The story of millets

• A pre-launch celebration of International Year of Millets was held recently in New Delhi.
• It was organised by the Ministries of Agriculture and External Affairs. Millets

Millets

• Small-grained cereals like sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), foxtail millet (kangni/ Italian millet), little millet (kutki), etc.
• They require much less water than rice and wheat, and are mainly grown in rainfed areas.

Millets around the world

• Globally, sorghum (jowar) is the biggest millet crop.
• The major producers of jowar are United States, China, Australia, India, Argentina, Nigeria, and Sudan.
• Bajra is another major millet crop; India and some African countries are major producers.

Significance

• Food security
• Millets are a climate-friendly crop that can even be grown in drought-hit areas.
• High nutritive value
• In April 2018, the Agriculture Ministry declared certain millets as Nutri Cereals for the purposes of production, consumption, and trade
• These include: Jowar, bajra, ragi/ mandua,
• Minor millets: Kangani/ kakun, cheena, kodo, sawa/ sanwa/ jhangora, and kutki
• Pseudo millets: Buckwheat (kuttu) and amaranth (chaulai).
• Millets are more nutritious compared to fine cereals.
• Millets contain 7-12% protein, 2-5% fat, 65-75% carbohydrates and 15-20% dietary fibre.
• Political significance
• Grown mainly in low-income and developing countries in Asia and Africa
• Part of the food basket of about 60 crore people across the globe.
• Health benefits
• Millets reduce Anemia, liver disorders, and Asthma.
• Their high dietary fiber provides hunger satisfaction and helps reduce obesity and the risk of Type II Diabetes.

Millets in India

• Production
• In India, millets are mainly a kharif crop.
• 2018-19: Three millet crops (bajra, jowar, and ragi)accounted for about 7% of the gross cropped area in the country.
• Jowar Producing States:Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh.
• Bajra Producing States: Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
• Millets under PDS
• Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, eligible households are entitled to get rice, wheat, and coarse grain at Rs 3, Rs 2, and Re 1 per kg respectively.
• While the Act does not mention millets, coarse grains are included in the definition of “foodgrains” under Section 2(5) of the NFSA.
• However, the quantity of coarse grains procured for the Central Pool and distributed under the NFSA has been negligible.
• Steps taken by the govt.
• The push to distribute coarse grains under the PDS has not gained momentum.
• The Centre has accepted the recommendation of a committee set up by it, that millets be included in the PDS in order to improve nutritional support.
• The government has set a target to procure 13.72 LMT coarse grains during the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2022-23, more than double the 6.30 LMT procured during KMS 2021-22.
• Year of Millets
• In March, 2021, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution to declare 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
• The proposal was moved by India, and was supported by 72 countries.
• The International Year of Millets will raise awareness about the importance of millets in food security and nutrition.