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HomePosts Tagged "Pearl Millet"
AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India

Telangana joins as the state partner at the World India Food Summit 2023

Telangana hosted the prestigious World Food India’s Telangana Summit, a significant event that brought together key stakeholders in the food processing sector.

The summit in Hyderabad was graced by the presence of eminent dignitaries, including Telangana’s Principal Secretary, Jayesh Ranjana, and the Ministry of Food Processing and Industries’ Additional Secretary, Minhaj Alam.

Jayesh Ranjan in his address highlighted the key features of the Telangana Summit, and the inauguration of the first-of-its-kind Millet Incubation Centre, supported under the PMFME Scheme. He also announced that Telangana as the state partner for the New Delhi event will Telangana Pavilion, and urged startups and small businesses to participate and showcase their inventions at the Pavilion. The last date for submissions is 10 October 2023.

Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) has been granted Rs. 268.76 Lakhs for this project, situated in the capital city of Telangana.

The Millet Incubation Centre offers a diverse range of processing facilities, including primary and secondary millet processing, extrusion lines for vermicelli, pasta, and noodles, bakery lines, and a puffing line. This expansion aims to double the number of entrepreneurs benefiting from these facilities and promote the nutritional value and versatility of millets, such as Sorghum, Pearl millet, Finger Millet, Proso millet, Foxtail millet, Kodo millet, Little millet, and Barnyard Millet.

Millets, often referred to as ‘nutri-cereals’ or ‘Shree Anna,’ have garnered attention for their high nutritional content, including calcium, zinc, iron, and a low glycemic index. To meet the increasing demand for ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook, and ready-to-serve millet products, the Millet Incubation Centre introduces technology for value-added products like biscuits, pasta, noodles, and more under the brand “MILLET-PLUS.”

This event highlights the significance of millet on a global scale, addressing food security, nutrition, and climate resilience. It aligns with various government schemes, such as PMFME, PMKSY, and PLIS, aimed at boosting the food processing sector, with subsidies and support for micro-food processing enterprises.

All entrepreneurs, including millet-based and other food processing industries, are encouraged to actively participate in World Food India 2023. It provides a global platform to showcase unique products, innovations, and success stories while fostering networking, collaborations, and learning from global best practices.

Telangana joins as the state partner at

Award, R&D

The World Food Prize Foundation has announced that Dr Mahalingam Govindaraj, senior scientist for crop development at Harvest Plus and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, will receive the 2022 Norman E Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, endowed by The Rockefeller Foundation.

Dr Govindaraj is recognised for his outstanding leadership in mainstreaming biofortified crops, particularly pearl millet, in India and Africa. For more than a decade, he has directed the development and dissemination of high-yielding, high-iron and high-zinc pearl millet varieties that have contributed to better nutrition for thousands of farmers and their communities.

In 2014, while working at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Dr Govindaraj released the world’s first biofortified pearl millet, called Dhanashakti. Independent clinical studies showed that 200 grams of Dhanashakti provided women with more than 80 per cent of their recommended daily allowance of iron, compared to only 20 per cent in regular pearl millet varieties.

Barbara Stinson, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, said, “Dr Govindaraj has shown a tireless commitment to making biofortified pearl millet widespread, improving nutrition for people in India and Sub-Saharan Africa.” Ronnie Coffman, professor emeritus at Cornell University and chair of the Borlaug Field Award Jury, said, “Dr Govindaraj truly follows in the footsteps of Norman Borlaug in his quest to ensure nutritious food for all throughout India and Africa.”

The World Food Prize Foundation has announced

Agrotech, India

The ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad and IFFCO Kisan have virtually signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) to promote Bio-fortified Pearl Millet cultivars through FPOs in Koppal district of Karnataka. 

Through this collaborative effort, the FPOs in Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh will receive seeds, technology orientation, advice dissemination, and capacity building on packaging of biofortified seeds in terms of nutritional content and its benefits.

C V Ratnavathi, Director, ICAR-IIMR laid emphasis on creating awareness of bio-fortified seeds and nutritional values of Millets and said that the Institute will connect farmers and FPOs with knowledge partner IFFCO Kisan and Praveer Srivastava, COO, IFFCO Kisan, highlights that IFFCO Kisan will distribute seeds and also assures the buyback of Pearl Millet at farm gate from FPOs at a competitive price by replicating its pilot project in districts of Karnataka, Telangana & Andhra Pradesh.

Siddharth Bhattacharya, Lead – Partner Relationships, IFFCO Kisan further adds that with the help of ICAR-IIMR, IFFCO Kisan will work towards on-boarding of farmers & FPOs, trainings, capacity building on better package practices, technology orientation & seed distribution to shareholders of FPOs and better market linkages to farmers.

The ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad