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Sowing millet-led growth globally.
Feb 15, 2023

India will be launching the Millet International Initiative for Research and Awareness (MIIRA) to coordinate research on the foodcrops at the global level. The initiative is part of India’s efforts to get the world to observe 2023 as the International Year of Millets, as declared by the UN. Sarthak Ray takes a look at the millets push by India

Millets or coarse cereals are seeds of grass varieties that have been cultivated for thousands of years, for human consumption, and as fodder. Indian varieties include sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), foxtail millet (kangni), little millet (kutki), kodo millet, finger millet (ragi/ mandua), proso millet (cheena), barnyard millet (sawa/jhangora), and brown top millet (korale). Millets are grown in more than 130 countries and are eaten by more than 500 million people in Asia and Africa.

India had pushed for making 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM), and with support from 72 countries, got the proposal passed at the UN in March 2021. It has even given the FAO $500,000 to support IYM-related activities.

The push to millets at home

India has been implementing a programme on nutri-cereals (millets) under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) in 212 districts of 14 states since 2018-19. Under this, incentives are provided to the farmers, through the states/UTs, on crop production and protection technologies, cropping system based demonstrations, production & distribution of certified seeds of newly released varieties/hybrids, nutrient and pest management, etc.

Millets are covered under the National Food Security Act and are supplied to beneficiaries under the targeted public distribution system, procured, stored, and distributed by the state governments under decentralised procurement, with MSP based procurement under the central pool. Budget FY24 outlined a millet-focus, committing to develop the millet institute in Hyderabad as an international centre of excellence.

IYM efforts by India

Millets have been made central to meals planned for G20 delegates visiting India to popularise the coarse cereals. Various Union ministries, state governments are organising events throughout the year, concentrated in January, to promote millets among the citizens. Indian embassies in 140 countries celebrate IYM by organising millet-centred events throughout the year.

Targets

The government is targeting close to 21 million tonne (MT) of millet production in 2022-23; this stood at 14.5 MT in 2015-16. India’s exports stood at 159,332 tonne in FY22 versus 147,501 tonne in FY21. As per Apeda, global millet exports rose from $400 million in 2020 to $470 million in 2021, while India clocked $64.28 million in FY22 vs $59.8 in FY21.Global exports are likely to clock a CAGR of 4.5% over 2021 to 2026. Apeda has set a export target of $100 million by 2023-24.

Why is the millets push so important for India and the world?

The FAO says millets are 'an ideal solution for countries to increase self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imported cereal grains' as they can grow on arid lands with minimal inputs and are resilient to changes in climate. At the launch of the IYM in December 2022, it also invoked millets ties to indigenous peoples’ culture and traditions, saying they 'help guarantee food security in areas where they are culturally relevant.'

India has long acknowledged millets’ place in its history, although the nutri-cereals suffered significant reversals in area under cultivation and production as well as role in Indians’ food baskets after the Green Revolution.

Millets are richer in key nutrients than cereals that are, at present, considered staple, even as they have a lower glycemic index, with obvious implications for health in terms of reduced risk of diabetes and associated ailments.

They are also vastly more climate-friendly, using 70% less water than rice, whose cultivation is also a source of GHG emissions. They need 40% less energy for processing and can survive extreme heat and water scarcity, making them ideal for cropping as climate change effects intensify and foodgrains such as rice and wheat increasingly come under threat.

financialexpress.com

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