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Making the most of millets.
Jan 10, 2023

In sync with the G-20 theme of ‘Recover Together, Recover Stronger’ in the International Year of Millets (IYoM) 2023, India is set to make the world a healthier place with an increased emphasis on its export of nutritional millets. The traditionally grown, healthy cereal group is fast becoming the new identity of India as it is a sustainable commodity. Bajra, ragi, jowar, and buckwheat are now going to be globally-enjoyed cereals.

The Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, growing awareness on calorific intake have nudged the globe towards this smart food and its nutritional benefits. India—the largest producer of millets with a 19% share—has taken up the responsibility of ushering in the millet revolution and bringing about a revolutionary change in its exports, targeting global millet trade with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority’s (APEDA’s) marketing strategy.

As a part of the Millets Export Promotion Strategy, a Millet Conclave was organsied to take India ahead and create awareness among the top 100 trading nations, displaying a wide range of value-added, innovative millet products and inviting buyers to experience the unique products that India has to offer. This was to ultimately secure a space for Indian millets in every diet and every meal across the globe. APEDA, which works under the ministry of commerce and industry, has plans to achieve a $100 million target by 2025. A global marketing campaign is being prepared, after assessing India’s potential. Accordingly, an e-catalogue of 30 importing countries and 21 millet-producing states has been prepared, and a virtual trade fair platform was launched to give the impetus for the export of millets as well as its value-added products.

As the world is moving towards nutritional security, there is a decadal rise in international imports of millets—5.4% in terms of value and 14% in terms of quantity. Millets have grabbed global attention due to their exceptional quality attributes—they are gluten-free, high in protein, and high in fibre. As a rice/wheat substitute, millets are potentially beneficial in diabetes management, weight management, anaemia control, management of blood pressure and other cardiovascular disorders.

In all aspects, millets are considered superior to wheat, rice, and maize. If India moves ahead with the agenda of disease eradication with millets, this can replace upto one-third of the recommended cereal diet of diabetics and anemic women. This, in turn, will yield an opportunity for 100 grams of millet intake per capita per day. This will, without doubt, help India achieve the target of 'Millets, a staple food in every diet' in the IyoM.

For the promotion of Indian millet exports, the Centre is in the process of facilitating participation of exporters, FPOs/FPCs, traders in various international events by organising Buyer-Seller Meets at more than 16 International Trade Fairs. India has already promoted millets and their value-added products at an event to celebrate IYoM 2023 that was organised by the FAO at its HQ in Rome, Italy and at Buyer-Seller Meets in Jakarta and Medan, Indonesia, in association with the Indian embassies in these countries. Plans are in place to facilitate participation in the international trade fairs, such as at Gulfood 2023, Dubai, Foodex, Japan, Fine Food, Australia, Anuga Food Fair, Germany, etc, to promote millets.

Leading importers and departmental store/super-market/hyper-market chains would be roped in through the embassies to promote millets, and food sampling and tasting campaigns will be organised. There would be branding/ publicity of Indian millets in the targeted countries and market in association with the IBEF, and through promotion campaigns in social media.

India’s top five millet-producing states are Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh. There are 16 major varieties of millet, including sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi), minor millets (kangani), proso millet (cheena), kodo millet (kodo), barnyard millet (sawa/sanwa/ jhangora), little millet (kutki), pseudo millets (buckwheat/kuttu), Amaranthus (chaulai), and brown top millet.

Exports of millets from India are mainly whole-grain, and the export of value-added products of millets is negligible. The government is also mobilising start-ups for export promotion of value-added products in the ready-to-eat (RTE) and ready-to-serve (RTS) categories, such as noodles, pasta, breakfast cereals mix, biscuits, cookies, snacks, sweets, etc.

Countries of major millert exports from India are the UAE, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Oman, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, the UK, and the US. The varieties of millets exported by India include bajra, ragi, kangani, jowar, and buckwheat. The US stands at the top for unit price realisation in exports of sorghum, kangani, bajra, and ragi, whereas Saudi Arabia gave better returns on buckwheat and exports of other millets. In general, buckwheat fetched far higher prices than sorghum and other millets. The major millet importing countries in the world are Indonesia, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Italy, the US, the UK, Brazil and Netherlands.

India is moving ahead in promoting millets across the world to reform millet as part of staple food in every diet.

financialexpress.com

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