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HomePosts Tagged "millets"
Agro Universities, Collaborations, Foodgrains, India, R&D, Sustainability

The initiative aims to produce 20,000 kg of millet seed in 2024-25 and plans to expand further as on-ground capacity continues to grow.

With a groundbreaking focus on food and nutrition security, the Bihar Centre of Excellence for Millets Value Chains is harnessing scientific innovation to unlock the full potential of millet production in the state.The initiative aims to position Bihar as a leader in sustainable agriculture, enhancing crop resilience and supporting livelihoods for millions. Trials of various millet types have been conducted at multiple sites, identifying the top-performing varieties ‘lines’ for expanded trials in 2024 / 2025. As on date, 150 farmers have participated in millet seed production across 34 hectares, and improved seed and training have been provided to over 140 farmers.

The initiative aims to produce 20,000 kg of millet seed in 2024-25 and plans to expand further as on-ground capacity continues to grow.

Speaking from ICRISAT HQ, Global Research Program Director for Accelerated Crop Improvement Dr Sean Mayes said that millet cultivation in Bihar remained limited with only around 8,700 hectares under production, yielding approximately 11,200 tons annually. “In recent years, farmers have faced restricted access to diverse and high-performing millet varieties, which this initiative aims to address through targeted research and innovation. We know this will have a direct impact on food and nutrition security for the most vulnerable in the state, particularly for women and children,” said Dr Mayes.

To support smallholders, the Centre has also introduced on-site millet processing demonstrations, new mechanization tools, and field days, reaching over 1194 farmers including 240 women, with plans for two permanent secondary processing sites in Bihar. A model farm at Mayapur features rainwater harvesting and optimized irrigation and stands as an inspirational resource for local farmers to adopt resilient millet practices.

The Centre is taking further practical steps across six work packages that span the entire millet value chain—from germplasm enhancement and robust seed systems to mechanization, farming systems featuring rainfall storage, product innovation, and market linkages.

ICRISAT’s Interim Director General, Dr Stanford Blade, applauded the Government of Bihar, Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University and Bihar Agricultural University, and ICRISAT teams, and project partners for their progress in advancing the state’s vision for millet development. The Centre is set to reshape Bihar’s food systems, with ICRISAT and its partners directly addressing the state’s food and nutritional security needs, supporting farmer resilience, and establishing a sustainable foundation for agricultural growth.

The initiative aims to produce 20,000 kg

Company News, Foodgrains, India

Develops a tech-based prototype model for millet revival and helps establish market linkages

Lenovo, the global technology powerhouse, announced the successful culmination of its Work for Humankind Initiative, with six millet varieties making a comeback in Kanthalloor, Kerala.  Branded Kanthalloor Millets, these six varieties will make their way to the kitchens and tables of local homestays and Anganwadi schools, as a result of Lenovo’s tech-based prototype model to revive millet cultivation, ease millet production processes and create market linkages.

An important milestone for the initiative was the setting up of the Lenovo Digital Centre for Kanthalloor Millets at the IHRD College for Applied Sciences, Kanthalloor, to ensure that the community had access to technology tools to succeed in the Project. The Centre has enabled digital access to the farming community and has emerged as the hub for important information relating to government schemes like state crop insurance, crop diversification schemes, subsidies, peer learning, and sharing insights on millet cultivation methods. Farmers in Kanthalloor today, use smartphones to access information and stay connected with the digital centre, volunteers, as well as the community. 

Lenovo also announced a partnership with Samudra Network and Agri App, to digitize the agricultural value chain specific to millet farming in Kanthalloor. This includes crop detail tracking, digitisation of processing operations for quality control, and market catalogue creation.

Develops a tech-based prototype model for millet

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, Sustainability

Rajnath Singh Raksha Mantri & Dr Mansukh Mandaviya Health Minister unveil a book ‘Healthy Recipes for Defence’

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the use of millet and healthy eating practices among the Armed Forces and ensure the availability of safe & nutritious food was signed in the presence of Rajnath Singh Raksha Mantri and Dr Mansukh Mandaviya Minister of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) in New Delhi. Both Ministers also unveiled a book titled ‘Healthy Recipes for Defence’ to promote the consumption of Shree Anna (millets) and its health benefits.

