Less Time, Higher Yield: VL Mandua 376 Emerges as a Promising Finger Millet Variety for Tawang Farmers

20 August 2026, Almora

ICAR–Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan, Almora, is strengthening efforts to promote improved finger millet technologies in the North Eastern Hill region. Under the guidance of Dr Lakshmi Kant, Director, ICAR-VPKAS, a team of scientists from ICAR-VPKAS, along with officials from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tawang, visited Gongkhar and Gyamtong villages in Mukto-Bongkhar Block of Tawang district today to assess the field performance of the finger millet variety VL Mandua 376. The visit was conducted under the ICAR-VPKAS NEH Programme.

As part of the programme, a Farmer–Scientist Interaction and Field Day were organised to assess the performance of VL Mandua 376 under local agro-climatic conditions and gather first-hand feedback from farmers. The interactions focused on varietal adoption, cultivation experiences, challenges and farmers’ preferences in comparison with locally grown cultivars.

A key advantage of VL Mandua 376 observed by farmers is its early maturity, with the variety reaching harvest approximately 25–35 days earlier than local cultivars. The shorter crop duration can significantly reduce the period for which farmers need to guard their fields against wild animals, a major challenge faced by farming communities in remote areas of Tawang. Farmers also reported substantially higher grain yields from VL Mandua 376 compared with their local cultivars, highlighting its potential to enhance productivity within a shorter cropping period.

The field visit also highlighted the need to strengthen post-harvest and market-oriented interventions so that farmers can derive greater economic benefits from increased millet production. The team emphasised the potential for promoting small-scale millet-based entrepreneurship, particularly through value addition and processing, to create additional livelihood opportunities for rural communities.

The scientists further stressed the importance of developing and strengthening market linkages for both raw and processed millet products. Creating awareness among farmers about available market channels, coupled with appropriate value-addition initiatives, could help translate the productivity gains from VL Mandua 376 into improved farm incomes and sustainable rural livelihoods.

The field observations and farmer feedback reaffirm the potential of VL Mandua 376 as a promising technology for improving finger millet production in the challenging hill environments of the North Eastern Region.

(Source: ICAR–Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan, Almora, Uttarakhand)