Bhubaneswar: The first Organizing Committee meeting to discuss the action plan for organizing International Convention on Millets (ICM) in Bhubaneswar on 9th and 10th November 2023 was held under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment (DA&FE), Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, at Krushi Bhavan today. The convention will be spearheaded by Odisha Millets Mission in collaboration with various line departments, Central Government bodies, private stakeholders, farmers, Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs), Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs), research institutes, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), etc.
DA&FE has been implementing a flagship initiative titled Odisha Millets Mission (OMM) since 2017. Odisha became the first state to declare a Millet Day (Mandia Dibasa) on 10th November 2022. The year 2023 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Millets (IYM). As part of IYM 2023 celebrations, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved organizing the International Convention on Millets (ICM) on 9th and 10th November 2023.
As the run up to the convention, a meeting of the Organizing Committee was convened today under the chairmanship of DA&FE’s Principal Secretary to kickstart the preparatory works. The meeting was attended by Director of Agriculture & Food Production, Director, Information & Public Relations Department, MD, Odisha State Seeds Corporation Limited (OSSC), Dean, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Director, Institute on Management of Agricultural Extension (IMAGE), representatives from Mission Shakti Department, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), Odisha Millets Mission, Agricultural Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited (APICOL), Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), etc.
Principal Secretary Padhee shared that active engagement should be done with the World Food Programme (WFP) to ensure South-South collaboration with African Countries on millets. He stressed that OMM should play a pivotal role in the convention to develop the policy roadmap for the next 10 years on Millets. A film competition may also be held with focus on millets, climate change and regenerative agriculture. A session on forgotten foods and tribal culture should be organized in the convention in collaboration with civil society partners, custodian farmers and sectoral experts. A special session should also focus on millet mothers especially with urban anganwadi workers and housing societies.
Director of Agriculture & Food Production, Prem Chandra Chaudhury, welcomed the participants and shared that sessions have been designed in a way to ensure there is diversity and space for each stakeholder. Quiz competitions, essay writing competition and extempore competition will be organized in collaboration with the School and Mass Education Department. A special session with Mission Shakti Department will focus on the success and challenges of Mission Shakti WSHGs on millet based entrepreneurship. In addition, technical sessions are planned with Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), York University, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI) and other technical partners. A special session focusing on the emerging technologies shall also be taken up through Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Technical Expert, OMM, Sailendra Mohanty, shared that detailed planning is being done for various activities for the convention. Logistics and other planning shall be taken care of by the FICCI team. A machinery exhibition and demonstration of packaging technology shall also be part of the event.
Senior Scientist, IIMR, Dr. Srinivas Babu, shared that they had developed a template during the G20 meetings. He suggested some of the good ideas and practices can also become part of the International Convention on millets. He assured that IIMR shall provide all the necessary support to OMM for the successful organization of the event.
Joint Director of Agriculture, Gaurahari Biswal, shared that an international food festival is also proposed to be held in collaboration with the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha. In addition to these, a novel initiative called village history and story telling session by Bakul Foundation will also be part of the International Convention.
Tapas Chandra from FICCI shared that industry roundtables will be convened during the International Convention. In the run up to the event, many roadshows are also planned so that interested companies can be identified and invited to participate in the convention. B2B events between Industry, startups, exporters are also proposed to be held during the convention. In addition, a startup challenge is also planned in collaboration with Startup Odisha and Nutri-hub.
Naba Parida from Mission Shakti Department shared that a tentative plan for engagement of WSHGs for the International convention has been prepared on the lines of the Make in Odisha (MIO) Conclave. Mission Shakti Deptt session shall focus on the experience sharing of WSHGs, feedback from experts on building millet value chain and entrepreneurship.
Principal Secretary Padhee sought support of I&PR Department in increasing the outreach of the event. He asked the FICCI team to work with the I&PR Department to develop a proper media outreach strategy through hoardings, social media and print & digital media. He requested everyone to work on mission mode to make the International Convention a grand success.
