HCM Naveen Patnaik on Thursday inaugurated the first-ever two-day international convention on millets at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar. He inaugurated the convention with the theme “Millets – Ancient Grains for Modern Challenges” by planting a sapling.The objective is to revisit the efforts and strategies of different stakeholders to develop a future roadmap for popularisation of millets.
The convention will emphasise on farmer engagement activities, displaying emerging technologies and machinery, experience centers, technical sessions, policy roundtables, B2B meetings, international food festival, quiz competitions, cooking competitions and many more. Odisha is the first state to organise the international convention involving all the stakeholders, The Chief Minister said. And he noted that the millets are traditional grains, climate resilient and a power house of nutrition.
He added that millets can play an important role to achieve nutritional security.“We launched the Odisha Millets Mission in 2017 with a focus to revive the millets. For us, promotion of millets is about justice and equity to rain-fed farmers of Odisha. My Government will put all its efforts to make Odisha become a Centre of Excellence and contribute to economic growth, wellbeing and health of the people of Odisha,” the CM said. He also added that, under the brand of Millet Shakti & Mission Shakti, SHGs have shown the world our Millet-based enterprises can play an important role in appealing to taste buds of consumers and improve livelihoods.