The MoU was signed by Director General (Supplies and Transport) Lieutenant General Preet Mohinder Singh on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and CEO, of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) G Kamala Vardhana Rao. It aims to create awareness about the nutritional benefits of diet diversity and millet-based food products among the personnel. The MoU will also pave the way for the introduction of millet-based menus in messes, canteens and other food outlets under the MoD.

This collaboration will also ensure the training of food handlers & chefs of mess, canteens of the Armed Forces and other food outlets on food safety and hygiene as per the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. It signifies a shared commitment to the health and well-being of the Armed Forces to enable them to remain solid & resilient in their service to the nation. The MoU will also encourage the families of the Armed Forces and the community to adopt nutritious diets, make healthy food choices and maintain food safety.

 The book ‘Healthy Recipes for Defence’, developed by FSSAI, includes a range of millet-based dishes. It will be a valuable resource for different canteens and food outlets under the MoD. Given the challenging terrains and varied climatic conditions faced by the defence personnel, the significance of variety in diet assumes great importance. Millets are known for their nutritional value and can contribute to a well-balanced and diverse diet.

Rajnath Singh Raksha Mantri & Dr Mansukh

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, Pulses, Sustainability

She also called for protecting the returns of farmers, who are already growing millet

Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister directed National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) to sensitise farmers to shift towards more remunerative but less water-guzzling crops, especially millets, pulses and oilseeds.

With the production and marketing of Shree Anna being a national priority in the International Year of Millets 2023, Sitharaman told Nabard to encourage farmers to enhance the area covered under millets.

She also called for protecting the returns of farmers, who are already growing millets.

At a review meeting of Nabard, the FM also advised the institution to work towards ensuring efficiency and outcomes at the ground level with improvement in rural income as the top priority, as mentioned in Nabard’s statement.

Sitharaman said that improving the digital capabilities of rural financial institutions, including regional rural banks (RRBs), be facilitated on a priority basis for augmenting financial inclusion.

“NABARD should take steps to augment rural credit by correcting regional imbalances for better productivity in rural areas, including in the non-farm sector,” she added.

She told Nabard to work towards rural income generation as a top priority.

The FM also chaired another meeting of the consultative committee attached to the finance ministry on ‘Financial Inclusion: Progress and prospects’, in Delhi.

There, Sitharaman suggested identifying credit-deficient districts in each state and carrying out special credit outreach camps in those districts.

She also called for protecting the returns

Company News, Foodgrains, India, Sustainability

UPL will supply technical expertise and selected agriculture inputs, while the Republic of Guyana will provide a suitable land parcel of 200 acres

UPL, a leading provider of Sustainable Agriculture Solutions, announced a collaboration with the Republic of Guyana to establish a 200-acre ‘Millets Model Farm’.  Jai Shroff, Group CEO of UPL group and Zulfikar Mustafa, Agriculture Minister of the Republic of Guyana, signed an MOU in Georgetown, Guyana with an aim to assess the adaptation of various millet varieties for growing and consuming in Guyana.  The signing of the MoU coincided with the visit of an Indian delegation to Guyana led by S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India.

In this partnership, UPL will supply technical expertise and selected agriculture inputs, while the Republic of Guyana will provide a suitable land parcel of 200 acres in Guyana and local farm operations will be done by the Republic of Guyana. 

Millets, also known as super food, are climate-smart, sustainable, rich in heritage, and highly nutritious food resources. In comparison with rice, millet production requires half of the water per acre as compared with rice, making it a water conservation crop that can also withstand other climatic conditions like droughts, floods, heat stress, erratic rainfalls, etc., than other crops, saving food loss, enhancing small farmers resilience.  

Sagar Kaushik, President, Global Corporate & Industry Affairs from UPL, said, “We are delighted to partner with the Republic of Guyana as the first country in Latin America to explore millet cultivation potential in Guyana, which will also benefit Small Holding Farmers.”

Explaining the initiatives further, Kaushik Said, said, “UPL is paving the path for millet cultivation and making important strides toward its vision of a food-secure world through this collaboration. This is a win-win situation for both Guyana and UPL. UPL’s expertise and technical know-how will play a crucial role in ensuring the success of this initiative, which can provide a sustainable livelihood to smallholding farmers globally.”

UPL will supply technical expertise and selected

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, Sustainability

MEC offers a unique dining experience, besides an in-store shopping experience

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, along with Rajbir Singh, Managing Director, NAFED, commemorated the launch of the first-of-its-kind ‘Millets Experience Centre (MEC)’ at Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi. NAFED in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) established the Millets Experience Centre with an aim to raise awareness of Millets and encourage its adoption among the general public.

