While 2023 is being celebrated as the International Year of Millets, farmers and millet enthusiasts in Kerala rue the absence of institutional support systems such as insurance cover that are vital for their sustainable farming.
As things stand, millets lack crop insurance cover in the State, nor are farmers eligible for agricultural subsidy as in the case of other crops, say farmers and collectives engaged in farming and popularising these small-grained cereals, often dubbed ‘super foods’ for their high nutritional value.
Unless and until the government guarantees adequate protection and infrastructural back-up, farmers will be reluctant to take up their cultivation, they add.
