As world leaders gather in India for the G20 summit, two remarkable women from Odisha are set to take the stage, shedding light on the wonders of millet farming. Raimati Ghiuria, 36, and Subasa Mohanta, 45, both hailing from tribal communities in the state, have made extraordinary strides in the world of agriculture.
Raimati Ghiuria, a member of the Bhumia community, has earned recognition as a seed conservator and a trailblazer in value addition and community mobilization. Hailing from Nuaguda village in the Koraput district, she has preserved over 72 traditional varieties of indigenous rice and more than 30 varieties of millets.
A mother of three, Ghiuria has become a vital community resource person, training numerous farmers in improved millet farming techniques and other traditional crops. She also founded a farmers' produce company that purchases millets from local tribal farmers, enabling them to sell their produce at a minimum support price. Ghiuria actively supports farmers' producer organizations (FPOs) and manages a millet tiffin center in the Kundra block. Since 2012, she has been running a farm school, imparting knowledge about millet intensification, line transplanting, intercropping, and organic pest management to fellow farmers.
Subasa Mohanta, a resident of Singarpur village in Mayurbhanj district's Jashipur block, has an equally inspiring journey to share. She transitioned from a struggling paddy farmer to a thriving ragi (a type of millet) farmer through traditional methods. She embarked on millet farming as part of the Odisha Millets Mission in 2017. Starting with one acre of ragi cultivation, she has now expanded her millet farming to cover eight acres.
These two remarkable women from Odisha exemplify the transformative power of millet farming, not only improving their lives but also inspiring their communities to embrace sustainable and profitable agricultural practices. Their insights at the G20 summit promise to shed light on the immense potential of millet farming to drive change in India's agricultural landscape.
Mohanta and Ghiuria are just two of more than 20 other women farmers from millet-producing Indian states like Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh etc. who are set to be a part of the event and share their experience in millet cultivation and revolutionising the same.
India plays a significant role in the global millet industry as one of the largest producers of various millet varieties, such as pearl millet, finger millet, sorghum, and foxtail millet. India's diverse millet production supports both domestic consumption, where millets are dietary staples in many regions, and export potential, especially as health-conscious consumers seek nutritious and gluten-free grains.
Image used for representational purposes only.