Acting upon India’s proposal supported by 72 countries, the United Nations General Assembly declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM 2023). The declaration positioned India at the forefront of the celebrations and the Government of India has been working on ‘mission mode’ to champion millets as a crop good for farmers, the environment and consumers. The ministry-led initiative of establishing a consumer-oriented ‘Millets Experience Centre’ would not only promote the dietary benefits of the ancient grain but also popularise millets or Shree Anna as a nutritional powerhouse fit for cooking a variety of dishes like Millets dosa, Millets pasta etc. In addition to a unique dining experience, customers can also purchase a variety of ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products from local millet start-ups at the MEC.

In his inaugural address, Tomar praised India’s dynamic celebration of IYM 2023, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Highlighting the visionary efforts of the Prime Minister, starting from the declaration of the National Year of Millets in 2018 and further with the International Year of Millets (IYM), Tomar said India is gearing towards becoming a ‘Global Hub’ for Millets. The setting up of the MEC is a step in that direction, he added. Situated in the heart of Delhi, Dilli Haat is a national & cultural hub for visitors from all around the world, the MEC will further help the global outreach of the local millets and provide visitors with a chance to witness India’s ‘Millet Movement’, he said.

MEC offers a unique dining experience, besides

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India, Sustainability

The report presents a set of good and innovative practices adopted by state governments and organisations in various aspects of the millet value- chain

NITI Aayog released a report titled Promoting Millets in Diets: Best Practices across States/UTs of India. The report was released by Suman K. Bery, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman in the presence of Member (Health) Dr V.K. Paul, Member (Agriculture) Dr Ramesh Chand and CEO B. V. R. Subrahmanyam.

The report presents a set of good and innovative practices adopted by state governments and organisations in various aspects of the millet value- chain, especially production, processing and consumption. The report in three themes i.e. (a) State Missions and initiatives to promote millets; (b) Inclusion of millets in ICDS; (c) Research and development and use of technology for innovative practices. The report will serve as a guiding repository to revive and mainstream millets in our diets.

Speaking on the occasion, Suman K. Bery, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman said, “The release of the publication is very timely. Prime Minister has provided strategic leadership in raising the importance of millets. Slowly, there have been shifts in diets which is linked to environmental sustainability and health impacts and people are now beginning to appreciate the medicinal, nutritional and anti-inflammatory value of millets. As a way forward, we need to leverage the power of branding and marketing to popularise millet as a superfood and make it fashionable”.

Dr V.K. Paul, Member NITI Aayog said, “Millets are nutritionally wholesome crops. Having a document of this nature is vital as it will give confidence to people and those engaged in millets who look at data, evidence and practices to mainstream millets in our diets and systems”.

The report presents a set of good

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India, SAARC, Sustainability

Sri Lanka’s Minister for Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera appreciated India’s efforts to promote the use and popularisation of millet

In Sri Lanka, the High Commission of India held an interaction on the importance of millets in Colombo. Sri Lanka’s Minister for Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera appreciated India’s efforts to promote the use and popularisation of millet. He said Millets are very helpful, especially for those who are battling illnesses like Cardiovascular disease and diabetes. He added that Sri Lanka can benefit from better varieties of millet from India through collaboration with Indian institutions like Indian Council for Agricultural Research.

Gopal Baglay, High Commissioner said that Millets have been a part of Indian cultural DNA. Recounting India’s journey from food-grain shortage to surplus, Baglay also recounted the shift towards water-intensive and cash crops. He elaborated on the benefits millets would provide to small farmers, especially in crises.

The High Commissioner said that once forgotten, millets have now become popular as smart foods and healthy food. Remembering Sri Lanka’s crisis last year, he said that both India and Sri Lanka acknowledged food security as the first pillar of cooperation. He asserted that today’s interaction on millet can help achieve cooperation on food security.

Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation for Sri Lanka and Maldives Vimlendra Sharan welcomed the interaction organised by the Indian Mission. He said that the international year of Millets is timely and a reminder to work towards integrating millets into our production cycle and consumption pattern. Elaborating that millets are climate resilient, he added that in Sri Lanka millet production is restricted to under 7000 hectares as against 8 lakh hectares in the case of rice. He added that this scenario needs a change. He further said that FAO stands with Sri Lanka to bring the best practices and technologies to help Sri Lanka in improving millet cultivation.

