Bhubaneswar: To promote millet food culture in urban and rural areas, a two-day international convention on millets will be organised in Odisha capital on November 9 and 10.
The state-level steering committee headed by Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena held a preparatory meeting in this regard on Wednesday.
Besides increasing the household consumption of millets, it envisages conservation and promotion of millet landraces, promotion of post-harvest and primary processing enterprises, promotion of value addition enterprises in rural and urban areas, inclusion of millets in PDS, ICDS, MDM and welfare hostels. It also seeks to facilitate millet-based product markets and exports.
Success stories of farmers, women self-help groups and other stakeholders of the Odisha Millet Mission will be showcased at the conference which will also facilitate market linkages between companies, MSMEs, farmer producer organisation (FPOs), women self help groups (WSHGs) for millet based products.
The chief secretary stressed the need to focus on the latest research in the field of millet production, farming practices and value-added production to ensure that the convention met international standards. Agriculture Principal Secretary Arabinda Padhee added that it will present an opportunity for engagement and collaboration with educational institutions, healthcare institutions and hotel associations while creating awareness among students and consumers about millets as nutritious and health-enhancing food choice.
Notably, Raimati Ghiuria, a pioneering farmer from Kundra block in Koraput, and Subasa Mohanta of Matiagarh village of Mayurbhanj district will be sharing their insights on millets with the world leaders on September 9 at G20 Summit in New Delhi. In March, Mohanta had interacted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the global conference on millets.
