All arrangements are in place for the Wayanad Seed Festival 2023, a community event to assess the seed diversity of Wayanad district, to be held at the Community Biodiversity Centre under the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) at Puthurvayal here on Friday and Saturday, organisers said.
The two-day festival, being organised by the MSSRF in association with Seed Care, an organisation of traditional rice farmers in the district, has its focus on millets and underutilised crops since the United Nations (UN) declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets, the organisers said.
Agriculture Minister P. Prasad will inaugurate the fest at 11 a.m. on Friday.
As many as 30 exhibition stalls will showcase the agricultural diversity of Wayanad and farmers, research institutions and innovators across south India.
Millet stalls from Kolli hills in Tamil Nadu and food processing stalls from the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, will be a major attraction of the programme.
A national seminar on agrobiodiversity, screening of documentaries, photo exhibitions, and cultural programmes will be part of the event.
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan (former Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation) will be the chief guest.
