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Budget to pitch coarse grains as means of sustainable cultivation.
Jan 04, 2023

Union Budget 2023-24 may focus on coarse grains or millets as means of sustainable cultivation that can raise income of small farmers in arid regions besides providing food and nutritional security globally, people familiar with the development said.

A roadmap to promote millets is expected in the Budget as Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants India, the world’s largest producer of coarse grains, to take the lead in making 'the superfood' a mass movement, they added requesting anonymity.

India, along with the world, is celebrating the International Year of Millets, 2023, which has been declared by the UN based on a proposal moved by India and endorsed by 70 nations.

'It is PM Modi’s effort that the UN accepted 2023 as the international year of millets, a proposal of India that was endorsed by over 70 countries. It is something which is part of Indian civilisation with potential to address global scourge of hunger and malnutrition,' one of the people, who works in an economic ministry said.

There is a need to focus on promoting coarse grains such as jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet), ragi (finger millet), sanwa (barnyard millet), kangni (foxtail millet), chena (proso millet), kodo (kodu millet), kutki (little millet), and kuttu (buckwheat), a second official working in a different ministry said. 'In fact, proportion of coarse grains under National Food Security Act (NFSA) may go up as many states have specifically asked for millets – for example Kerala sought a supply of about 1,000 tonnes of ragi,' he said adding that the Union Budget may nudge various central and state ministries and departments to promote millets.

The demand for coarse grains is rising globally due to their health benefits and this opportunity could be tapped by Indian farmers and start-ups as highlighted by the Prime Minister in August 2022.

'For our small farmers, millets are especially beneficial. Millet hay is also considered the best fodder. Nowadays, the young generation is much focused on Healthy Living and Eating. Even if you look at it this way, millets contain plenty of protein, fibre, and minerals. Many people even call it a superfood,' the Prime Minister said in his radio programme ‘Mann ki Baat’ in August 2022.

'Millets have many benefits, not just one. Along with reducing obesity, they also reduce the risk of diabetes, hypertension and heart related diseases. Along with that, they are also helpful in preventing stomach and liver ailments… Millets are also very beneficial in fighting malnutrition, since they are packed with energy as well as protein,' he added.

According to government data, the production of millets in India has increased from 14.52 million tonnes in 2015-16 to 18.02 million tonnes in 2020-21. The global millets market is expected to have a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 4.5% between 2021 and 2026, the second official said.

Millets are covered under the minimum support price (MSP) mechanism and part of the public distribution system (PDS). There are over 250 start-ups working on millets and they are supported by the central government, he added.

Speaking at the ‘Millets-Smart Nutritive Food’ Conclave on last month (December 5), commerce minister Piyush Goyal said: 'We must work together to mainstream the millet story and make millets globally acceptable to solve problems of malnutrition and starvation that many parts of the world continue to face.'

On December 6, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for crop diversification and millet farming to enhance global food security and make agriculture climate resilient in a message delivered during the opening ceremony of International Year of Millets in Rome, the headquarters of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, an official statement said.

hindustantimes.com

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