Bhubaneswar: Forest food festival organized by Peoples Cultural Centre (PECUC) started today in the premises of Kalinga Book Fare, exhibition ground, Bhubaneswar. This event reflects the diversity of food stuff from the forest. Communities whose living space is the forest are invited from the entire state to participate and present different cultivated or wild food stuff. The festival provide a platform to Adivasi women, to celebrate diversity and tradition as well as to present bio-dynamic and nutritious food stuff from the forest. Marking this occasion a workshop was organised in the Red Cross Bhawan. More than hundreds of tribal women from the districts of Kendujhar, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Bargarh, Nabrangpur, Khordha, Kandhamal, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Dhenkanal, Boudh, Mayurbhanj etc participated in it. In this workshop specialists from different fields discussed about the importance of forest food products and its necessities in the present context. In their discussion they emphasised on the importance of this type festivals as it will promote the nutritional values of such foods. In the inaugural ceremony of this festival Dr. Sipra Mallick, Member, Food Commission, Govt. of Odisha, Mr. Pradeep Kumar Biswal, IAS, Special Secretary, Finance Dept., Govt. of Odisha, Mr. Ranjan Kumar Mohanty, Secretary PECUC, Dr. Minakhi Panda, Director PECUC, Specialist Ruby Rout &, Dipak Mishra participated and through light on importance and nutritional value of traditional food, balanced food with special emphasis on the traditional farming culture of tribal people, forest food and its nutritional value etc. This festival was organised by Peoples Cultural Centre (PECUC), DISHA and CAUSE organisation implementing a programme titled Food Sovereignty for Adivasi Communities in Orissa, India working in 22 villages of Sundargarh and Kendujhar districts for preventing malnutrition by reviving traditional forest product, traditional seeds etc in collaboration with TDH(G) and BMZ. Ms. Anuradha Mohanty, Executive Director of PECUC gave the welcome address and also shared the purpose and Mr. Abdul Kalam Azad, Secretary DISHA, gave the vote of thanks. Related Comments comments

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