6 May 2026, Hyderabad
Highlighting the growing importance of millets in ensuring nutritional security, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods, Dr M. L. Jat, Secretary, DARE and Director General, ICAR, visited ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research (Global Centre of Excellence on Millets (Shree Anna)) today to review the institute’s research advancements, infrastructure development, and outreach initiatives focused on strengthening the millet ecosystem in the country.
During the visit, Dr Jat reviewed the state-of-the-art Nutrigenomics Laboratory at ICAR-IIMR, established under the ambit of the Global Centre of Excellence on Millets (Shree Anna) project to strengthen and upscale millet research at national and global levels.
The advanced facility has been developed to support cutting-edge genomics and molecular breeding research in millets through fully automated, high-throughput genomics pipelines. The laboratory is equipped with advanced sequencing platforms capable of low-, medium-, and high-depth genome sequencing and analysis, along with facilities for RNA sequencing, gene validation, SNP marker development, and trait mapping. The facility will play a pivotal role in accelerating marker-assisted breeding, AI-enabled predictive breeding, and gene-editing applications for the rapid development of climate-resilient, nutritionally enriched, and high-yielding millet varieties.
The newly established Nutrigenomics Laboratory is expected to significantly enhance global millet research and innovation by providing advanced genomics support to researchers, universities, national and international institutions, start-ups, and commercial companies through collaborative research programmes and technology partnerships. The facility will strengthen research in nutritional genomics, stress biology, functional trait discovery, and next-generation breeding technologies, thereby contributing to food and nutritional security, climate resilience, and sustainable agriculture.
Dr Jat along with Dr Yadava, Deputy Director General (Crop Science) ICAR also visited the Advanced Phenomics Facility and reviewed the progress of the Global Centre of Excellence on Millets (Shree Anna) building complex, where he appreciated the institute’s efforts in establishing world-class scientific infrastructure for advancing millet research and innovation.
Dr C. Tara Satyavathi, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, briefed on the institute’s major achievements and key initiatives under TSP, SCSP, NEH and FPO programmes. She highlighted the institute’s efforts in promoting millet-based livelihoods, value addition, entrepreneurship, and sustainable agriculture among tribal farmers, women groups, FPOs, and smallholder farming communities across the country.
At the exhibition area, Dr Jat interacted with scientists and reviewed newly developed millet cultivars, rich germplasm collections, and innovative millet processing and value addition technologies developed by the institute. He also interacted with millet farmers from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, who shared their success stories on millet cultivation, value addition, and livelihood improvement through ICAR-IIMR interventions.
(Source: ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad)
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