PATNA, Nov. 12 -- The state agriculture department has proposed setting up a centre of excellence for millets at the Bihar Agricultural University (BAU) campus in Sabour to accelerate research, production and value-chain development of these nutrient-rich grains. Agriculture minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said the new centre is being established under the state's fourth agricultural roadmap to promote crop diversification, raise farmers' incomes and strengthen climate-resilient farming. The government has approved Rs.1.80 crore for the university in the current financial year for research, production and value addition of millets (Shri Anna). "The state government is committed to the vision of the Prime Minister to give Shri Anna a global identity, strengthen nutrition security, increase farmers' income and encourage climate-resilient agriculture," Sinha said. He noted that under various schemes in 2025-26, millet cultivation was promoted across 18,246 hectares in the state. Millets require less water, are rich in nutrients and can withstand adverse weather, making them a strong option for the future of farming in Bihar, the minister said. The new centre will work on the full value chain and is expected to prove a milestone in expanding the area under millets, linking farmers with modern technology and developing markets for their produce. The centre of excellence for the Bihar millets value chain will function with technical collaboration from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), BAU, Sabour, and Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU), Pusa. It will integrate research, development of improved varieties, production techniques and value addition. The centre has already sent 16 varieties of different millet crops for approval. Work under the approved funds will focus on conservation, evaluation and enhancement of millet germplasm that delivers higher yields, better nutrition and greater resilience to climate change. Modern scientific and biotechnological tools will be used to develop new varieties suited to Bihar's different agro-climatic zones, with multi-location trials. Experimental demonstrations will also explore the potential of millet cultivation in the summer season. Quality seed production and distribution systems will be strengthened, and modern farm machinery and improved practices from sowing to harvesting and processing will be promoted to reduce costs and make cultivation more convenient and profitable. Special emphasis will be placed on developing the entire value chain, ensuring active participation of women farmers and self-help groups, and encouraging processing, packaging and marketing of millet-based products so that local entrepreneurship grows and farmers get better prices. Training for farmers and other stakeholders on production, value addition and marketing will form part of the effort. Sinha said the initiative will give traditional and nutritious grains a new identity in Bihar, help raise farmers' incomes, strengthen nutrition security and create opportunities for agri-based entrepreneurship and employment. The government's aim, he added, is to ensure that the benefits of agricultural research do not remain confined to laboratories but reach farmers' fields through modern technology and innovation. Bihar has been pushing millets as part of its fourth agricultural roadmap (2023-28). An earlier centre ef excellence for millets value chain has been functioning in Mayapur, Gaya, in collaboration with ICRISAT and the two state agricultural universities. That facility has identified promising lines, produced quality seed, trained hundreds of farmers (a large share of them women), set up processing units and developed ready-to-market products. The state has also encouraged cultivation of jowar, bajra, ragi, kodo, sanwa, cheena and other small millets, with targets earlier set for expansion across a substantial area. Official estimates in recent years have placed the area under millets in Bihar in the range of roughly 7,000-9,000 hectares, with production remaining modest (around 7,000-11,000 tonnes in different years)....