PRAYAGRAJ, June 7 -- Agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi on Saturday stressed the cultivation of millets and announced that the government would procure 'dhaincha' (a green manure) at Rs.8,000 per quintal. He also laid special emphasis on crop rotation, natural farming, crop insurance and the Farmer Registry. He was addressing a joint divisional seminar on Kharif crop productivity for the Varanasi, Vindhyachal and Prayagraj divisions at the MP Hall of Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT). Shahi, the chief guest, urged farmers to return to millet cultivation. "It is unfortunate for a country with the world's largest farming population to depend on foreign nations for pulses, especially when we produced millets in large quantities in the past," he said. Addressing concerns regarding the Farmer Registry, he explained that the system consolidates details of a farmer's landholdings across various districts on a single platform. This will bring transparency to the delivery of scheme benefits, fertiliser distribution and other services, he added. He also noted that a 'Kheti Bachao Abhiyan' was launched in the state on Friday, under which party MLAs would undertake foot marches from June 11 to 17 to educate farmers about the benefits of natural farming. The minister said that according to the India Meteorological Department, rainfall is likely to be below normal this year....