000 hectares in 2020-21 to 135,000 hectares in 2023-24, thanks to the combined efforts of the government and farmers.

Chief Minister Dr. Yadav has made a historic decision to support farmers cultivating Sri Anna by launching the Rani Durgavati Sri Anna Protsahan Yojana. Efforts are being made continuously to expand Sri Anna cultivation in Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, the Madhya Pradesh State Millets Mission is actively promoting this initiative. A Millet Federation has been established in the state under the name “Sri Anna Protsahan Consortium of Farmer Producer Company Limited.” The year 2023 was celebrated extensively as the International Millet Year, with ongoing programs aimed at promoting the production and consumption of millets.

Millet crops like Kodo-Kutki, Jwakar-Bajra, Ragi etc. are grown by farmers in the state. Among these, Kodo-Kutki cultivation is the main one. It is mainly grown in Scheduled Tribe dominated areas like Mandla, Dindori, Shahdol, Anuppur, Umaria, Chhindwara etc. Ragi is cultivated extensively in Dindori, Mandla, Seoni and Jabalpur in the state. Jowar is cultivated in Khargone, Khandwa, Barwani, Chhindwara, Betul, Rajgarh and Guna districts of the state. Bajra is mainly cultivated in the Malwa region of the state. Millets are mainly cultivated in the Kharif season.

For the promotion of millets, seed distribution, farmer training, farmer study tours, seminars and workshops were organised by Madhya Pradesh State Millet Mission in the year 2023-24. Apart from this, millets were promoted through food festivals, road-shows etc. at major tourist places of the state. Not only this, showcasing of Sri Anna based products was done in the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas and Global Investors Summit held in Indore. Sri Anna based exhibition was also organised in G-20 (Agriculture Working Group) conference held in Bhopal. To promote millets, with the help of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, millet dishes are being served in all the hotels of the corporation. Millets are also being branded in all the outlets.