Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed-to-be University (SOA) on Tuesday, February 6, signed an Expression of Interest (EOI) with India Millet Initiative and Sorghum United of USA to collaborate in all activities related to millet in Odisha.
The major objectives of the initiative will include the promotion of global water and soil conservation and food security measures leveraging drought-tolerant grains such as sorghum and millets and the creation of small and medium businesses for sustainable ancient grain-based products.
Besides advocating policies in India favouring the production of sorghum and millets in diversified cropping systems, it will also work for strengthening the mission of International Decade of Millets (2024-34) through the exchange of ideas, student opportunities, research, trade and meaningful governmental and private sector interactions.
A chapter of the Indo-US Millet initiative will also be established in the Centre for Climate Smart Agriculture (CCSA) at SOA to collaborate on all activities related to millet in Odisha.
The EOI was signed by SOA’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Pradipta Kumar Nanda; Nate Blum, Chief Executive Officer of Sorghum United, an international NGO, working to advance education and market development for sorghum and similar small grains; and Dr Satyen Yadav, Chairman of India Millet Initiative.
The mission of the India Millet Initiative, promoted by the Horticulture Produce Management Institute and registered under the Indian Societies Act, 1860 at Lucknow, contributed significantly to India’s various agrarian sectors. Its objective is to bring the maximum number of farmers, processors, buyers, aggregators or any other stakeholder involved in the promotion of millets.
Blum who heads Sorghum United, is an expert on sorghum production and marketing while Dr Yadav is an agribusiness professional having a large academic and research background.
Prof Santosh Kumar Rout, Dean of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IAS), SOA’s faculty of agricultural sciences; Prof BK Sahu, Advisor, IAS; Prof RK Panda, Director, CCSA; Prof UC Mohanty, Professor Emeritus at CCSA; Prof JM Gulati, Reserch Coordinator, IAS; Pramod Kumar Panda, Chief Administrative Officer, SOA; Dr Anshuman Jena and Dr Subhaprada Das, both Associate Professors at IAS, were present.
