Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Baiga tribe’s Lahiri Bai was the epicentre of major attraction among the delegates who attended the G20 AWG meeting to encourage the conservation of millets like Kutki, Sanwa, Kodo, and Katki. She was also praised by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan while he inaugurated an exhibition that showcased the potential, achievements and progress made by agriculture and allied sectors with special emphasis on millets, on the sidelines of the conference. Lahiri Bai is a resident of Silpadi village in Dindori district and has been engaged in the conservation of millets for more than a decade and was even appreciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a tweet. Lahiri has a stock of seeds of many types of millets and she is known in the adjoining area as a millet seed store. She was displaying the millets and also informed the delegates about the production and importance of millets. “To save the seeds which had become extinct in our area, we brought seeds from other villages and produced them, distributed the seeds to the farmers, the farmers sowed them in small areas of their fields and when the crop grew, we took them back from them. We now have the seeds of several extinct crops, mainly millets,” she said. Delegates in awe of sugar-free potatoes A farmer of Simrol Nisha Patidar showcased the ‘sugar-free’ potatoes at the exhibition. She has been ‘Sona Chips’ for the last three years and said that her produce has been increased through natural farming and she is getting the best quality of the crop. She said the potatoes can be consumed by the diabetic patients. “Naturally grown produce helped me in cultivating the best quality of pulses. It was hard in the initial (two) years as the production was low but now I am getting good produce as well as good price for the same,” farmer Krishnapal Singh, from Narsinghpur, said. He was showcasing his produce along with deputy director of agriculture Dr Ramnath Patel and said that the natural farming has helped in making his land more fertile again. ICRISAT showcased millet seeds of various countries International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) showcased hundred types of millet seeds during the exhibition. Representative of the institute Damaris Achieng Odeny, from Kenya, said their institute has provided hundreds of seeds to over 50 countries and are also researching the same. She also informed about the importance of millets. G20 summit helps in ensuring food security of the globe: Dr Fouda Egyptian delegate Dr Ibrahim Mamdoun Fouda said that the G20 meeting will help in ensuring food security. “My country is facing a food crisis and we don’t have millets. We will learn about its (millet) production and will increase sharing the technical knowledge on agriculture and collaboration for better tomorrow,” he said. He also appreciated Indore’s cleanliness and said that the city has got the right tag for its cleanliness. “Indore is a beautiful city and I liked the heritage and culture of the city as well as of India,” Dr Fouda said. Delegates enjoy cultural event Following the deliberations, the day concluded with the delegates enjoying the Kisan mela, live counters, DIY stalls and a cultural event, which gave them a flavour of the local culture and its cuisine. Scindia to address G20 meeting today Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, Jyotiraditya Scindia, will address the G20 meeting on Tuesday following which there will be general discussion among the participating members and global organisations. Scindia will also participate in other events in the city following the G20 meeting. .