Two Odisha Women Farmers to Share Millet Insights at G20

Raimati Ghiuria, aged 36, and Subasa Mohanta, aged 45, hailing from tribal communities in Odisha, are set to take center stage at a G20 event in the national capital. They will share their invaluable insights on millet farming, a path they embarked on when few were willing to venture into it.

Raimati Ghiuria, a member of the Bhumia community from Nuaguda village in Koraput’s Kundra block, is renowned for her role as a seed conservator and her leadership in value addition and community mobilization. She has preserved over 72 traditional varieties of indigenous rice and more than 30 millet varieties. Ghiuria has become a community resource person, training numerous farmers in improved millet cultivation practices. She has formed a farmers’ produce company that procures millets from local tribal farmers, aiding them in selling their produce at fair prices. Additionally, she supports farmers’ producers organizations (FPOs) and operates a millet tiffin center in Kundra block. Ghiuria has also been running a farm school since 2012, providing training to other farmers in millet intensification, line transplanting, intercropping, and organic pest management.

Subasa Mohanta, a resident of Singarpur village in Mayurbhanj district’s Jashipur block, will also share her journey from a struggling paddy farmer to a successful ragi (a type of millet) farmer through traditional methods.

Both these women are poised to demonstrate how millet farming has transformed the lives of tribal women like them and showcase the traditional millet and rice varieties they have conserved over the years. Their participation in this global platform underscores the significance of sustainable farming practices and indigenous crop preservation.

Re-reported from the article originally published in The Indian Express.