Hans News Service Bhubaneswar

OdishaGovernor Brajmohan Ram on Tuesday urged people, particularly youth, students and government employees, to include Shree Anna (millets) in their daily diet, saying their promotion will benefit public health, farmers and the environment.

“Every household should include Mandia, Bajra, Jowar and other millets in its meals. Adopting healthy food habits is not just about personal well-being but also reflects our respect for farmers and agricultural traditions,” he said while inaugurating the Symposium on Shree Anna and Strengthening of Traditional Seed Systems–2026 in Bhubaneswar.

Highlighting the importance of millets in India’s agricultural heritage, the Governor said these crops had been an integral part of traditional food habits for centuries. In Odisha, particularly in tribal and rain-fed regions, millet cultivation is closely linked to local livelihoods and cultural traditions. Promoting Mandia (Ragi) would help improve farmers’ incomes while preserving this heritage.

Referring to climate change, erratic rainfall, rising temperatures and water scarcity, he said millets offered a sustainable farming option as they required less water, involved lower cultivation costs and could withstand adverse climatic conditions. He also highlighted their nutritional value, including high dietary fibre and essential nutrients, saying their regular consumption could encourage healthier food habits amid rising lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension.

The Governor stressed the need to strengthen processing, packaging, value addition and marketing facilities to help Odisha’s millets reach wider domestic and international markets. Emphasising traditional seed conservation, he called for establishing community seed banks, documenting indigenous varieties and encouraging their exchange.

He said local seed varieties represented generations of farmers’ knowledge and were vital for preserving agricultural biodiversity. Describing tribal communities and women farmers as important custodians of traditional seeds, he advocated combining indigenous knowledge with modern science, technology and better market linkages.

Appreciating the Odisha government’s Shree Anna Abhiyan and the Centre’s initiatives to promote millets, he said collective efforts to conserve traditional seeds, protect agricultural diversity and enhance farmers’ incomes would contribute to Viksit Odisha 2036 and Viksit Bharat 2047.

Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, ICAR Director General Dr Mangi Lal Jat, MSSRF chairperson and former chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan, and OUAT Vice-Chancellor Prof Pravat Kumar Roul also addressed the symposium.