Tribal farmers of Nandurbar gain access to advanced millet technologies at ICAR–Indian Institute of Millets Research

9 December 2025, Hyderabad

Nandurbar district in Maharashtra, predominantly inhabited by tribal communities, relies heavily on rainfed agriculture and traditional farming systems. Millets have historically been a staple food and a resilient crop in this region; however, declining cultivation practices and limited access to modern processing technologies have restricted their income potential. To bridge this gap and empower farmers with climate-smart and enterprise-driven solutions, the ICAR–Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad has initiated a four-day intensive training programme on “Millet-Based Technologies to Tribal Farmers of Nandurbar” from 9th to 12th December 2025 under the Global Centre of Excellence – Tribal Sub-Plan (GCoE–TSP).

The programme was inaugurated by Dr. C. Tara Satyavathi, Director, ICAR–IIMR, marking a significant step toward empowering tribal communities through scientific millet cultivation, modern processing technologies, and rural entrepreneurship.
In her inaugural remarks, Dr. Satyavathi highlighted the transformative potential of millets in improving climate resilience, nutrition, and livelihood security in tribal regions like Nandurbar. She emphasized that combining traditional millet wisdom with advanced technologies in processing and value addition will create new economic opportunities, particularly for women and youth. Dr. Satyavathi encouraged farmers to actively adopt the technologies demonstrated during the sessions so they can contribute to building a robust and self-reliant millet economy in their villages.

The training programme has been designed to offer a complete, step-by-step understanding of the millet value chain. The sessions begin with scientific production practices, focusing on improved varieties, recommended agronomic techniques, and climate-resilient crop management tailored to Nandurbar’s agro-ecological conditions.

Participants will then receive hands-on training in primary and secondary processing technologies such as cleaning, grading, dehulling, milling, and packaging. These skills are essential for improving grain quality, reducing drudgery, increasing efficiency, and enhancing market value at the village level.

Building on these fundamentals, the programme offers practical exposure to value-added product development, covering bakery items like millet biscuits, cookies, cakes, and several high-demand convenience foods such as pasta, vermicelli, noodles, and instant mixes. These technologies have been selected for their ease of adoption, market relevance, and potential to support small-scale rural enterprises in tribal areas.

To support enterprise development, the programme also includes sessions on entrepreneurship, pricing, branding, and market linkages, enabling participants to explore opportunities for establishing millet-based micro-enterprises and entering local markets with competitive products.

Overall, the programme is expected to significantly enhance the technical skills, confidence, and entrepreneurial mindset of tribal farmers. By adopting scientific cultivation methods and value-added technologies, participants will be better equipped to diversify their livelihoods, improve household nutrition, and generate higher incomes through millet-based enterprises across Nandurbar.

(Source: ICAR–Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad)