The value addition of millets presents significant opportunities for elevating the economic status and livelihoods of rural women not only for increased income, but also for enhancing national productivity, creating employment, and fostering economic independence, personal growth, and social upliftment. Major millets, minor millets, and little millets constitute distinct types within the millet family. In India, minor and little millets are classified as coarse cereals. Women SHGs in Odisha have been directly involved in the marketing of millets and millet-based products since 2021.
Basanti Murmu a successful single women entrepreneur from Brahmangaon Village in Bangiriposi block of Mayurbhanj district has made an identity for herself through millet farming and a millet-based enterprise. After her husband’s demise, she not only managed her family responsibilities but also pursued her dream of educating her children and securing their future. With support from the Shree Anna Abhiyan, she has adopted the SMI (System of Millet Intensification) method for farming and single-handedly runs a Millet Shakti Tiffin centre. She prepares and sells a variety of millet-based snacks such as Gulugula, Mudki, Pitha and other local delicacies. This initiative has not only made her self-reliant but has also enabled her to run her family better.
Presentation -Dibyabharati Nayak
