Gujarat today celebrated ‘Nagli Mahotsav’ to popularize delicacies made from this highly nutritious millet, grown in the predominantly tribal hilly district of the Dangs.

A coarse grain, ‘Nagli’ is known as ‘Ragi’ in other parts of India, as ‘finger millet’ elsewhere in the world, and also as ‘hill millet’ since it can be grown in the hilly areas.

It is known to be a natural source of nutrients. Its importance is now gradually being recognized to beat undernourishment. It is rich in protein, calcium, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, non-protein nitrogen and carbohydrate.

Because of its easy to digest quality, it is nowadays recommended for infants, pregnant woman, nursing mothers and elderly persons.

During ‘Nagli Mahotsav’, the Gujarat Government sponsored village development agencies arrange marketing drives to popularize delicacies made from ‘Nagli’ through the Ahwa-based Dangs District Sakhimandal Mahasangh. The Mahasangh fosters hundreds of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), at the same time ensuring women empowerment in the far off tribal areas. Tribal women man the stalls at the fair. One such fair was organized in front of the Secretariat in the state capital at Gandhinagar today. Last year, one such fair held at Surat too, was very successful.

The food grain takes various value-additions in the form of ready-to-cook idli, dhosa, dhokla, upma (Indian variants of porridge, pudding, cake), and ready-to-eat papdi, sev, shakkarpara, shiro (snacks and sweetmeats), biscuit, bhakri (flake), besides rotla (flat loaf) taken with the main meals.

The crop was given its due importance in the just concluded statewide mega event ‘Krishi Mahotsav-2010’, as was also mentioned in the state’s annual budget for a priority treatment.