From now on, National Millet Day will be celebrated on 16th of July every year. The Cabinet meeting held on Monday decided to celebrate 16th of July as National Millet Day.

The government has decided to celebrate the National Day of July when the cultivation of millet, which is a multi-purpose grain, is decreasing. The government has declared rice, maize and wheat as national crops. Billions of chemical fertilizers are imported every year to increase the production of these crops.

However, the government is being criticized for neglecting multipurpose millet, which requires less fertilizer and does not require much irrigation. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, millet can be grown in 77 districts at an altitude of 60 meters to 3650 meters. According to the National Agricultural Genetic Resource Center (Gin Bank), Karnali has the most potential in terms of production.

Although the demand for millet and millet products has increased, the government has not been able to increase production. Looking at the past data, millet production is decreasing. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in 2078/79, 267 thousand 71 hectares were cultivated and 339 thousand 462 tons were produced.