11 December 2025, Hyderabad
ICAR–Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad, and the ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth, Mumbai, signed a strategic MoU to strengthen Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and uplift smallholder farmers across Telangana, Karnataka, and North Coastal Andhra Pradesh.
The MoU was formalized in the presence of Dr. C. Tara Satyavathi, Director, ICAR–IIMR, and Shri Venkatesh B. K., Head – Operations (South & East India), ICICI Foundation. A total of 20 FPOs promoted by ICAR–IIMR with support from SFAC, NABARD, NCDC, and the Government of Karnataka will benefit from this initiative.
The collaboration focuses on establishing Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) and millet processing units to enhance access to modern machinery and value-addition facilities. These units will help farmers reduce labour dependency, lower production costs, improve operational efficiency, and tap better markets through activities such as cleaning, grading, milling, and packaging.
A major highlight of the partnership is the development of the world’s first integrated hyperspectral–thermal phenotyping platform for millets, to be established at ICAR–IIMR. This state-of-the-art system will combine advanced imaging, sensing, and analytics to study subtle plant traits related to yield, nutrition, and climate resilience. By enabling real-time, non-invasive assessment of complex crop characteristics, the platform is expected to accelerate the breeding of superior millet varieties and strengthen India’s global leadership in millet research.
The initiative also lays the groundwork for AI-driven millet research and precision agriculture. Artificial intelligence will be employed to analyse large-scale phenomics and genomics datasets, predict high-performing varieties, enhance on-farm decision-making, and shorten breeding cycles. Over time, the project will deliver advanced AI models, decision-support tools, and enriched datasets, while fostering stronger collaboration between farmers, researchers, and industry stakeholders.
At the field level, the CHCs and processing units are expected to have a transformative impact by providing timely access to essential farm machinery, reducing drudgery, improving land preparation and harvesting efficiency, and increasing profitability through value-added millet products. Enhanced infrastructure will make FPOs more self-reliant, strengthen market linkages, and enable farmers to adopt improved and sustainable agricultural practices.
In the long run, the partnership is poised to uplift farmer families, build economic resilience, promote eco-friendly millet cultivation, and contribute significantly to national food and nutritional security.
(Source: ICAR–Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad)
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