BHUBANESWAR: The Agriculture department will prepare a long-term action plan for Odisha Millets Mission while setting milestones to be achieved by 2030 and 2036.Briefing mediapersons on the first-ever International Conference on Millets (ICM) to be held at Janata Maidan on November 9 and 10, principal secretary of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment department Arabinda Padhee on Wednesday said the action plan will be prepared with the aim to make Odisha a leading player in millet globally by 2036.
Referring to a recent pre-ICM lecture delivered by Subroto Bagchi, chief advisor to Odisha government for institutional capacity building, Padhee said the former emphasised the importance of making Odisha a globally significant player in millets by 2036. He further suggested the state’s focus should be on minor millets and creating an ecosystem which attracts investments and businesses without compromising on commitments to the most vulnerable.
Odisha under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, he said, is going to be the first state in the country to organise a two-day international convention on millets on the theme ‘Millets - Ancient Grains for Modern Challenges’. Farmer engagement activities, display of emerging technologies and machinery and experience centres will be part of the convention.