International Symposium on Millets and Forgotten Foods

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Discussions held in 5 different sessions on Day 2 

• Marketing & Entrepreneurship on Neglected crops/Forgotten Food by Women Entrepreneurs/WSHG
•  Community Experiences and Best Practices on Organic Cultivation of Neglected Crops
• Promotion of Suitable Neglected Crops for Large Scale Cultivation and Seed Production
•  Long-term Approach for Sustainability of Millet Service Centre (MSC)
• Culinary History & Community Engagement on Forgotten Foods

Bhubaneswar- 11th November 2024 

The session titled “Marketing & Entrepreneurship on Neglected Crops/Forgotten Food by Women Entrepreneurs/WSHG,” held in collaboration with the Department of Mission Shakti, spotlighted initiatives empowering women in rural entrepreneurship. Smt. Pravati Parida, Deputy Chief Minister of Odisha and Minister of Women and Child Development, Mission Shakti, and Tourism, acknowledged three exceptional WSHGs for their contributions, inspiring others to pursue similar ventures. Dr. Gouri Shankar Sahoo, Head of Department at OUAT, shared insights into entrepreneurial opportunities with value-added forgotten foods, while Mrs. Pyari Tutti, a respected woman farmer from Simlipal, Mayurbhanj, discussed value addition in indigenous crops. Roopali Dutta Mohapatra, CEO of Konkuwan Organization, highlighted the nutritional importance of forgotten crops, promoting health through Mission Shakti. The session concluded with the talk of Sri Komal Kumar from Sahaja Samrudha, Karnataka, who emphasized collaborative strategies for the collective marketing and value addition of tubers, underscoring the role of cooperation in rural growth.

A deliberation on “Community Experiences and Best Practices on Organic Cultivation of Neglected Crops” was conducted in collaboration with Bioversity International as the anchor agency. Chaired by Dr. J.C. Rana, Country Director of Bioversity International, the session showcased global and regional experiences in sustainable crop practices. He emphasized on making a national policy for revival of Shree Anna and Forgotten Foods. He also highlighted the creation of specialised organisational branding and strategic system for millet promotion. Mr. Walter Simon de Boef from Wageningen University shared insights on the benefits of neglected crops and its conservation and diversification. He has given community case studies of Africa, Peru, Brazil and the Netherlands, while Mr. Niranjan Pudasaini from LiBIRD, Nepal, highlighted community-based millet revival. He spoke about light weight millet processing machinery that can be easily transported in the hilly regions of Nepal. He also said about the plant variety registration process in Nepal. Mrs. Anita Reddy from Sahaja Samrudha discussed organic methods for millet cultivation, emphasizing environmental and health benefits. Her organisation created 15 women seed savers who have kept 82 finger millet varieties. Mr. Sandeep Kakade from BAIF explored agro-biodiversity conservation through community engagement, and Mr. Sambit Panigrahi from OSOCA addressed organic certification and market access. Progressive farmers like Smt. Rukmini Khilo and Smt. Jhululata Pradhan shared practical experiences, enriching the session’s open discussion with real-life insights. Each speaker emphasized on community diversity block and community seed bank for conservation and promotion of local crops to meet climate change impact. 

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Discussion on “Promotion of Suitable Neglected Crops for Large Scale Cultivation and Seed Production” was conducted in collaboration with the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) as the anchoring agency. Chaired by Dr. K. S. Varaprasad, former Director of ICAR-IIOR, the session focused on expanding neglected crop cultivation in Odisha’s Global Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) regions. Dr. E. D. Oliver King, Director of MSSRF’s Biodiversity Programme, set the agenda, followed by presentations on various topics: strategies for reviving local crops by Dr. King; technical protocols for selecting suitable crops by Dr. Varaprasad; food system transformation centering women by Girija Nandan Upadhyay from SwissAid; and participatory seed production approaches by Ms. Sabarmatee from Sambhav. An open discussion allowed participants to address challenges and opportunities, followed by a session summary by Dr. Chandrashekhar Biradar of Global Green Growth. Dr Oliver King suggested for making strategy for revival and promotion of forgotten foods, indigenous knowledge and technology has to be interconnected. 

The session “Long-term Approach for Sustainability of Millet Service Centre (MSC)” was held in collaboration with APICOL. The session featured various experts who shared insights on strengthening millet processing initiatives. Shri Prem Chandra Chaudhary, IAS, Managing Director, APICOL, highlighted the Millet Service Centre’s role and opportunities for FPOs and WSHGs. He said, “Millet Service Centre shall be the hub of end-to-end millet production, processing and marketing. APICOL, IIMR and Shree Anna Abhiyan team shall make a robust plan for setting up different machinery and concrete business plan for sustainability of Millet Service Centre.” Shri Bhabesh Kumar Nayak,  Managing Director of OSSC, discussed primary seed processing opportunities, while Dr. K Srinivas Babu from ICAR-IIMR guided participants on selecting processing equipment. Mr. Satyabrata Muni, Founder of MUNICO, addressed marketing challenges, and Mr. Sanjat Kumar Panda, Chartered Accountant, covered financing strategies for millet processing units.  

Discussion on “Culinary History & Community Engagement of Forgotten Foods” was held in collaboration with the Institute of Hotel Management, Bhubaneswar, and the Hotels & Restaurants Association of Odisha (HRAO). The panel featured several notable speakers, including Mr. Lalatendu Sahoo, OAS, General Manager of OTDC; Dr. Jayahari KM, Country Director of FOLU; Mrs. Sharada Ghosh, Principal of IHM Bhubaneswar; Mr. Milind Gupta, Secretary General of HRAO; Mr. Jitu Mishra, an archaeologist, author, and heritage walk leader; Samantara Biswanath, an author and expert on Shree Jagannath’s 56 Bhog; and Ms. Salome Yesudas, an independent expert. Dr. Jayahari KM delivered keynote remarks on the potential of forgotten foods and neglected crops to become mainstream through community engagement. He said, “If we want to mainstream forgotten foods, we need to focus on five things. Those are creating business ecosystem, raising awareness on crop diversification, creating gender inclusiveness, conserving traditional millet recipes and inter-departmental coordination.” Mr. Jitu Mishra shared insights into the evolution of Odisha’s food culture, while Mr. Samantara Biswanath discussed promoting the traditional Maha Prasad of Prabhu Shree Jagannath on a global scale. Ms. Salome Yesudas offered perspectives on how communities view traditional food systems. Mrs. Sharada Ghosh highlighted the importance of capacity building for WSHGs and chefs in working with millets and forgotten foods, as well as the need to integrate these topics into hotel management curricula. Mr. Milind Gupta emphasized the significant role chefs and hotels play in increasing the demand for millets and forgotten foods, especially among urban populations. The session also welcomed Mrs. Sanjulata Mahanta, a forgotten foods champion from Keonjhar, who shared her experiences working with millets and other neglected crops. The open discussion that followed saw enthusiastic contributions from hoteliers, chefs, students, bloggers, and farmers, underscoring the event’s broad appeal and relevance to various stakeholders. In his concluding remark, Mr. Lalatendu Sahoo,  General Manager of OTDC, said, “OTDC is actively promoting millets thorough at Panthanivas, Nimantran and Eco-Retreat locations to increase acceptability of millets.”