Sri Lanka’s Minister for Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India, Supply Chain, Sustainability, Trade, World

MoU to help promote millets and value-added millet products in international markets

In a move to harness the export potential of millets to the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCCs), the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) which works under the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lulu Hypermarket LLC.

APEDA aims to promote millet products and value-added products around the world in association with Lulu Group, which is an international retail hypermarket chain that operates stores and shopping malls across Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, India and the Far East.

As per the agreement, the Lulu Group will facilitate promotional activities for millet products and enable the country to display millets and its value-added products, ready to eat products in international retail chains by sourcing it from Farmer Producer Organisations, Farmer Producer Companies, women entrepreneurs and startups.

APEDA will facilitate manufacturers to send various samples of millet products to Lulu Hypermarkets, which will be showcased at its various stores. APEDA, in association with Lulu Group, will also provide assistance in the labelling of the products in accordance with the requirement of different importing countries.

As a part of its series of events for the promotion of the International Year of Millets (IYoM) 2023, APEDA is organising export promotion activities for millets in 16 International Trade Fairs, including Gulfood 2023.

India has exported millets worth $ 46.05 million from April-November 2022-23 and the UAE is the major importing country of Indian millets. The signing of the MoU will facilitate APEDA’s strategy to promote the export of millets and its value-added products in West Asian countries to achieve the overall set target of USD 100 million for the export of millets and its value-added products by 2025.

The MoU was signed between Dr Tarun Bajaj, Director of APEDA and Salim VI, the Chief Operating Officer of LuLu Group in presence of APEDA Chairman Dr M Angamuthu, Consul General of India Dr Aman Puri and M.A. Yusuff Ali, the Chairman & Managing Director of Luu Group.

Speaking on the occasion, APEDA Chairman M Angamuthu said, “It’s a good opportunity to boost our exports as India has very distinctive traditional varieties of millets which are loved by health-conscious people. The export of millets will help in increasing the income of farmers.”

APEDA has also planned to organise millet promotional activities in South Africa, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Sydney, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America by facilitating the participation of different stakeholders from India in some of the significant food shows, Buyer Seller Meets and Road Shows.

MoU to help promote millets and value-added

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India

The two-day event was aimed at bringing all the stakeholders of the food processing sector with special focus on millets, on a common platform.

In the wake of the United Nations General Assembly declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries is hosting Millets Mahotsav across 20 States and 30 Districts in the country with the aim of creating awareness about the nutritional benefits, value addition, consumption and export potential of Millets. The districts include Mandla (Madhya Pradesh), Vizianagaram (Andhra Pradesh), Bhojpur (Bihar), Mahbubnagar (Telangana), Dharmapuri (Tamil Nadu), Agra (Uttar Pradesh), Karbi Anglong (Assam), Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu), Dang (Gujarat), Parvathipuram Manyam (Andhra Pradesh), Komaram Bheem (Telangana), Almora (Uttarakhand), Nuapada (Odisha), Bathinda (Punjab), Palakkad (Kerala), Davangere (Karnataka), Tapi (Gujarat), Barmar (Rajasthan), Kullu (Himachal Pradesh), Tumkur (Karnataka), Bhind (Madhya Pradesh), Nandurbar (Maharashtra), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Sukma (Chhattisgarh), Mahendragarh (Haryana), Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh), Kalimpong (West Bengal), Khunti (Jharkhand) and Jamui (Bihar).

The two-day event was aimed at bringing all the stakeholders of the food processing sector with special focus on millets, on a common platform and encompassed a wide range of activities like exhibition and sale of various millet-based products, informative sessions on millet processing, interactive sessions between industry experts and micro food processing enterprises, SHGs, FPOs engaged in food processing followed by acultural programby indigenous tribal groups. The event witnessed an overwhelming response with more than 1000 participants attending the event including micro food processing enterprises, self-help groups, farmer producer organisations, producer cooperatives, etc.

Mandla is the hub of production of the Kodo and Kutki Millet which has also been identified as the One District One Product (ODOP) under the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India.

During his inaugural address, Prahlad Singh Patel touched upon the importance of millets and the immense market potential for millet-based value-added products. He informed the stakeholders about the various initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries to support the food processing sector and cited the role of the PMFME Scheme in empowering micro food processing enterprises by providing financial, technical and business support across the value chain.

