Rajasthan surpasses target for millet outlets in rural areas

The Rajasthan Government has established as many as 152 millet outlets through cooperative societies in the rural areas of the State, exceeding the initial target of 34 by over four times. The initiative aims at promoting millets as a nutritious and sustainable alternative in the everyday consumption of common people.

Principal Cooperative Secretary Manju Rajpal said in Jaipur on Tuesday (September 16, 2025) that the villagers were getting the millet products at reasonable prices at these stores.

In addition to the millet items produced by cooperative institutions, the products of women’s self-help groups were also being kept for sale at the outlets, Ms. Rajpal said.

The village cooperative societies are making sustained efforts to promote millets in food consumption, while the consumers have evinced interest in the inclusion of millets in their diet. The outlets have been set up through the Rajasthan State Cooperative Consumer Federation, District Cooperative Consumer Societies, Kraya Vikray Sahakari Samitis and the village cooperative societies.

Ms. Rajpal said an announcement was made in the 2025-26 State Budget for opening the millet outlets to generate employment opportunities by selling the coarse grain products. Union Home and Cooperative Minister Amit Shah had inaugurated 64 millet outlets during his visit to attend the Sahakar Evum Rozgar Utsav at Dadiya in Jaipur district on July 17.

Among the products available at millet stores, the popular ones are mixed millet flour, roasted jowar, roasted bajra, ragi biscuits, oat biscuits, ragi flakes, and sanwa roasted flakes. The coarse grains include sanwa, kutki, kodo, kangani, and small kangani. Ms. Rajpal said the initiative had led to a significant increase in the income of cooperative societies.