The three-day Millet Mela-2026 concluded on Saturday, where agricultural experts and organization leaders discussed various aspects of millet farming and processing. A central theme was the advocacy for the decentralization of millet processing at the village level, a measure suggested by Swaccha Kaadyam founder Satish Kumar C.A.V. and Dharani CEO Ramesh Kumar to enhance benefits for farmers and end-users. Addressing farmer-producer organization (FPO) directors, Y.V. Malla Reddy of Accion Fraterna Ecology Centre highlighted the importance of active FPO boards for effective operations.
Mary Vattamattam, co-founder of The Timbaktu Collective, emphasized the need to combat adulteration in produce through the active involvement of the farming community in adopting natural and organic farming methods to improve public health. The event featured nearly 30 stalls from participating NGOs, attracting over 1,500 visitors, including farmers and students from agriculture and horticulture programs. India Post also set up a stall to explain cost-effective millet export strategies to FPOs.
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/decentralise-millet-processing-say-speakers-at-millet-mela/article70495013.ece