Centre's millet scheme is boosting farmers� incomes: Minister

New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) The Centre’s scheme to promote millet-based products has boosted local production and procurement of agricultural produce, which has benefited farmers, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, Ravneet Singh Bittu informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

Thirty beneficiaries were initially enrolled in the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Millet-Based Products. Following the withdrawal of one beneficiary, there are now 29 beneficiaries. According to the scheme guidelines, only domestically sourced agricultural products (excluding additives, flavours, and oils) must be used in the preparation of millet-based products.

The Government has introduced several measures to enhance the implementation of the PLI Scheme for Millet-Based Products (PLISMBP). These measures include the establishment of a user-friendly portal and the creation of dedicated groups for prompt issue resolution. Clarifications on scheme guidelines have been issued from time to time to facilitate easy understanding of the scheme guidelines, the minister said in a written reply.

Moreover, regular monitoring and evaluation mechanisms have been instituted, and technical assistance is provided through dedicated teams to facilitate a smooth implementation of the scheme. Additionally, weekly meetings with applicants are held to ensure effective communication and progress tracking, he added.

To promote the use of millets in food products and encourage value addition, the Government of India launched the Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Millet-based Products (PLISMBP) for the period FY 2022-2023 to FY 2026-2027, with an outlay of Rs 800 crore.

The scheme eliminates the threshold investment requirement, making it accessible to more applicants. To qualify for incentives, companies selected under the scheme must achieve a minimum year-on-year sales growth of 10 per cent over the base year. The scheme incentivises sales of branded Ready-to-Eat and Ready-to-Cook products in consumer packs that contain over 15 per cent millet by weight or volume.

The scheme has a tenure of five years. The claims in respect of the first performance year (FY 2022-2023) were required to be filed in FY 2023-2024. 19 applicants submitted incentive claims, and Rs 3.917 crore has been disbursed to the eligible applicants so far.