Accra, Ghana//-The High Commission of India in Accra has marked the International Year of Millets with a well-attended Indian Food Festival at the residence of Indian High Commissioner to Ghana.
The event was attended by hundreds of Indians and their Ghanaian counterparts was also used to launch ‘Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE)’ and the ‘International Year of Millets 2023 (IYoM2023)’.
Speaking at the launch of these campaigns in Accra on Sunday, February 26, 2023, the Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, H.E Sugandh Rajaram, explained that the two campaigns are interlinked and arise out of the pressing need for humanity to change its lifestyle to save the environment.
“We have been taking various measures to address issues of climate change and other dangers to the environment”.
However, he warned that; “our efforts should not be limited to just the energy transition but should be comprehensive and holistic. With this view, Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi launched the LiFE initiative in the Glasgow COP 26 Summit”.
The initiative was launched as a campaign in India recently with the participation of United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. LiFE advocates for changing our lifestyle to suit the environment. This includes our food habits, Mr Rajaram said.
With the launch of IYoM, India took the lead in suggesting to the international community to adopt an environment friendly food lifestyle. This effort has now been adopted by the UN by announcing 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
Millets are largely grown in the developing countries of the world that is the Global South. They form a significant part of the food of the people of these countries including Ghana and India and an important part of their national economies since the large number of agricultural rural population is involved in it.
“From this perspective, it is the healthiest food for humanity. At the same time, millets require less water, they are climate resilient and require less inputs in cultivation. This makes millets an environmentally friendly crop”, he added.
As most of the farmers from the Global South are dependent on the cultivation, consumption, and income from sale of the millets, the millets are important for the economies of the developing countries.
Thus, the promotion of millets in cultivation, consumption and export globally will make humanity healthy, the environment sustainable and the farmers from the developing countries will be able to raise their income, Mr Rajaram emphasized.
On his part, Ghana’s Dep Minister of Food and Agriculture in Charge of Crops, Yaw Frimping Addo, said that; “today’ event, provides yet another avenue for cooperation”.
Pearl millet as we all know is an ancient grain which has sustained generations and continues to provide nourishment to both the young and old, men and women as well as rich and poor globally”.
Over a period, the millet value chain has provided tremendous employment opportunities spanning food equipment and related services which is good for our economies, he noted.
“In Ghana, millet foods which were hitherto confined to only the Zongo communities have now found a bold presence in the major towns and cities.
These foods are also consumed from breakfast to dinner. The popular breakfast cereal pap we call Koko (Porridge), is the choice of both the rich and poor.
The high patronage indirectly enhances income of small-scale farmers, most of whom are women. Innovative products are also emerging to expand the market for millet”.
Value addition is very important for the promotion of consumption of millet, which is fast gaining popularity among the Ghanaian people, according to him.
Even more, industries such as Nestle Ghana use millet for making products such as biscuits, cookies and cerelac.
Culinary studies show that between 1520% pearl millet can substitute for wheat for bread baking in Ghana. There are also other emerging food products from small scale companies including ‘Zimbulu’ and ‘B-diet’ that are making strides in the pearl millet food value chain.
Under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), opportunities abound for both small and medium scale producers to compete in the intra-regional trade arena.
Everything possible will be done therefore to expose the versatility of the millet crop to leverage opportunities presented by AfCFTA, Mr Addo assured.
Pearl millet in Ghana does appear quite easy to promote. However, there is a strong need for the introduction of grain cleaners and destoners to help improve the overall quality of millet in this country, he said.
“It is a great honour to be associated with the international year of Millet, an event set aside by the international community for this year 2023. As Deputy Minister privileged to be serving in the agriculture sector of Ghana and responsible for the promotion of crop development, I am excited about this important initiative, since it affects millions of farmers in Ghana, India, and the larger global community”.
Mr Addo commended the High Commissioner of India for hosting this auspicious occasion, which highlights the importance of millet and presents a great opportunity for sharing knowledge and country experiences about the use of millet for consumption.
“Your Excellency, acutely aware of the economic and social benefits to be derived from the promotion of millet as a cereal crop globally, Ghana through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture fully appreciates and embraces his effort”.
Investment in agro-processing equipment is required to make Ghana’s millet competitive. Furthermore, there is currently no source of funding to popularise available improved varieties and the promising ones in advance stage of breeding, Mr Addo said.
“It is hoped that with the launch of millet as a promotional initiative, all stakeholders will take a second look at the important role pearl millet plays in the well-being of Ghanaians and offer the necessary support to boost production and utilization in the country”.
A Deputy Minister of Health, Tina Mensah reiterated that millets are the most nutrient rich food commodities in Ghana and across the globe.
She therefore pledged the Ghanaian government’s support in the promotion and consumption of millet-based foods in the West African country.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture Directorate responsible for Women in Agricultural Development, and their collaborators, were all at the event to showcase some delicious millet-based foods for the public to taste.
While millet’s food competition which was held during the event awarded the best millet food recipes.
African Eye Report
