Minor millets in South Asia: learnings from IFAD-NUS project in India ...

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promoting negleCted and underutilized speiCes in nepal 153 easy-to-make products and recipes among consumers. The other reasons reported among farmers include the labour intensive production requirements, the low social status image attached to its food and the fact that more competitive crops are entering the market niche occupied so far by finger millet thanks to more efficient cultivation and value addition technology still missing for finger millet. The most neglected aspect of finger millet research so far has been crop utilization, particularly with regard to the development of efficient and remunerative enterprises for delivering products to be sold directly in the market or to agro-industries (Sthapit et al., 1993). In this context, market based value addition activities were initiated under the project in partnership with private entrepreneurs. Development and diversification of millet food recipes contributed to increase local consumption. This in turn provided incentives to local producers on one hand and strengthened on-farm conservation together with food and nutritional security on the other. Thus, value addition through product diversification was found to be very effective to increase consumption of finger millet in rural and urban areas and provide good income incentives to the farmers for promoting the cultivation of this nutritious crop in a sustainable way. 5. Participatory surveys on uses, constraints and opportunities The socioeconomic studies such as cost: benefit analysis of millet grain and beverage production, gender involvement in crop production and utilization, and marketing of millet and millet based products, were carried out through community-based work involving participatory rural appraisal (PRA), focus group discussions (FGD), key informant survey and field documentation. 5.1. Cost: benefit analysis of finger millet production The cost of finger millet production was recorded from three farmers involved in seed production at Ralmare. Initially, it was recorded on per Hall 1 basis (1 Hall 1 = 2.3 ropani) for easiness which was then converted to hectare units. Similarly, the current farm gate price of millet grain and the straw in the Ralmare village was used to calculate the total income. The cost: benefit analysis showed that there was negative gross margin in cultivation of millet (Table 4). According to the farmers, the crop was not profitable in the region because of labour intensive production practices and lack of high yielding varieties under subsistence farming systems. Although the cost: benefit analysis indicated that millet cultivation was not profitable, farmers were wisely utilizing their bari 2 land and at the same time the 1 Hall is the local unit of the area ploughed by a pair of bullocks in a day which is equivalent to 2.3 ropani (1 ropani=500 m 2 ) in the hills in Nepal. 2 Bari land is the unbonded upland suitable for growing finger millet crop
154 minor millets in south asia Table 4. Cost: benefit analysis (per ha) of finger millet production in Kaski in 2004 Items/activities Unit No. Unit price (NR) Total/ha (NR) A. Cost of production seedbed preparation md (Female) 10 75 750 seed cost Pathi 10 40 400 Farmyard manure Doko 85 20 1,700 labour for composting and fertilizer application md 10 75 750 Fertilizer (urea) for nursery Kg 5 22 110 land preparation for transplanting Bullock (Hall) 8 300 2,400 land preparation for transplanting md (male) 16 150 2,400 seedling uprooting md (Female) 16 75 1,200 transplanting md (Female) 60 75 4,500 Weeding md (Female) 40 75 3,000 harvesting, threshing, cleaning , drying and storage md (Female) 40 75 3,000 straw cutting md (Female) 25 75 1,875 Khaja3 to workers md 225 12 2,700 Total cost (A) B. Income 24,785 grain yield Muri4 25 800 20,000 straw yield Bhari5 60 50 3,000 Total Income (B) 23,000 Gross margin B-A (NR) source: Field documentation, 2004 * md=man days -1785 surplus family labour without compromising the alternative cost. This is because they do not have options to grow crops other than finger millet in these marginal lands. In real sense, there is a benefit to grow finger millet if the farmers have the option to utilize own family labour for its cultivation. 5.2 Cost: benefit of beverage production from finger millet A key informant survey was undertaken with the people at Kalabang village involved in preparing alcoholic beverage from finger millet for home consumption. The results of the survey were validated through focus group discussions (FGD) 3 Khaja means some kind of snacks provided to the workers during the work time 4 Muri is a local unit of measurement. For finger millet, one muri is equivalent to 63 kg. 5 Bhari is also a local unit of measuring straw as a by-product. One bhari is approx. 25 kg.
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Minor Millets in South Asia Learnin
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contents iii Contents Foreword v Pr
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foreword v Foreword The project,
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foreword vii Foreword I extend my c
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prefAce ix Preface The small millet
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executive suMMAry 1 Executive Summa
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executive suMMAry 3 women. Informat
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executive suMMAry 5 and seed exchan
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executive suMMAry 7 systems. These
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executive suMMAry 9 available for s
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executive suMMAry 11 dissemination
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introduction 13 Introduction Backgr
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introduction 15 The project was dev
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introduction 17 l Develop value add
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promoting nutrious millets in tamil
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enhanCing Food seCuritY and inCome
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Food seCuritY and inCome enhanCemen
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Page 114 and 115: Food seCuritY and inCome enhanCemen
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Page 190 and 191: Chennai platForm For aCtion 179 Ann
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Page 194 and 195: aCronYms 183 Acronyms ABD : Agricul
Page 196: aCronYms 185 PDS : Public Distribut
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Minor millets in South Asia: learnings from IFAD-NUS project in India ...

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