Odisha Millet Mission: Best model setting example at the National Level

Odisha Millet Mission :

Special Programme for Promotion of Millets in Tribal Areas of Odisha is one of the unique projects in the agriculture department which focuses on improved production of Nutri-cereals, local consumption, procurement under MSP, and distribution through PDS. The mission is initiated in the financial year 2017-18. The mission has been successfully implemented in 84 blocks and 15 districts and from 2022-23 it is extended to 142 blocks in 19 districts for implementation.

The program started working in 7 districts with 8,030 farmers and in the span of 5 years it has scaled up to 15 districts with 1,17,000 farmers.

Objectives of the Odisha Millet Mission:

1. Increasing household consumption of millets by 25% to the baseline.
2. Revalorization of millet food cultures in urban and rural areas.
3. Conservation and promotion of millet landraces through seed system of landraces
4. Promotion of post-harvest and primary processing enterprises on millets. 
5. Improving productivity of millets-based crop system systems
6. Promotion of millet value addition enterprises in rural and urban areas of Odisha
7. Inclusion of millets in PDS, ICDS, MDM, Welfare Hostels, and others.
8. Facilitating the millet markets and exports of millet-based products from Odisha

Highlights of activities carried out under the Odisha Millets Mission

• The program is implemented with support from 61 NGOs as facilitating agencies and 84 Community-Based Organisations as implementing agencies in 84 Blocks of 15 Districts. The program is expanded & extended to 142 blocks in 2022-23.
• Last year 52,800 Ha area was covered under improved agronomic practices under diversified millets with 1.17 lakh farmers and incentivized for the adoption of improved agronomic practices. Planned for 81700 Hectare Millet Crop for 2022-23 with 1.5 Lakh farmers.

• The Govt of Odisha had procured a sum of 323019.05 quintals of Ragi from 41286 farmers during the KMS-2021-22 at an MSP of Rs.3377 per quintal of Ragi. Planned for 6 Lakh quintals Ragi to be procured during 2022-23 from farmers at Minimum Support Price.
• A total of 169 Community Managed Seed Centres are established by the WSHGs and FPOs to conserve local landraces and provide quality seeds timely. 227 Custom hiring centers established by WSHGs and FPOs to provide farm equipment to farmers at a minimal hiring cost.
• A total of 578 Ragi Thresher units have been established through WSHGs/FPOs in order to reduce the drudgery involved in the threshing of Ragi. A total of 20 nos. of Ragi Cleaner-Cum-Grader have been established through WSHGs/FPOs under Odisha Millets Mission. A total of 287 nos. of Pulverizer units have been set up through WSHGs/FPOs.
• A total of 96 nos. of Millets-Based Tiffin Centres and 2 no. of Quick Service Restaurants and a Millets Shakti Outlets were established respectively in urban and rural areas to raise the year-round demands of millets.
• Under PDS @2 kg of Ragi per ration cardholder has been supplied to 50 lakh Ration Card Beneficiaries for one month in 14 districts as a substitute of rice from the quantity procured during KMS 2019-20.
• Inclusion of Ragiladdu in Keonjhar and Sundargarh covering more than 1.5 lakh children.

FPOs in Odisha Millet Mission:

• Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) – 75 Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) are promoted and registered with the objective of the FPO is working on the promotion of farmer collective, developing, and sustaining business models, access to credit, input supply to farmers, farm advisory.
• 23 FPOs were registered with NeML, 10 FPOs are registered with APEDA as export agencies, and 14 are registered with Reliance retail for marketing of millets.
• 17716 female and 12420 male farmers are associated with 75 FPO as shareholders and members.  16 FPOs were empanelled as block procurement agencies during KMS 2020-21 and currently during KMS 2021-22, 56 FPOs are empanelled. 40 FPO singed MoU with seed farmers in 12 districts for procurement of seeds, and 40 varieties of Ragi landraces and 3 varieties of Ragi HYV seeds are planned for seed multiplication.

Budget Allocation under Odisha Millet Mission:

• Budget Allocation: Under OMM an amount of Rs361.84 Crore has been allocated and approved for the financial year 2022-23 and for the next 5 years i.e, from 2022-23 to 2026-27, Rs.2808.39 Crore has been approved for extension and expansion of the mission.
• Govt. of Odisha observing the International Year of Millets 2023, in-state through campaigns, media events, and collaborations for demonstrating its leadership in the millet promotion ecosystem through workshops, mega-events, and many more activities planned.

Plan of Odisha Millet Mission from 2022-23 to 2026-27:

• Increase in consumption of at least 25% to the baseline.
• Conservation and promotion of millet landraces in the state.
• Promote at least 500 post-harvest and processing enterprises with WSHGs/ FPOs
• Promote at least 500 millet-based value addition enterprises units with WSHGs/ FPOs
• To cover 500 to 2000 Ha per block under improved agronomic practices.
• To cover 4000 households in each program block through program interventions
• Promote 142 FPOs in 5 years. Promote custom hiring centers, and community seed centers in 142 blocks through FPOs/WSHGs
• Millet procurement from farmers through DBT in MSP
• Inclusion of millets in Public Distribution System(PDS).
• Inclusion of millets in ICDS, MDM, Welfare hostels, and other Supplementary Nutrition Programmes in State.
• Facilitating the millet markets and exports of millet-based products from Odisha through FPOs.

Learnings from Odisha Millet Mission:

1. Consult multiple stakeholders during the design phase. Focus on what worked in the field.  
2. Actively on-boarding multiple partners during implementation.
3. Community Organizations (WSHGs/FPOs) should be the backbone of the implementation.
4. Consumption centricity with a focus on local circular economies should inform agriculture interventions.
5. Situate project design in the cultural realities of field areas.
6. Willingness to modify/change scheme design as per field feedback.

Appreciation of Odisha Millet Mission:

Recently Odisha Millet Mission was appreciated in the National Seminar cum Exhibition on Promotion, Value Addition, and Export of Millet and Millet Products held at Jaipur, Rajasthan conducted by India Millet Initiative and SKN Agriculture University. In this event, delegates from different states participated and shared their initiatives in promoting millets in their respective states.