The Odisha Millets Mission and Odisha Government, with an aim to take the mission forward, began a two-day International Convention on Millets (ICM) at Janta Maidan in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.
The convention, 9th and 10th November, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The ICM, whose theme is “Millets: Ancient Grains for Modern Challenges”, featured farmer engagement activities, displaying emerging technologies and farm machinery, experience centers, technical sessions, policy roundtables, B2B meetings, an international food festival, quiz competitions, cooking competitions, and much more.
The state government made a statement that ICM will focus on the tribal heritage of millets and showcase success stories of the millet entrepreneurship of Mission Shakti groups.
Welcoming the guests at the convention, CM Naveen Pattnaik said, “Millets are traditional grains, climate-resilient, and a powerhouse of nutrition. Millets can play an important role in achieving nutritional security. The United Nations has declared 2023 the International Year of Millets. Odisha is the first state to organize such an international convention involving all the stakeholders.”
“We launched the millet mission in Odisha in 2017 to encourage millet production, increase direct benefit transfer to the farmers, and lay out assured procurement of millets. The Odisha government is investing Rs 2500 crore to provide income and livelihood support to farmers,” he said.
He especially mentioned the SHGs: “It is very heartening to see the women SHGs and their involvement in the millet value chain. They have shown the world how millet-based enterprises can play an important role in appealing to the taste buds of consumers and improving their livelihoods as well.”