Read full article by Tapas Chandra Roy@ TCR Connecting Agriculture
TCR Connecting Agriculutre: Promoting Millets Farm to Plate
Odisha Millet Mission:
Odisha Millet Mission working with a tag line “Reviving millets in farm and on plates”. This mission focussed on the tribals areas of Odisha where Millets were the priority crops. As you know that Millets are the only crops that can grow with minimal requirement of water and can withstand drought. No doubt, the crops were grown by the farmers but something was missing and giving a signal that to be addressed. These signals were Productivity, Consumption, Nutrition, Value Addition, Creating demand in the market, Right price, and Processing of millets.
So, Odisha Millet Mission came forward wholeheartedly and ensuring the issues are rightly addressed.
Major Objectives:
- Promoting household-level consumption
- Setting up decentralized Processing Unit
- Improving the Productivity of Millet Crops
- Promoting FPOs for marketing
- Inclusion of millets in ICDS, Mid-day Meals and Public Distribution System
- The approach of the mission is totally different and it involved 3 agencies to be part of it so that it is executed properly at every level. A unique structure was developed and they were the 3 pillars.
Unique Structure of Odisha Millet Mission:
– Role of GovernmentThree-level selection processes of Facilitating Agency through presentation and Field Verification. Policymaking, meticulous development of guidelines, implementing, and monitoring.
Involvement of all stakeholders in the participatory approach.
Role of Civil Society – led by WASSAN:
Bridge the field level gap.
Active followup on daily basis.
Capacity building with the involvement of agencies.
Annual and Monthly participatory implementation plan.
Support for Departmental Agencies and co-ordination.
Role of Academia – led by NCDs:
State/District Level Consultations
Policy Feedback
National/International partnerships – TIGR2ESS, CFTRI, IIMR
