Bhubaneswar: President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday awarded an honorary Doctorate degree to Raimati Ghiuria, a renowned millet farmer from Odisha’s Koraput district, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to preserving and promoting traditional seeds.
Raimati, known as the Millet Queen, has dedicated her life to conserving and promoting millet farming and has been instrumental in popularizing sustainable agriculture practices in her community.
The trailblazing farmer from Koraput was recognised for preserving 30 rare millet varieties and imparting training on millet cultivation to women.
As per reports, she was given away the honour at a convocation ceremony of the Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology.
Raimati has dedicated her life to preserving and promoting traditional crops, particularly millet and paddy. After getting married, she discovered a few rare domestic species of paddy at her in-law’s house, which sparked her interest in preserving food grains.
Since then, Raimati has cultivated over 77 varieties of paddy and more than 300 varieties of millet this year alone. Her passion for preserving traditional crops has taken her to several villages, where she collects and documents various species of millet and paddy.
It is pertinent to mention that Raimati’s tireless efforts to promote traditional millets have garnered international recognition, as she proudly represented Odisha at the prestigious G20 Summit in 2023. Her advocacy highlighted the significance of millets during the International Year of Millets, shining a spotlight on the importance of this ancient grain. Despite the dominance of rice and wheat, Ghiuria remains committed to reviving interest in millets, underscoring their vital role in sustaining agricultural diversity and food security.
For 21 years, Raimati has been a dedicated partner of the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), tirelessly advocating for organic farming practices and the preservation of traditional seed varieties. Her unwavering dedication has helped her win the prestigious Amazing Indians 2024 awards, with MSSRF proudly supporting her application.
