With demands going up, there is a need to increase the production of millets by at least 40 per cent. It is noteworthy that 14 States in the country are currently on a mission to cultivate millets incrementally
Nutritionists and all who have turned conscious about their diet and fitness have reasons to look forward to the year 2023, which will be observed as the International Year of Millets. Today and very evidently so, the nutria-cereals millets are returning to dining tables and even on some restaurant menus as they also make a comeback on farms and fields.
This is all due to the many Indian Government and state-level initiatives. These crops are not only drought-resistant but are also termed ‘climate-smart, growing in areas with low rainfall and infertile soil. It may be recalled that, India had given the year 2023 proposal to the Food and Agriculture Organization at the 160th session of the FAO Council in December 2018 .
The country has always enjoyed rich association with millets, though the Green Revolution pushed rice and wheat into major focus. Cultural traditions kept millets alive, though with time they came to be known as coarse grains.
Shailaja Fennell, a lecturer at Jesus College in the University of Cambridge, talks about the genetic diversity of millets and says they form the earliest family of cereals cultivated by humans. Modern systems of biological classification in farming is what has eroded the quantum of cultivation, she opines.
It is widely felt that there is a need to go back to our culture of multi, mixed and intercropping. While current methods have thrown tribals into bankruptcy and poverty, millets help during monsoonal failure and is able to sustain livelihoods. They can grow in arid regions and some varieties of pearl millet survive at temperatures up to 46 degrees Celsius. What is even better is the fact that they ensure that soil health is retained and add organic matter for soil health revival.
Millet production in the United States increased 16 per cent from 2016 to 2017 according to Statista, and is experiencing a sharp rise in popularity. Jean Hediger, a certified organic millet farmer, says the rise is due to consumers recognizing the health benefits of this low cost, ancient grain
Area under millets in India has gone down substantially in the past six decades. Rajasthan, followed by Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana are states where maximum cultivation happens. A shift from the production of millets (jowar in particular) to soybean, maize, cotton, sugarcane and sunflower saw the change coming in.
Now however, with demands going up, there is a need to increase the production of millets by at least 40%. It is noteworthy that 14 States in the country are currently on a mission to cultivate millets incrementally.
Ragi has the highest Calcium content among all the food grains. They are rich sources in B vitamins especially in Niacin, B6, Folic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Magnesium and Zinc. But then millet products are difficult to process compared to Paddy as the grains are smaller. Millets such as sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), foxtail millet (kangni), finger millet (ragi), Barnyard millet, Kodo mille, Little Millet, Proso Millet are amongst the healthiest millet grains available.
It is important to note here, millet production in the United States increased 16 per cent from 2016 to 2017 according to Statista, and is experiencing a sharp rise in popularity. Jean Hediger, a certified organic millet farmer, says the rise is due to consumers recognizing the health benefits of this low cost, ancient grain.
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