https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

‘Mission Arunachal Foxtail Millets’ Provides Exposure to Deomali Farmers

IAS Vishakha Yadav has initiated project ‘Mission Arunachal Foxtail Millets' for the farmers of her district. The farmers will be able to sell their produce in private markets and big retail shops through this. She also plans to open a small food processing unit for them in the future.
Indian Masterminds Stories

The ‘Mission Arunachal Foxtail Millets’ project, a joint initiative of the Tirap district administration and the Farm Native Group to boost millet production and provide wide marketing linkages, was recently launched by Deomali ADC Vishakha Yadav for her sub-division, which is heavily insurgency laden and filled with drug addiction related issues, leading to a decline in overall development.

Indian Masterminds spoke exclusively with the officer who shared details about the millet project.

IDEA

People in the tiny district were not exposed to modern-day education and farming operations due to a lack of exposure in the area. The district, on the other hand, is home to special foxtail millets, the nutritional value of which was previously unknown to the region’s farmers. 

“During a field trip one day, I stumbled across a small foxtail millet field and discovered that practically every home in the region was producing these millets because the climate and soil were so conducive to the crop that it required no maintenance or effort! Because of a lack of exposure and understanding, generational crops were rapidly dwindling, and I realised something had to be done in this circumstance,” Ms. Yadav told Indian Masterminds.

TRAINING

The officer worked with a private partner to form large clusters of farmers by organising them into groups and commencing collective farming. They then used Krishi Vigyan Kendras to teach these farmers about the importance of foxtail millets and train them in plantation techniques, soil selection, and sorting out dry/wet grains, among other things. 

“We planned to provide them with forward and backward linkages in which we would teach them organic farming practises and supply them with high-grade organic seeds for initial plantation. When the crops are harvested, the produce is separated, collected, packed, and promoted for sale online or in large retail stores across the country,” she shared.

The officer has scaled the strategy for the next five years, after which she hopes the farmer clusters will be self-sufficient and able to carry on the process without assistance.

REGISTRATION

Ms. Yadav also worked with the Agriculture Department to present all farmers with registration forms on which they must fill out their information and write how much of the product they produced over the season.

The produce will subsequently be collected and stored in a warehouse before being packaged and marketed. Everything will be handled by the private company and the administration, from transportation to sales. 

“All that the farmers have to do is cultivate and produce. We will take care of the marketing perspective, free of cost,” she told Indian Masterminds.

Over 1000 farmers have signed up for the campaign and filled out their produce forms. The first batch of millets has been cultivated and is currently being marketed, and will be ready for sale soon.

PROFIT SHARING

The officer also intends to grant organic certification to the farmers by the end of next year. Furthermore, as the scale of production develops, so will the farmers’ profit margin, which will be provided to them in the form of modest machines that will be useful to them during cultivation. 

“In the long run, after the profit margins have stabilised, we will also establish local small-scale food processing units to create millet cookies, namkeens, and other items that will add market value to the production,” stated Ms. Yadav.

The officer, who is serving as moderator and resource person, stated that the mission’s goal in this International Year of Millets 2023 is to make millets farmers self-sufficient by improving their livelihoods. The initiative’s fruits should filter down to the grassroot level, she said, hinting at future efforts to obtain organic certification for millets.

It is worth noting that Tirap district has been chosen this year for millet production under the “one district, one product” strategy to provide a glimmer of hope to the cash-strapped millet farmers, notably in the Deomali sub-division.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
IPS Ratan Lal Dangi
Who Is IPS Ratan Lal Dangi? Chhattisgarh Police Officer Accused of Harassment by SI’s Wife; IG Anand Chhabra Assigned Probe - Full Story
Yogi Adityanath Ayodhya visit in Diwali
UP: CM Yogi Adityanath Orders Fire Stations Every 100 Km on Expressways, Approves 1,020 New Posts in Fire Services
SDM Chhotu Lal Sharma
Who Is SDM Chhotu Lal Sharma? The 2015-Batch RAS Officer Caught in Yet Another Scandal After Slapping Petrol Pump Employee
Solar Panels
CERC Proposes Buyout Price Mechanism to Ensure Compliance with Renewable Consumption Obligations
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy MNRE
MNRE Invites Creative Minds to Design Official Logo for National Green Hydrogen Mission
RBI
RBI Proposes Mandatory Unique Transaction Identifier for OTC Derivative Trades from April 2026
INS Trikand
Indian Navy’s INS Trikand Executes Heroic Firefighting and Rescue Operation on MT Falcon in Gulf of Aden
gghghghg
Defence Acquisition Council Approves Rs 79,000 Crore for Advanced Military Systems to Boost India’s Defence Capabilities
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
UPSC Journey Should Be Enjoyable, Not Cumbersome
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
The Many Facets of Former IRS Officer and Author, Giselle Mehta | Video Interview
IDES Saquib Alam
Beyond IAS and IPS: The Inspiring Work of an IDES officer | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Rupal Rana UPSC
How Rupal Rana Cracked UPSC CSE 2023 with AIR 26 After Four Attempts
UPSC Topper Rupal Rana secured AIR 26 in 2023 after four attempts. Learn her preparation strategy, booklist,...
Ankita Parashar RAS 2023
4 Attempts, 1 Dream, 0 Excuses: Meet RAS Topper Ankita Parashar, Who Fulfilled a Daughter’s Promise & Secured Rank 2 | Exclusive Interview
Ankita Parashar, a teacher-turned-officer from Pushkar, fulfilled her late father’s dream by securing...
Kushal Chaudhary RAS
From Lab Assistant’s Grit to Rajasthan Topper: How Kushal Chaudhary Topped RAS 2023 with Self-Study | Preparation, Strategy & Interview
Kushal Chaudhary, a farmer’s son and lab assistant from Ajmer, topped RAS 2023 through self-study, overcoming...
Social Media
IFS Parveen Kaswan
Heartbreak by the River: 15-Day-Old Elephant Calf Rejected by Mother, Rescued by IFS Parveen Kaswan and His Team
Jaldapra, West Bengal: In a moving incident that tugs at the heart, a 15-day-old elephant calf was rescued...
Ashwini Bhide IAS and Anand Mahindra
Who Is IAS Ashwini Bhide, Hailed as a Role Model for Mumbai Metro Transformation by Anand Mahindra?
From heritage to high-tech: Bhide’s leadership in Metro Line 3 earns public praise and admiration
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
IPS Ratan Lal Dangi
Who Is IPS Ratan Lal Dangi? Chhattisgarh Police Officer Accused of Harassment by SI’s Wife; IG Anand Chhabra Assigned Probe - Full Story
Yogi Adityanath Ayodhya visit in Diwali
UP: CM Yogi Adityanath Orders Fire Stations Every 100 Km on Expressways, Approves 1,020 New Posts in Fire Services
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
IDES Saquib Alam
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT