Bhubaneswar: In a moment of pride for Odisha, the state proudly welcomed the “Global Model on Millet Promotion” award, a recognition earned by the Odisha Millets Mission (OMM) at the International Nutri-Cereal Convention (INCC) 5.0 in Hyderabad.
The award, received by the Principal Secretary of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, was handed over to Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain. The presentation took place today at Krushi Bhavan in the presence of the Director of Agriculture & Food Production, Prem Chandra Chaudhary, and the OMM team.
Dr. Padhee, who received the award from the Governor of Telangana, Her Excellency Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, on behalf of Odisha Millets Mission during the INCC in Hyderabad, expressed his gratitude to various stakeholders. The event in Odisha recognized the collective efforts of the state in advancing millet promotion strategies.
The International Nutri-Cereal Convention, held from November 27th to 28th, 2023, at Novotel, HICC, Hyderabad, showcased Odisha’s exemplary initiatives in the field of millet promotion. The “Global Model on Millet Promotion” award acknowledges Odisha’s innovative and sustainable practices, which have set a benchmark for global agricultural strategies.
During the Convention, Dr. Padhee thanked IIMR, NutriHub, Indian Council of Agriculture Research, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and the jury members for recognizing Odisha Millets Mission as “Global Model on millets”. He expressed his gratitude towards Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, for his vision and impeccable commitment which made this mission a success. He also informed the august audience that Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment is in process of developing the Bhubaneswar Declaration of Millets.
He dedicated the award to real heroes of Odisha Millets Mission, farmers, women self-help groups, custodian seed savers, FPOs, NGOs, his colleagues, and officers in the Department. He emphasized the participatory approach of OMM which paved the way for its successful implementation and recognized as replicable and scalable model for revival of millets.
The recognition of Odisha Millets Mission is befitting due to its pro-people farm to plate approach which brings multiple stakeholders under a single platform to address the issues of food security, nutrition, climate change, women empowerment and entrepreneurship opportunities. From providing seed to promoting improved agronomic practice, conserving traditional landraces, ensuring assured market through minimum support price (MSP), and creating an enabling environment to develop entrepreneurship with a special focus on empowering farmers and women’s collective, OMM has comprehensively revived millets in the state of Odisha and has paved the way for the rest of the country and world as a model program.
Odisha is also the first state to dedicate a day (10th November of each year) for celebrating Millet Day or Mandia Dibasa. International Convention on Millets 2023 organized by Government of Odisha on 9th and 10th Nov, 2023 at Janata Maidan, Bhubaneswar to celebrate Mandia Dibasa and International Year of Millets 2023 was also applauded for making it people centric International Convention.
