Hailing from Odisha’s Koraput district, Raimati Ghiuria has preserved more than 30 varieties of Indian millets so far. Watch this video to learn about her lifelong love for agriculture and conservation.
Fondly called the ‘Queen of Millet’, Raimati Ghiuria, a tribal farmer from Odisha, has preserved 72 traditional paddy varieties and at least 30 varieties of millets — including Kundra bati mandia, jasra, juana, and jamkoli.
Hailing from an agricultural family from a small tribal village in Odisha’s Koraput district, a young Raimati was inspired by Padma Shri awardee Kamala Pujari. The 70-year-old farmer taught Raimati traditional cultivation techniques like initiating pollination in crops and conservation of various kinds of native grains.
“Now, I do not remember any of the teachings from school, I only know how to conserve and grow millets that I learnt on the field,” Raimati smiles.
Though she was married off at the young age of 16,…