Finger millet is an annual grass grown for food or brewing, its straw can be used as an animal feeds. However before planting winnow and inoculate seeds.
Millet is preferred because it is resistant to harsh climates, rich in magnesium, source of food and generate income. Additionally use improved seeds, plant in lines, conserve water and soil, control weeds, space crops, control pests and diseases for increased yields.
Post harvest management
Always inspect millet to easily identify their maturity and timely harvest the crop when ready.
Also avoid heaping millet and always use tarpaulins when harvesting to avoid the grains from germinating.
Additionally store dried millet in sacks, on pellets with enough space from the walls to prevent millet from absorbing water from the ground and wall respectively.
Furthermore, transport harvested millet from the garden, dry, pack in sacks and store bags on pellets.
Additionally, thresh millet on tarpaulin, winnow, park in sacks and store bags on pellets to avoid rats and mould development.
Lastly harvest when grains harden since delayed harvesting results into shuttering of millet seeds.
Challenges
Some of the challenges faced by millet growers include, too much sunshine, birds, diseases, weeds, storage and low market prices.
Solutions
The challenges can be solved by gap filling, controlling weeds, monitoring the field, apply fertilizers, planting good seeds, transporting millet after harvesting and and harvest when grains harden.
