Three-day Millet Mela to commence on January 8 at Anantapur

The third edition of Millet Mela will be organised from January 8 to 10 at Anantapur with a focus on natural farming, food production, marketing and local consumption.

A total of 18 NGOs, under the banner Anantha Susthira Vyavasaya Vedika (AVSS), will take part in the Millet Mela – 2026 that will be held at the Police Kalyanamandapam, with hundreds of farmers and natural farming practitioners scheduled to motivate others.

AVSS convenor and Accion Fraterna Ecology Centre director, Y.V. Malla Reddy, along with representatives of 18 NGOs told mediapersons here on Monday that in view of the climate change conditions, it was imperative to motivate farmers to take up natural/organic farming and grow millets along with other food crops.

“To bring awareness on these issues among the farming community and the general public, the NGOs would dwell at length on all these aspects by putting up 30 stalls and holding sessions where practising woman farmers will share experiences,” he added.

The head, Andhra Pradesh Operations, Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), Bhaktar Vali, said the role of cattle and small ruminants would also be discussed by experts like Sajal Kulkarni. There will be demonstrations of different cuisines made out of millets and other demonstrative stalls to enlighten farmers, said AFEC COO J. Muralikrishna.

Founder of REDS organisation, C. Bhanuja, said there was a focus on women farmers this year internationally, and the experiences of such farmers from the Rayalaseema region will be relatable for about 1,000 farmers visiting the venue of the Mela each day.

Cultural programmes will also be organised on all three days in the evenings.