How Millet transforms the lives of Tribals in Odisha 

Millets are grains that are tiny in size, round in shape and can be white, gray, yellow or red. Out of 30 districts of Odisha, 15 districts are growing millets. However, millets are not very much popular. But they are gradually gaining their lost significances. It is all because of the initiatives taken by the Naveen Patnaik-led Odisha government. 

Millets have a diverse range of health benefits. They are highly nutritious and rich in Vitamin B, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Magnesium, Zinc etc. Besides, they are gluten-free and have low Glycemic index (GI), making them suitable for diabetics, weight-watchers, people intolerant to wheat and three to five times nutritionally superior to rice and wheat in terms of proteins, minerals and vitamins.

Moreover, the State government had launched the Millets Mission in 2017 with a focus to revive the millets and now is investing over Rs 2500 crore for providing income and livelihood support to farmers.

Farmers who used to grow millets used to have harrowing time not only before or during cultivation but also after cultivation as they were not able to grow their produce. But Odisha government’s initiatives now provide them the platform to sell their crop and earn handsome income. It has now reached the global market.

Thus, the lives of tribals have got transformed due to millets. Even two tribal women farmers- Raimati Ghiuria and Subasa Mohanta – were also selected to take center stage at a G20 event recently held in Delhi and shared their invaluable insights on millet farming.

Raimati Ghiuria is a native of Nuaguda village in Koraput district. She belongs to the Bhumia community. She has preserved over 72 traditional varieties of indigenous rice and more than 30 millet varieties.

Apart from training farmers, Ghiuria has formed a farmers’ produce company that procures millets from local tribal farmers, aiding them in selling their produce at fair prices.

Ghiuria also has a millet tiffin center in Kundra block and a farm school since 2012. She also supports farmers’ producers organizations (FPOs).

On the other hand, Subasa Mohanta, who hails from Singarpur village in Mayurbhanj district, used to cultivate paddy. However, despite giving her best for the cultivation she struggled to produce good crop and sell them. She used always be at loss. However, after she switched over to cultivating ragi (a type of millet) through traditional methods, she became successful and now has better life.