Bihar Minister of Agriculture Applauds ICRISAT and Partners’ Efforts to Strengthen Millet Cultivation in the State
Mayapur, Gaya, Bihar | 5 June 2026
The Bihar Centre of Excellence for the Millet Value Chain (BCoEMVC) at Mayapur, Gaya, welcomed Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture Shri Vijay Kumar Sinha, Government of Bihar, during Khet Bachao Abhiyan, a nationwide agricultural outreach campaign launched by the Government of India to protect soil health and promote natural and sustainable farming.
Interacting with members of women self-help groups and sampling the millet products developed by them, Mr Sinha remarked:
"Millets are not just crops for nutrition and sustainability; they are also crops of opportunity. From production to processing and marketing, Shree Anna has the potential to create jobs, support rural enterprises, and improve farmer incomes across Bihar."
The project, which started in July 2023, is jointly implemented by ICRISAT, Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU), Pusa, and Bihar Agricultural University (BAU), Sabour, together with the Department of Agriculture, Government of Bihar. Millet cultivation aligns closely with the Government of India’s vision for sustainable agriculture and complements the Khet Bachao Abhiyan of the Bihar State Government. During the visit, the Minister of Agriculture was apprised of the progress made under the flagship initiative and interacted with scientists, project partners, and officials involved.
Underscoring the importance of the partnership in unlocking the potential of millets to generate employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in the state, he noted:
"Strengthening local millet value chains can create new livelihood opportunities while contributing to economic development in rural areas. Further, communities should be sensitized to the nutritional, environmental, and economic benefits of millets through effective communication in local languages so that scientific innovations can reach farmers in an accessible and impactful manner."
Welcoming the Hon’ble Minister, Mr Sanjay Agarwal, Assistant Director General, ICRISAT, highlighted the project's potential to transform millet-based livelihoods in Bihar and appreciated the continued support of the Government of Bihar, particularly Shri Narmdeshwar Lal, IAS, Principal Secretary, and Shri Saurabh Suman Yadav, IAS, Director, Department of Agriculture.
Thanking Smt. Anjali Kumari, Deputy Director, Plant Protection and Nodal Officer, NFSM, and her team for facilitating the successful implementation of the programme, he noted:
"BCoEMVC is among the few initiatives in the country that comprehensively integrates research, development, extension, value addition, entrepreneurship, and market linkages under a single platform. This partnership between ICRISAT, RPCAU, Bihar Agricultural University, and the Department of Agriculture, Government of Bihar, over the past three years has set the path for successfully scaling millet cultivation and consumption."
Presenting the project overview, Dr Kuldeep Singh, Head, Genebank, ICRISAT, and Principal Investigator of the BCoEMVC project, highlighted several key achievements recorded within a short period of three years, including:
- Identification of 37 promising lines across seven millet crops for release in Bihar, currently under AICRP-India testing;
- Production of more than 2,700 kg of quality millet seed;
- Engagement of 696 farmers across eight districts, with seven women’s self-help groups leading community-owned seed production;
- Testing of eight millet-based cropping systems as climate-smart alternatives to the paddy–wheat system;
- Establishment of five millet processing units;
- Development of five ready-to-market millet products and strengthening of market linkages; and
- Training of more than 1,000 farmers, 73% of them women, through nutrition, enterprise, and product-acceptability programmes, placing women at the centre of Bihar’s millet revival.
- Renovated four traditional drainage & water conservation systems (Aahar and Pyne) of South Bihar which helped in bringing fallow/underutilised lands back into cultivation.
- Demonstrated more than 7000 trials on millets, oilseeds and pulses based diversified cropping systems in eight districts of South Bihar.
Apart from this, zero-till technology, use of small machines, bringing fallow and underutilized lands back into cultivation have also been demonstrated through the project, supporting the vision of Bihar’s Fourth Agriculture Road Map.
ICRISAT Director General Dr Himanshu Pathak thanked the partners for their collaboration, "We sincerely thank the Government of Bihar for its visionary support in establishing the BCoEMVC, a truly unique initiative that addresses every component of the millet ecosystem. In just three years, the programme has demonstrated tangible results."
The visit reaffirmed the important role of BCoEMVC in mainstreaming millets, advancing sustainable agriculture, enhancing farmer incomes, improving nutrition, and building resilient millet value chains across Bihar.
This work aligns with SDG 2, 1, 13 and 17.
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