HYDERABAD, MARCH 04, 2025: A National Millets Kisan Mela & Industry Meet for SC and ST farmers under the SCSP and TSP components of Global Centre of Excellence (GCoE) on Millets (Shree Anna) was organized by the ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets (Shree Anna) Research (IIMR), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad on Monday in the Auditorium of Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad with the theme “Shree Anna (millets) for Viksit Bharath’’.
At the outset, Dr. (Mrs.) C Tara Satyavathi, Director, ICAR-IIMR welcomed the Chief Guest and other dignitaries, and outlined the purpose of the Kisan mela especially for the benefit of SC and ST farmers. Speaking on the occasion Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, Hon’ble Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India and the Chief Guest, praised the importance of farmers and research in making India, a developed country. He opined that as long as farmers are not empowered the country will not be a developed country. The Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi declared millets as Shree Anna, which helped in making these crops famous at both national and international level. Millets are nutritionally rich and necessary for a healthy living not only for human beings, but also for animals and birds as fodder and feed. The minister emphasized the importance of maintaining the soil health and application of chemical fertilizers only based on soil test results. He told that in the last 10 years the MSP of millets along with other crops has been raised by 2-3 times for the benefit of farmers. He called out the important role of KVKs and FPOs in promoting millets and latest improved technologies for making farming profitable. He also emphasized the importance of processing and value addition in millets. He declared that the Agriculture Ministry is going to roll out a scheme where 50% of the transport cost will be borne by the central government, where by the gap between farm gate price and consumer price can be reduced. Also, the fertilizer subsidy will be directly transferred to farmers’ accounts in future, apart from raising the Kisan Credit card limit from 3 to 5 lakh rupees. Scientists should address the challenge of climate change.
Earlier, Prof. Aldas Janaiah, Hon’ble VC of PJTAU, highlighted how the area and production of millets in the country has declined drastically in the last 5 decades,. However, the productivity has increased because of research efforts. He urged the Minister that there needs to be policy on price incentive and market support to millets, only then can farmers be attracted to farming. Dr. D. Raji Reddy, Hon’ble VC of Shri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University suggested that millets should be promoted as intercrops with pulses, oil seeds, cotton and horticultural crops. Then only area and production of millets can be increased. There needs to be a farming system approach to millets on a mission mode. Moreover, millets farmers should be given incentive apart from declaring MSP, and processing facilities to be established to help SC and ST farmers. Dr. G. Narendra Kumar, Director General, NIRD & PR appraised the Minister how his institute is regularly collaborating with IIMR in training the SHGs to incorporate millets components to enhance the income. Millets help in the environmental sustainability and are also the crops of choice to face the adverse effects of climate change. But malnourishment is increasing in the rural areas. Hence, there is a need for a policy to make available millets at affordable cost to farmers and poor in the rural area to improve their health as millets consumption has come down due to high price. SHGs can develop value-added products out of millets which will lead to increased rural development as well as reduction in malnutrition, especially among children and women who are affected most by anemia. NIRDPR is also promoting moringa plantations in rural areas to improve essential amino acids like lysine content in the diet, and value-added products can be developed by combining millets and moringa to improve health and well-being.
The Guests of Honour briefly addressed the farmers gathered from different states. Shri RP Naidu, Regional Director, APEDA shared the efforts by APEDA for millets export promotion to different countries and the schemes brought out to promote and encourage millets farmers. The FPOs can register with APEDA and directly link with millets exporters, and state regional offices will facilitate this. Dr. Shaik N. Meera, Director, ICAR-ATARI, in his remarks thanked the Government for the efforts undertaken to double the farmers’ income. He also commended the Prime minister’s constant push towards promoting millets and uplifting the farmers’ income through processing and value-addition. Dr. R.K. Mathur, Director, ICAR – IIOR, briefly outlined efforts of IIOR towards achieving self-sufficiency in edible oils, and also highlighted the programmes undertaken by the institute in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Nagaland. Dr. S.B. Barbuddhe, Director, ICAR – NMRI, expressed how the institute is working in collaboration with other ICAR institutes in achieving the goal of one ICAR.
Dr. Sunchu Glory Swarupa, DG, NI-MSME outlined the role of MSME in enhancing the income of farmers, and how the institute helps in branding and marketing of millets through different training programmes and schemes. Dr. G. Taru Sharma, Director, NIAB stressed on the role of animals in agriculture. She highlighted the contribution of her institute in developing a SNP chip for identification of indigenous breeds of cattle.
More than 30 publications in different regional languages were released during the Mela. Progressive farmers from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka were felicitated by the Minister and other dignitaries. Ms. Lahari Bhi from Dindori district of Madhya Pradesh and Smt. Raimati Guria from Odisha, who are involved in conservation of several traditional varieties of millets and landraces, were specially invited to the Kisan Mela. Later the Minister inaugurated the exhibition stalls where FPOs, startups and different research organizations have put up their stalls. The event also featured producer-buyer meet, B2B and panel discussions on scientific millets cultivation practices. More than 1500 farmers, representatives from millet FPOs, SHGs and farm women participated in the Kisan mela. Directors from neighboring ICAR institutes, NIRDPR, NIMSME, NIAB, Vice chancellor of Horticultural University and representative from APEDA were other dignitaries on the dais.
Earlier on the day, the Hon’ble minister visited the ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research and went around research fields, laboratories and processing facilities. He also interacted with the scientists.
