Koraput tribal woman to attend G20 meet to promote millets

A 36-year-old tribal woman farmer from Odisha's Bhumia community has received an invitation to participate in the upcoming G20 summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 9 and 10.

Raimati Ghiuria's inclusion in the summit is linked to her role in an exhibition centred on millets, including millet startups, millet rangoli, and live cooking.

This event is organised by the Ministry of Agriculture for the special visit of G20 first spouses to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) campus in New Delhi on September 9 to showcase the country's significant strides in the fields of agritech and millet production, offering visitors a first-hand millet experience.

"I am very much delighted to attend the G20 summit. I have heard that leaders of at least 20 nations will participate in the meeting, and I will showcase the kundra bati mandia (finger millets) and the tribal method of cultivating it," said an ecstatic Raimati.

The woman emphasised the importance of better technology and scientific farming methods introduced by the Odisha Millet Mission (OMM), which has significantly improved the yield and quality of millet farming in the district.

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"I will share my experience on the benefits of better technology and scientific farming methods introduced by the OMM since 2017 in our area," she said.

Belonging to Nuaguda village under Kundra block in the district Raimati, for her active participation in revitalising traditional crops, including traditional rice and millet varieties, has now turned to be a role model for women in her community.

Her dedication towards agriculture has turned her into a resource person, and so far, she has imparted training to over 2,500 farmers on millet intensification, line transplanting, intercropping, and organic pest management.

As a custodian farmer, Raimati has preserved more than 72 traditional varieties of indigenous rice and more than 30 varieties of millets. Her exceptional contributions to agriculture have earned numerous accolades, including the Genome Saviour Community Award in 2012, the Jamsetji Tata National Virtual Academy Fellowship Award in 2015, and the Best Farmer Award by TATA Steel in 2015, 2017, and 2018 among others.

"Currently, I am focussed on promoting millet value addition and processing activities, as well as providing drudgery-reducing implements to women farmers," said Raimati.

"Raimati's inclusion in the G20 summit highlights the importance of sustainable agriculture and how lives of farmers and their communities change when traditional farming practices are combined with modern technology and scientific methods," said Prasant Parida, a scientist at Swaminathan Foundation, Jeypore.

Along with Raimati, 45-year-old tribal woman farmer Subasa Mohanta of Matiagarh village of Mayurbhanj district will also participate in the summit.