Serious concerns have emerged after the Musi River Development Corporation Limited (MRDCL) marked 10.68 acres of land belonging to the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), Hyderabad, for developmental activities.

The land — located on survey numbers 394, 395/2, 396 and 397/1 — has for six decades served as experimental fields for millet research, including sorghum, pearl millet, and ragi.

The marking, carried out on Friday (April 30, 2026), has alarmed scientists and officials as the land is integral to long-term research programmes — including disease screening plots, fertiliser trials, organic farming experiments, biodiversity conservation blocks, and advanced millet breeding nurseries.

Sources said IIMR Director C. Tara Satyavathi has written to MRDCL requesting that the land be spared, stressing that it forms part of the institute’s leased research farm under a valid agreement with Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU).

The institute highlighted that IIMR has been accorded the status of a Global Centre of Excellence on Millets (Shree Anna), underscoring India’s leadership in millet research, innovation, and value-chain development. Losing critical research land, it warned, could undermine efforts to promote millets, enhance farmer livelihoods, and ensure food and nutritional security in dryland systems.

Adding weight to the appeal, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Director General M.L. Jat has written to Telangana Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao, urging the government to protect the land and exclude it from MRDCL’s project.

Meanwhile, farm experts have voiced strong concern, warning that continued take over of research lands could jeopardise future food security. They argue that safeguarding agricultural research farms is essential, and have called on both the Centre and State governments to act decisively.

There are also fears that land belonging to PJTSAU and the National Rice Research Institute may be affected in the coming days. The government has yet to respond to the pleas from IIMR and ICAR leadership, even as anxiety grows among researchers and agricultural stakeholders over the potential impact on India’s millet research ecosystem.