NOKSA, 14 Jun: An expert team visited the millet field of progressive farmer Wangea Wangsa in Noksa village in Longding district on Friday to promote millet production and disease management.
The expert team, comprising Longding KVK plant pathology expert Dr Deep Narayan Mishra, ICAR AP Centre senior scientist Doni Jini, and KVK land and water management engineering expert Dr Amit Kumar assessed the crop’s condition, interacted with the farmer, and provided integrated scientific recommendations to improve millet productivity, enhance pest and disease resilience, and strengthen post-harvest handling and processing.
Dr Mishra emphasized the critical role of plant health in ensuring sustainable millet yields, and suggested adopting integrated disease management strategies.
Dr Jini spoke on the nutritional and livelihood potential of millets, not only for human consumption but also as a sustainable source of livestock feed. He highlighted how the by-products of millet processing can serve as an economical and high-fibre dietary component for poultry and small ruminants.
Dr Jini encouraged the farmer to integrate livestock into the farm system, suggesting that such a model would enhance resource use efficiency and contribute to nutritional security.
Dr Kumar assessed the farm’s topography, soil condition, and existing water management practices. He stressed on the importance of adopting moisture conservation techniques such as contour bunding, trenching, and mulching, particularly relevant to the undulating terrain of Longding.
He emphasized the need for constructing rainwater harvesting structures to support irrigation during dry spells. Additionally, Dr Kumar advised the use of solar dryers to reduce grain moisture to prevent fungal contamination, and promoted the use of improved storage bins made from local materials to minimize post-harvest losses.
He also spoke about small-scale millet processing equipment like dehusking and grading units that can help add value and marketability to the produce, thereby increasing farm income.
Under the ‘One District, One Product (ODOP)’ initiative, millet cultivation has been identified as a flagship crop for Longding district, owing to its adaptability to the hilly terrain, low input requirement, and high nutritional value. With growing awareness about climate-resilient and health-promoting crops, millets offer a sustainable livelihood option for tribal farmers.