Eat millets and stay away from viruses!”- Dr.Budhaji Rao Mulik
Publication of Vanrai’s ‘Small-millet Special Issue’
Pune: Due to coronavirus, the whole world was at home. But look at our farmers, they know about many viruses. On the farm, there are different crops. Bugs and plant sickness are a few viruses that bother them. The good news is that the farmer knows how to fix these issues. During the coronavirus, lockdown was implemented, but senior agricultural expert Dr. Budhajirao Mulik expressed his opinion about it being unnecessary. He also recommended consuming millet and maintaining a distance to prevent the spread of the virus.
  On behalf of Vanrai’, the publication of the special issue of Millets on “Small millets” was done by Mulik. On this occasion, senior plant expert Prof. Mr. D. Mahajan, Vanrai’s President Ravindra Dharia, Former Editor Sadhana Dharia Shroff, Secretary Amit Wadekar, Trustee Rohidas More, Yasdha's  Deputy Director General Dr. Mallinath Kalshetty, Dhanyakumar Chordia and many more dignitaries were present.
  Dr. Mulik said that in the past, our diet primarily consisted of millet. However, with the arrival of the British, various grains were introduced, which formed a significant part of our current diet. Unfortunately, these grains may not offer as many nutrients as millets do, leading to an increased risk of diseases. On the contrary, consuming millet can boost our immunity, reducing the chances of falling ill, as they are rich in protein.
   Senior plant expert Prof. Shri. D. Mahajan said that we say, "We don’t eat sugar",  but even if we eat jowar, a millet, it converts into sugar inside the stomach. Every cell needs sugar for energy, and our every moment depends on it. Unfairly, we've given sugar a bad reputation for no reason.
  But, excess of anything is not good. Jowar, bajri, rai, ragi, etc., are part of the millet category. It is good to eat jowar roti in the morning and millet at night to ensure an intake of diverse nutrients. Ravindra Dharia said, "Appropriate efforts are being made to increase the amount of millet in the diet of rural-tribal people". Along with them, all the members of the society are continuously made aware of the nutritional value of millet and its importance in the diet.
  Amit Wadekar said, "Today about 75 percent of the world’s food comes from only 12 crop varieties and 5 animal breeds, while only 6 companies in the world control 60 to 80 percent of seeds, grain processing, and grain use. The global food system as a whole has become very sensitive and unstable, which is a matter of great concern for the future".