Millets mission meet- update

The millets meet on behalf of the state planning commission went on well..very well indeed..well attended by many top govt officials..there were many points that were brain stormed about- on all sides : production, processing, consumption..ofcourse awareness, campaigning, taking to the poor was all discussed..
one of the best attended meets I have been a part of and most of the credit shud indeed go to the present VC. She conducted the meeting also in an amazing manner. TNAU also pitched in heavily, thankfully.

and as always (in restore style) we had a 7 course all-millet, all-organic Lunch!

Kollu Soup  (Horse gram soup)
Thinai Inippu sadham (fox tail sweet pongal)
Varagu Ellu sadham (Kodo millet Till variety rice)
Kudiraivaali Sambar sadham (Barnyard millet sambar rice)
Saamai thayir sadham (Little millet curd rice)
Sigappu ponnanganni poriyal
 Sirudhaniya idly (idlies made out of little millet and barnyard millet; urad)
Kathirikkai kuzhambu (Brinjal sambar)
Nilakadalai thuvayal (Groundnut chutney)

and also

Navadhaniya Kozhukattai: made from kambu, cholam, Ragi, Varagu, Thinai, Saamai, kuthiraivaali, green gram, channa dal, urad dal; coconut and cashew garnished. (Bajra, jowar, ragi, kodo, foxtail, little, barnyard millets, and 3 pulses)

That lunch was very well received, appreciated and enjoyed by all. Thanks to nalla keerai volunteers, Rajamurugan and Dr. MGR catering institute who gave their kitchen free for us to cook and came up with dishes to serve and volunteers too. 

In all a great all round effort. all of us were pleased.   Now to next rounds of taking the whole millets mission forward.

Supreme court Technical expert committee report on GM crop

Wow! thats sooper good news..
coming as it is after the fantastic Parliamentary committee report (see here ) this is really a shot in the arm to all those in the civil society who were fighting for safe food and to save our farming from monopolistic and dangerous firms like Monsanto.
It is so heartening and this shud get India march towards safe food and also set an example for whole of Asia to follow.

coverage in various press:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/SC-panel-for-ban-on-field-trials-of-GM-crops/Article1-946802.aspx

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/scientists-panel-recommends-10-year-moratorium-on-field-trials-of-bt-food-crops/articleshow/16869032.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/SC-appoints-Technical-Expert-Committee-recommends-moratorium-on-herbicide-tolerant-crops/articleshow/16869664.cms?

http://www.livemint.com/Politics/Z7sIscyN6C4sCuqQmUPtEK/Court-panel-recommends-stopping-GM-crop-trials.html

http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/scientists-panel-calls-10-year-moratorium-gm-field-trials


http://www.deccanherald.com/content/286381/panel-10-yr-halt-gm.html

Millets pilgrimage

so its millets time folks..
hope u all know the millets and esp minor millets like varagu (Kodo millet), Thinai (foxtail), saamai (little millet), kuthirai vaali (barnyard millet) that we from restore has always propagated successfully.

Then I get this invitation from the state Planning commission to take lead and move forward a millets mission for the state. The SPC Vice Chairman is an amazing lady who moves things at such a pace and has such broad views and is also so highly respected and regarded. (on her and her achievements- another day)

Now We are organising a Millets mission workshop cum brain storming with lots of top IAS officers of the state govt, agri dept directors, TNAU professors, planning commission HODS and all..thus trying to sensitise all on one side and also to come out with some concrete steps to take this millets mission forward in the state- for nutrition & health sake, farmers' livelihood sake, soil and water conservation sake, etc.

in this context , to get an over all view on production, processing and consumption side, I have been on a week long pilgrimage- so to say.
Visited Coimbatore and saw various personalities in TNAU, some young entrepreneurs in the TNAU (thru their incubators), some fantastic rural engineers who have designed a simple but functional millets de-husking machine at salem, Timbaktu, millets 360 of Anantpur - where Dinesh has just about tried and tested all modes to process millets without losing the bran/nutrition, Tribal Health Initiative who apart from their tremendous work in health in these eastern ghats tribal villages have done fabtastic work in organic farming and millets more importantly, etc..so have been on the Road but have been enjoying..
each of these has been a sooper experience and worth a separate post (may happen some time later)..
for now be informed of the millets forays and pilgrimage and wish me luck..
and you, out there- go and have millets for your own health, for the environments health and farmers livelihood.