IARI Honours Virudhunagar Farmer for Creating Millet Products Without Preservatives

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) has recognised S Sivakumar, a 52-year-old farmer from Chinnathathampatti, as the 'Innovative Farmer' for creating novel goods using millets.

Sivakumar received the certificate on Saturday during the final day of the Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2023 hosted at IARI New Delhi by Union Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Kailash Choudhary.

Sivakumar is one of 36 producers who received the Innovative Farmer recognition this year, according to IARI sources. The latter along with his family has been farming millet for many years.

He says that he has been resolved to create products without preservatives since he was a kid because of the 'background he comes from', noting that all of his products are free of preservatives and that any products with oil content are cold-pressed.

Sivakumar claims that his goal was to create millet food products that the current population would enjoy, citing the millet's health advantages. It is possible to significantly reduce the intake of fast food by switching to millet-based foods.

Over the past 17 years, he has created more than 50 millet-based products under his business 'Mothi Millet Foods', including millet halwa, millet cookies, millet ven pongal mix, and millet savouries, among others. Additionally, Sivakumar has been educating college students about millet.

Meanwhile, the Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2023 successfully concluded on Saturday in the national capital. The fair attracted a large number of farmers from all across the nation who benefited from live demonstrations of crops like wheat, mustard, lentil, chickpea, vegetables, flowers, and fruit as well as an advanced understanding of the integrated farming system model.

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute, or ICAR, arranged the large-scale event. Several ICAR institutes from all over the nation took part, and there were special exhibitions on millets (Sree Anna), innovations, and goods that are beneficial to farmers.