In addition to the Millets Mahotsav, a mega-food event is also being organised by the Ministry from 3rd to 5th Nov 2023 in New Delhi to provide a unique platform to all stakeholders i.e. producers, food processors, equipment manufacturers, logistics players, cold chain players, technology providers, academia, start-up & innovators, food retailers, etc. to interact and have a dialogue. The event is slated to be the biggest-ever congregation of dignitaries, global investors and business leaders of major global and domestic food companies which would put India firmly on the global food landscape.

The two-day event was aimed at bringing

India

Industry members recommend organising international and national campaigns, expos, food/culinary festivals

As the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has declared 2023 as the ‘International Year of Millets’, a series of events and initiatives are being organised by concerned Ministries / Departments to create awareness and inspire all stakeholders to work towards improving the production and productivity of the climate-resilient and nutritious millets across the globe.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (M/o FPI) has proposed to organise a mega food event with a focus on millets, for showcasing the myriad opportunities in millets processing and value-addition as well as opportunities available in other champion segments for all relevant stakeholders.

As a prelude to the same, Anita Praveen, Secretary, M/o FPI, chaired a Roundtable Interaction with leading industry players in the Agri and food processing sector on November 16, 2022. The agenda of the roundtable was to apprise the Ministry’s plan of action as well as gather inputs of the industry players for the series of events to be organised throughout the year until the proposed Mega Food Event. The roundtable witnessed participation from National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEMS) and over 25 prominent industry players in the Agri food sector covering sub-segments such as RTE/C, Millets, F&V, Marine, Dairy and Nutraceuticals.

During the keynote address, Secretary, FPI informed the industry participants that the event organised in 2023 is being envisaged on a larger scale and would be providing a platform to explore Indian market across the value chain in food processing and food retail.

Through this event, MoFPI is planning to popularise Nutri-cereals globally, owing to its health benefits. In lieu of the same, the industry members recommended organising international and national campaigns, expos, food & culinary festivals and research collaboration with NIFTEMs on sustainability.

Industry members recommend organising international and national

India

Targeted goal is to build support, organise, market, and forge effective market linkages

The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DAFW) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi to boost the initiative by  Prime Minister  Narendra Modi to promote Millets towards celebration of the International Year of Millets 2023.

Both organisations to work together for the promotion and marketing of millet-based products, keeping in view the initiative of “International Year of Millets (IYOM)-2023” proposed by the Government of India to the United Nations, which is to be celebrated across the world. 

As India gears up to bring millet back on the global map, both the organisations will build support, organise, promote, market, and forge effective market linkages for millet-based products to maximise the value capture and millet-based commodities across the country.

Targeted goal is to build support, organise,

India

Ministers express satisfaction at the friendly and close bilateral relations between the two countries

Lemogang Kwape, visiting Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation of Botswana, held a meeting with the Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, in New Delhi to discuss the issues of cooperation between the two countries in Agriculture and Allied sectors.

Both the ministers put emphasis on promoting the cultivation of nutri-cereals on a large scale in view of their nutritious value and significance. Tomar informed that India is gearing up to celebrate the International Year of Millets on a global scale.

Both sides also discussed the issues of market access for their agricultural products and assured each other of resolving the issues at the earliest. 

Ministers express satisfaction at the friendly and

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited in New Delhi to boost the initiative visioned by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote Millets towards celebration of the International Year of Millets 2023.

DA&FW and NAFED will collaborate in key areas like facilitating advisory support to manufacturers/processors of millet-based products to develop value-added millet-based commodities; on-boarding of start-ups, inclusive of start-ups empaneled with Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR); formation of FPOs specifically for developing a range of millet-based products; promote and market millet-based products through the network of NAFED Bazaar Stores and other institutions linked with NAFED as well as installation of Millet based Vending Machines at various locations across Delhi-NCR; and dispensing millet-based products that shall assist in establishing the focus on millet-based commodities.

Both organizations will work together for the promotion and marketing of millet-based products, keeping in view the initiative of “International Year of Millets (IYOM)-2023” proposed by the Government of India to the United Nations, which is to be celebrated across the world. As India is gearing up to bring millet back on the global map, they will build support and organize, promote, market, and forge effective market linkages for millet-based products to maximize the value capture and millet-based commodities across the country.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between