ICAR-Central Institute for Women in Agriculture, Bhubaneswar organized a three days training and demonstration programme on “Promotion of rural entrepreneurship through value addition of traditional millets and fruits” during 28th September to 1st October 2023. The main objective of the training programme was to provide hands-on training, technical-know-how about the operation and maintenance of equipments and impart deep insight knowledge with respect to processing and value addition of millets and local available fruits enabling agri-preneurship as a profession for better revenue and healthy society. A total of 25 scheduled caste women from established CHCs from different Jagatsinghour and Puri districts were participated. At the outset, Dr. Mridula Devi and Director, ICAR-CIWA, welcomed all trainees to the programme. She explained about the role of ICAR-CIWA in promoting the agripreneurship for better tomorrow. The smallholding women were urged to follow improved management practices, drudgery reduction tools for higher income. She also highlighted on techno-socio-economic development of small, marginal and landless farmers enabling “Atmanirbhar Bharat” where the role of women is very crucial at the village level. Dr. Niha Ranjan Sahoo, Professor, Dept. of AP & FE, CAET, Bhubaneswar delivered a lecture on food safety management, FSSAI regulations, sanitation and personal hygiene as necessary requisites to start food products based venture and to enhance their competitiveness. Dr. M. P Nayak, Joint Director, Extension (Information), OUAT, Bhubaneswar in his lecture emphasized about the product labelling, branding and managing food processing enterprise for better marketability and to compete with other branded products in the markets. Microbial safety aspect, food quality and utilization of food waste as animal feed and how to maintain the quality of products that earns customer loyalty, helps establish brand recognition and manages costs were also imparted to the trainees.

Dr. Sachidananda Swain, Senior Scientist and Course Coordinator, Dr. Jyoti Nayak, Course Co-cordinator and Er. Pragati Kishore Rout imparted “hands-on” training and demonstration of dal mill, rice mill, oil expeller pulveriser/spice grinder, potato based products, RTS from mango, millet based products and pine apples etc where trainees were provided with raw materials for product development and its packaging through systematic learning, operation and maintenance of equipments. Dr. Jyoti Nayak, in her lecture highlighted on the utility of drudgery reducing tools for better work efficiency at field level so that maximum women may attract to the agriculture sector as a profession. Dr. Neetish Kumar Scientist explained the role of ICT in women entrepreneurship development and how agricultural drones allow farmers to monitor crop and livestock conditions from the air to keep watch for potential problems and help optimize field management practices to save time. Finally certificates were distributed to the trainees during valedictory function.