Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, 25 October 2026, spotlighted the resurgence of millet cultivation across parts of Northeast India, crediting local communities, farmers, and young entrepreneurs for reviving traditional crops while forging new livelihood pathways through innovative, value-added products.

Addressing the 139th episode of his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat', Modi recalled how India's push to designate 2023 as the 'International Year of Millets' had triggered a global conversation around the cultural and nutritional depth of what he called 'Shree Anna' — the ancient superfood grain.

What PM Modi Said

'You may recall that, at India's call, 2023 was celebrated as the 'International Year of Millets.' It received a very positive response globally. Through this initiative, people discovered how deeply the superfood 'Shree Anna', i.e. millets, are rooted in our own culture. In the Northeast, too, there has long been a rich tradition of millet cultivation; however, over time, people had begun to drift away from it. Now, that situation is changing,' Modi said during the broadcast.

He framed the revival not merely as an agricultural trend but as a cultural reclamation — one being driven, significantly, by women and young people in rural communities.

Meghalaya: From Traditional Grain to Cookies and Baby Food

Modi highlighted Khanduli village in West Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya, where two women friends took the initiative to develop consumer products from millets — including cookies, cakes, muffins, and baby food — rather than limiting the grain to traditional uses. The move, he said, sparked downstream demand: rising consumer interest led more farmers to resume millet cultivation.

He also referenced Sadolpara village in West Garo Hills district, Meghalaya, where a local farmer, Chekjing Sangma, adopted modern cultivation methods for millets. 'This has not only increased his income but has also fostered greater awareness within the village,' Modi said.

Nagaland: A Decade-Long Gap and a First-Ever Festival

Modi drew particular attention to Kezoma village in Kohima district, Nagaland, where millet cultivation had been completely abandoned for more than a decade. 'As a result, an entire generation grew up unfamiliar with this traditional crop. Imagine… a crop once grown by their own grandparents was being forgotten by the villagers themselves,' he said.

The community resumed cultivation in 2024, and by 2025, Kezoma had hosted its first-ever millet festival. Demand for millet-based products in the region is now reportedly growing rapidly.

Why the Revival Matters

This comes amid a broader national push to rehabilitate coarse cereals within India's food and farming ecosystem. Millets are drought-resistant, nutritionally dense, and culturally significant across many indigenous communities in the Northeast — qualities that had been overshadowed by the spread of rice and wheat monocultures in recent decades.

Notably, the examples Modi cited are not government-led programmes but community- and individual-driven initiatives, which he used to argue that grassroots entrepreneurship can serve as the engine for rural agricultural revival. The intersection of heritage crops and modern product development — cookies and baby food from millet — represents a model of agri-value addition that aligns with broader schemes like the PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM FME) scheme.

The Broader Message

'These examples demonstrate how our youth are linking traditional crops with new opportunities, and how our villages are advancing on the path to prosperity while preserving their heritage,' Modi said, summing up his remarks on the theme.

As millet-based startups and self-help groups continue to scale across the Northeast, the government's sustained narrative around Shree Anna could translate into policy prioritisation — including stronger procurement support and market linkages — in the months ahead.