The ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), Thiruvananthapuram, has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Odisha government for developing a customised rainbow diet for combating malnutrition in children at Keonjhar, a district with a sizeable tribal population.
The MoA on behalf of Odisha Governor and ICAR-CTCRI was signed respectively by S.N. Panigrahi, Deputy Director of Horticulture, Keonjhar district, and CTCRI director G. Byju at Keonjhar on Monday.
The four-year, ₹6.83-crore project is aimed at implementing a value-chain improvement strategy. This includes a baseline malnutrition assessment, production of nutritionally enriched tubers, millets, and other locally preferred food crops, and development of nutriseed systems.
A ‘rainbow diet’ involves the inclusion of fresh and natural foods with different colours in the daily diet. The colours of fruits and vegetables are caused by specific phytonutrients. A ‘tuber crops rainbow diet’ is a specific meal plan focusing on antioxidant-rich sweet potato and yam varieties.
Additionally, the CTCRI project envisages technology and institutional mechanisms for the production of 10 clinically validated rainbow food matrices and the creation of an institutional mechanism at the village level for long-term sustenance of locally adaptable agri-food systems.
P. Sethuraman Sivakumar and M. Nedunchezhiyan, the principal investigators of the project, Laxminarayana, scientist-in-charge, CTCRI Regional Station, Bhubaneswar, were present.
The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University and National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, are collaborating partners in this project.
The success of the rainbow diet concept on a smaller scale in northeast India and at Attappadi in Kerala had encouraged CTCRI to scale up the concept, Dr. Byju said.
