Empowering people: Millets processing for sustainable nutrition and livelihood security

Millets are considered the most beneficial crops in this era of climate change, and they work well with the present conditions of hunger, poverty, nutritional issues, and marginal farming. This paper investigates the critical role of millet processing in increasing both nutritional consumption and livelihood security within communities through the case studies of cereal and millet processing entrepreneurs in Punjab. For this, an in-depth semi structured interview schedule was prepared to elicit the necessary information about the farmers’ enterprise. A total of four entrepreneurs who were indulged in cereal and millet processing were compared. Their socio-economic aspects, resources owned, profits generated through enterprise, and role of institutional intervention were studied to get the real picture of their strengths, opportunities, challenges and success. It was analyzed from the case studies that Mr. Paramjit Singh, one of the millet growers in Ludhiana district in Punjab, is reaping enormous benefits from processing of millets, different types of flour, and cookies. The marginal farmer with 2.5 ha land, was able to generate a handsome amount of income of 7-8 lakh per annum by agro-processing. His cookies and flour are gaining much popularity not only in his home district but in Punjab state as a whole. The appropriate trainings for production and processing, besides adoption of new marketing techniques like branding, packaging and advertising through social media led the venture to new heights. The case study showcase that by establishing small-scale processing units, rural communities can harness viable income opportunities. The paper advocates millet processing as a catalyst for sustainable nutrition and livelihood security of farming community.