Walmart Foundation has said some of the organisations that have received funding support from it are collaborating with farmers to enhance sustainable production of millets.

A media statement said with Walmart Foundation funding support since 2021, grantees such as Action for Social Advancement (ASA), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), PRADAN and SRIJAN have worked closely with local farmers and farmer producer organisations (FPOs) in the millet-producing states of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.

A farmer producer company (FPC) promoted by SRIJAN has played a pivotal role in transforming the lives of 2,500 tribal farmers in Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh. These communities have experienced a significant reduction in malnutrition by integrating millet cultivation.

The statement said Subhadri Singh from a tribal family in Shivrichandas village has earned ₹24,000 in just eight months by learning to operate a Kodo (millet) machine and producing Kodo packaged items such as pulao, kheer, laddu and biscuits.

It said that PRADAN promotes nutrition and advocates daily consumption of millets. The PRADAN team works with 4,810 farmers and five FPOs in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal.

Mamata Rajendra Saiyam from Samnapur district of Madhya Pradesh used treated Kutki (little millet) seeds and organic fertilisers that significantly minimised cultivation costs. She sold her produce to a women producer company and earned over 40 per cent net return, thereby, encouraging other villagers to follow in her footsteps, it said.

A women-led secondary processing unit owned and operated by an FPC supported by ICRISAT in Anantapuramu of Andhra Pradesh focuses on adding value, in addition to driving demand for the grain. The statement said the grantee helps drive widespread daily consumption by formulating recipes to make millets more palatable in the form of cookies and other ready-to-consume gluten-free food items.

ASA works with three FPOs in millets trading in Madhya Pradesh where they have facilitated 5,200 quintals of millet trading in the last two quarters, and plan to trade an additional 7,000 quintals during the year.

It said ASA is helping them prepare millet-based nutritious products. Shivbhan Singh from Mohani village adopted advanced practices on his two-acre plot to cultivate an improved variety of millet provided by ASA. By selling 16 quintals, Shivbhan has earned ₹41,600, leading to a net profit of ₹30,000, the statement said.

Quoting Julie Gehrki, Vice-President and COO of the Walmart Foundation, the media statement said: “At Walmart Foundation, we are deeply committed to fostering sustainable agriculture by supporting local communities. We appreciate the Centre’s initiatives to highlight millets and we will continue to support grantees as they revive millet cultivation.”

Published on December 18, 2023