Ipsa Tripathy
Bhubaneswar: For generations, millets were part of the everyday food and farming systems of Odisha, particularly in its tribal and rainfed regions. Ragi, little millet, kodo millet, foxtail millet and other traditional grains were cultivated on landscapes where water was limited and the terrain was often difficult for intensive agriculture. Over time, however, paddy and other commercial crops became more prominent, and millet gradually disappeared from many fields and kitchens. Today, Odisha is trying to reverse that trend. What was once regarded as an old fashioned crop is increasingly being recognised as an important part of the state’s future food and farming system.The revival received a major institutional push with the launch of the Odisha Millet Mission in 2017. The programme was designed not simply to increase production, but to revive millets both on farms and on plates. Its approach covers cultivation, seed conservation, processing, consumption, procurement, marketing and inclusion in government nutrition programmes. The programme has since expanded across the state, and the current Shree Anna Abhiyan continues this broader effort.
The case for millet cultivation in Odisha begins with the state’s geography and climate. Millets generally require less water than paddy and can perform well under rainfed conditions. They can also be cultivated in undulating terrain, making them particularly relevant to parts of southern and western Odisha where farming conditions are different from the irrigated agricultural landscapes of the coastal plains. This does not mean millets are completely unaffected by climate extremes, but their relatively lower water requirement and adaptability make them valuable crops in areas where farmers face uncertain rainfall.
Their nutritional value provides another strong argument for their revival. Millets are nutrient rich cereals and are particularly important as part of a diversified diet. Ragi, for example, is well known for its calcium content, while millets can also contribute dietary fibre, minerals and other nutrients. This nutritional dimension has influenced Odisha’s decision to include millets in programmes such as the Public Distribution System, Integrated Child Development Services, school meals and welfare hostels. The objective is not merely to produce more grain, but to reconnect agricultural production with nutrition.
The transformation in millet farming has also created opportunities for rural women. Women Self Help Groups have become involved in processing, food preparation, marketing and millet based enterprises. Odisha’s agriculture department reported that 143 Farmer Producer Organisations and 3,658 Women Self Help Groups were involved in millet promotion during 2023 to 24. Community managed seed centres and custom hiring centres were also established, while processing equipment was introduced to reduce some of the labour involved in threshing, cleaning, grading, destoning and pulverising millet.
This is important because one of the traditional weaknesses of millet cultivation has been post harvest processing. Producing the grain is only one part of the problem. Cleaning, threshing and milling can be labour intensive, particularly for small and marginal farmers. NITI Aayog identified the lack of decentralised processing facilities and limited market linkages as important barriers to the expansion of millet cultivation. Odisha’s attempt to establish local processing units and organise farmers through FPOs is therefore aimed at addressing a real constraint rather than simply promoting the crop. Market support is equally important. Farmers will not continue cultivating millets simply because they are nutritious or climate resilient. They need a dependable buyer and a reasonable return. Odisha has therefore developed procurement mechanisms for ragi at Minimum Support Price and has created systems for farmer registration, procurement and payment. Under the 2024 to 25 procurement guidelines, the state also sought to link procurement with requirements of PDS, ICDS, school meals and hostels. Such institutional demand can provide farmers with greater market certainty.
The results so far are significant. Government reports show that the area under millets expanded substantially after the introduction of the mission. An Odisha government nutrition budget reported that millet cultivation increased from 3,333 hectares in 2017 to 18,? Actually, official reporting gives the area as 53,230 hectares in 2021 to 22, representing a fourteen fold increase over the 2017 to 18 baseline cited in the report. Earlier NITI Aayog documentation also recorded millet cultivation across more than 54,000 hectares and participation of more than 11 lakh farmers through improved agronomic practices. These figures demonstrate that millet cultivation has moved well beyond a small niche programme.
Yet the revival is not without difficulties.The first challenge is productivity. Millets are often promoted as resilient crops, but resilience should not be confused with unlimited productivity. Yields depend on seed quality, agronomic practices, soil fertility, weed management, rainfall and access to appropriate technology. Odisha has consequently placed emphasis on improved cultivation practices, participatory varietal trials and conservation of traditional landraces. Maintaining local varieties is particularly important because they represent genetic diversity that may become increasingly valuable as climate conditions change.
The second challenge is consumer demand. Years of changing food habits have reduced the place of traditional millet foods in many households. Bringing millets back into agriculture therefore requires bringing them back into kitchens. Food festivals, recipe development, millet cafes, processed products and nutrition campaigns are being used to make millet more convenient and attractive to contemporary consumers. The growth of value added products such as flour, snacks and ready to eat foods could create new markets, but these markets must be sustained rather than driven only by temporary campaigns.
There is also a risk of turning millet promotion into another form of monoculture. The strength of millets lies partly in their diversity. Odisha has a rich tradition of local landraces and mixed cropping systems. Protecting this diversity is more valuable than replacing one dominant crop with another. Millet cultivation should therefore form part of diversified farming systems that include pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, livestock and other locally suitable crops.The future of millet farming in Odisha will ultimately depend on whether the crop can become economically attractive as well as environmentally and nutritionally valuable. Farmers need quality seed, appropriate technology, processing facilities, assured procurement, functioning markets and better value addition. Consumers need affordable and accessible millet foods. Women led enterprises and FPOs need sustainable business models rather than short term support.
Odisha’s millet story is therefore not simply about bringing an old grain back to the field. It is about reconsidering what a resilient agricultural system should look like. In a state exposed to drought, floods, cyclones and changing rainfall patterns, crops that can perform under difficult conditions deserve serious attention. But the real success of the millet movement will be measured not by how much millet Odisha grows, but by whether farmers can earn a dependable livelihood from it and whether the grain can once again become a meaningful part of the state’s food culture. Millets are not a miracle solution to every agricultural problem. But in Odisha, they offer something increasingly valuable: a link between traditional knowledge, nutritional security, climate resilience and rural enterprise. The challenge now is to ensure that this revival becomes a lasting agricultural transformation rather than a passing trend.