Guyana gets seeds from India to begin millet trials

The Agriculture Ministry will soon embark on trials in regard to the cultivation of millets, having obtained a quantity of seeds from the Indian Government on Friday.
The Agriculture Ministry had in March signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the India-based UPL Limited, paving the way for the commencement of trials in regard to the cultivation of millets.
Indian High Commissioner Dr KJ Srinivasa, in handing over seeds of the finger and barnyard millets to Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, said: “We are working very assiduously to spread the cultivation of millets, because it is a very low-cost crop that we grow in India, especially in South India and the dry areas. It is highly nutritious, and (is) good for diabetics and people with illnesses.”
Some 200 acres of land are to be reserved to cultivate and produce millets with the assistance of experts from India, and Agriculture Minister Mustapha has shared that this development augers well for Guyana, who is seeking to reduce the food import bill in Caricom and enhance food security locally.
Mustapha outlined, “Millet is an indigenous crop which was neglected over the years, and I think that Guyana is leading the charge in food security. We want to reduce the food import bill in Caricom. I think this is an appropriate time to start the crop in the Caribbean right here in Guyana. The climate is good, and we have fertile lands. Millet is a hard crop that can withstand the weather conditions and tropical climate that we have here.”
When Mustapha had visited India and participated in a round-table discussion at the Global Millet Conference in March, discussions had been centred on fostering the production of millets in countries like Guyana in order to increase food security.
Prior to that, in a virtual address at the Inauguration Conference in New Delhi, India, President Dr Irfaan Ali had disclosed that trials would be done in Regions Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) to support the transition to large-scale production of the seed locally.
The first crops of millets were cultivated in Asia and Africa, and cultivation later spread around the world as millets came to be known as an important food source for advanced civilisations. The continents of Asia and Africa are being considered the production and consumption centres for millet crops, and major producers of the grain are India, Niger, Sudan, and Nigeria.
With millets being gluten-free, their low glycaemic index (GI) facilitates a slower release of glucose over a longer period of time, thus reducing the risk of diabetes mellitus. Millets are rich sources of minerals like calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. They also contain appreciable amounts of dietary fibre, and vitamins such as folic acid, vitamin B6, beta-carotene, and niacin.
The availability of high amounts of lecithin is useful for strengthening the nervous system. Therefore, regular consumption of millets can help to overcome malnutrition.
This, however, is not the only area in agriculture in which India has offered assistance to Guyana. In fact, it was previously announced that specialists would arrive in Guyana to assist in developing a tissue culture laboratory, produce planting materials, examine the rice sector, and commence hemp production. According to Minister Mustapha, this will soon become a reality.
“We are looking at agro-processing. Recently, we applied for a grant that the Indian Government would assist Guyana with. All those plans, we are now moving it forward, and it will become reality shortly,” he said. (G12)