A farm-to-fork millet experience awaits spouses of G20 leaders

As G20 leaders deliberate on trade and economic issues at the upcoming summit in New Delhi, their spouses will be kept busy with an engaging itinerary. Culture and cuisine are always high on the agenda – but this year a farm-to-fork experience awaits them. And in keeping with the trending grain of the year, it’s the millet that will dominate the menu.

Rupamayee Modak and Promila Modak, both in their 50s, who live in a village near Coochbehar in West Bengal, only have a vague idea of what G20 is all about. But, the two ladies who represent Shroddha Farmers Producer Company, are among a select group of farmers engaged in millet cultivation who will be showing India’s traditional varieties to the spouses of G20 leaders when they visit them on September 9 at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute at Pusa.

Also showcasing their wares will be Ashwini C Belle and Rajashree Patil, from Karnataka’s Aland Bhootai Millets Farmers Producer Company.

Pramila Modak 

Apart from the representatives from FPOs, there will also be 15 agritech start-ups at the Pusa Institute’s exhibition centre. They will display their unique solutions in integrating technology with farming to address ground-level challenges, as part of India’s thrust on digital agriculture, which is one of the four themes of G20 under India’s presidency.

A visibly excited Kartheeswaran KK, CEO and Co-founder of B2B platform Ninjacart, told businessline, “We are sincerely driven by the opportunity to provide our technology-driven solutions and platform to G20 nations and developing countries worldwide, as they may endeavour to address and overcome agricultural challenges within their specific regions.”

Diversity and digital tech

The exclusive event at the Pusa campus will offer the spouses an immersive experience highlighting the remarkable diversity of Indian agriculture, said an agriculture ministry official. It will also provide a first-hand glimpse into the transformative role of technology and innovation in shaping the future landscape of the agricultural sector, the official added.

Rajashree

The interactive stalls at the venue will display the seed-to-plate journey of millets and will culminate in a nourishing meal being offered to the guests. The women farmers will also come armed with the tools of their trade and show traditional techniques like hand-pounding. Saikat Sarkar, a member of the Shroddha FPO, who will be accompanying the women farmers, said they will display how millets are processed right after harvesting.

Through a guided tour inside the 500-hectare Pusa campus, the spouses will also be able to see foxtail millet growing in farmlands.