PROMOTING MILLETS
Posted On: 11 AUG 2023 6:36PM by PIB Delhi
The Government of India is implementing a multi stakeholder approach towards celebration of International Year of Millets (IYM) – 2023. The action plan of IYM-2023 focuses on strategies to enhance production and productivity, consumption, export, strengthening value chain, branding, creating awareness for health benefits etc. To promote Shree Anna a yearlong action plan for monthly activity has been prepared by Central Ministries, State Governments and Indian Embassies.
In order to increase production and productivity of Shree Anna, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) is implementing a Sub-Mission on Nutri-Cereals under National Food Security Mission (NFSM) in all districts of 28 States & 2 Union Territories viz. Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Under NFSM–Nutri Cereals, the 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, Integrated Nutrient and Pest Management techniques, improved farm implements/tools/resource conservation machineries, water saving devices, capacity building of farmers through trainings during cropping season, organizing events/workshops, distribution of seed minikits, publicity through print and electronic media etc. The interventions such as formation of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) for Shree Anna, setting up Centers of Excellence (CoE) and seed hubs for Shree Anna have also been supported under NFSM. In addition, states such as Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh have initiated Millet Missions in the States to promote Shree Anna. To make India a global hub for ‘Shree Anna’, the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), Hyderabad has been declared as the Centre of Excellence for sharing best practices, research and technologies at the national and international level.
Shree Anna are also included under the Poshan Abhiyan of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Further, the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution has revised its guidelines to increase the procurement of Shree Anna under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Mid-Day Meal. The Ministry has also advised the State Governments and Union Territories to increase the procurement of Shree Anna. An Export Promotion Forum dedicated to promotion of Shree Anna in the international market has been set up to facilitate promotion, marketing and development of Shree Anna exports from India. Under the Eat Right campaign, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is creating awareness to promote the use of Shree Anna as part of a healthy and varied diet.
Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has implemented the Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry for Millet-based products (PLISMBP) during 2022-23 to 2026-27 with an outlay of Rs. 800 crores. The Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme, launched under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan is currently being implemented in 35 States and Union Territories (UTs). The Government is also popularizing Agri-Infrastructure Fund Scheme to invite farmers/FPOs/Entrepreneurs to avail the benefit of interest subvention on loans up to 2 crores for setting up primary processing units in Shree Anna. Government is also promoting Shree Anna based startups to increase the demand of Shree Anna.
As a part of promotional activities of IYM 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare is promoting Shree Anna during India’s G20 presidency. Shree Anna are also showcased in various events such as International Trade Fair, Surajkund Mela etc.A key event organized towards International Year of Millets was the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference, held from 18th– 19thMarch 2023 at IARI Pusa campus, New Delhi which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister. In continuation to the efforts towards mainstreaming Shree Anna, a ‘Millets Experience Centre (MEC)’ has been opened at Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi with an aim to raise awareness on Shree Anna and encourage its adoption among general public.In order to encourage consumption of Shree Anna among government employees, all Government offices have been advised to include Shree Anna snacks in departmental trainings/meetings and Shree Anna based food items in departmental canteens. DA&FW has also installed vending machines for Shree Anna products through National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) to various Ministries/Departments. Shree Anna and its products have been identified as One District One Product (ODOP) in 19 districts of 10 States.
The state-wise production of millets in the country during last 5 years (2018-19 to 2022-23) is given below. The major millet crops procured by the Government are jowar, bajra, and ragi. During last five years, the quantum of jowar, bajra and ragi procured by the Government are 423675 metric tonnes, 758094 metric tonnes and 1676067 metric tonnes respectively.
The state-wise production of millets (shree anna) during 2018-19 to 2022-23 is as under;
(Production in ‘000 tonnes)
| State/UT | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23* |
| Andhra Pradesh | 301.91 | 514.19 | 540.61 | 359.15 | 299.64 |
| Assam | 3.06 | 3.23 | 3.26 | 3.20 | 3.23 |
| Bihar | 14.37 | 8.00 | 10.31 | 8.51 | 7.18 |
| Chhattisgarh | 33.71 | 24.56 | 26.24 | 28.18 | 23.39 |
| Gujarat | 1000.15 | 990.48 | 1091.97 | 1179.08 | 1221.87 |
| Haryana | 899.56 | 1034.90 | 1366.56 | 1132.15 | 1213.97 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 5.95 | 6.81 | 3.12 | 2.49 | 2.41 |
| Jharkhand | 12.77 | 14.31 | 17.72 | 18.07 | 47.60 |
| Karnataka | 1762.17 | 2555.60 | 2569.08 | 2053.60 | 2115.88 |
| Kerala | 0.47 | 0.54 | 0.57 | 0.60 | 0.29 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 851.34 | 895.71 | 1024.13 | 1181.40 | 1276.09 |
| Maharashtra | 1319.31 | 2428.70 | 2513.82 | 2305.38 | 2076.35 |
| Odisha | 48.18 | 48.07 | 55.16 | 68.08 | 59.22 |
| Punjab | 0.72 | 0.32 | 0.26 | 0.76 | 0.41 |
| Rajasthan | 4288.34 | 5146.89 | 5155.67 | 4279.74 | 5633.57 |
| Tamil Nadu | 873.47 | 1017.03 | 905.26 | 765.48 | 590.79 |
| Telangana | 72.25 | 139.15 | 166.33 | 122.76 | 79.03 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 1967.27 | 2171.91 | 2298.20 | 2225.65 | 2249.66 |
| Uttarakhand | 179.74 | 191.09 | 200.85 | 200.38 | 181.62 |
| West Bengal | 7.57 | 9.83 | 6.98 | 7.74 | 7.83 |
| Others | 68.91 | 59.32 | 64.44 | 74.30 | 61.72 |
| All India | 13711.21 | 17260.63 | 18020.55 | 15999.76 | 17151.75 |
*As per 3rd Advance Estimates 2022-23.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare,
Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
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he world is currently experiencing an agrarian crisis, nutritional crisis, and climate change catastrophe, leading to need for sustainable crop substitutes that require less water and have significant nutritional values. Millets are considered “climate savvy” and “Nutri-Cereals” due to their ability to adapt to dynamic climatic conditions and numerous health advantages respectively. They are crucial for maintaining people’s health and well-being and can help in preventing disorders connected to modern lifestyles, such as diabetes and obesity. Various Government initiative have been taken to promoter millets. This paper discusses about some of the policies adopted by the Government for the promotion of millet, its impact, and future directions.
Introduction
Millets are referred as “Miracle grains” because they can thrive in dry conditions and require less irrigation than other crops. More than 90 million people in Africa and Asia depend on millets for their nutrition, according to the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).[1] Over the past 50 years, more widely used crops such as maize, wheat, and rice have essentially replaced these ancient grains. Due to various issues, the world is currently experiencing an agrarian crisis, a nutritional crisis, and a climate change catastrophe. Agricultural lands with irrigation facilities have been exploited to the maximum, and hence there is a need to focus on utilization of drylands. Millets are a viable option as a sustainable crops substitute owing to its sustainability and nutritional benefits.
All millets have a shorter life span of 2–4 months. They are suitable for a variety of farming practices and are able to adapt to changing climatic circumstances, particularly during monsoon season. For these reasons, millets are sometimes referred as climate-savvy crops. According to a study, climate change has boosted drought-tolerant crops like millets while decreasing worldwide rice and wheat yields by 0.3% and 0.9%, respectively, on average each year. Climate changes since the 1970s have led to increase in yield of sorghum which is used as a food grain by many people in the developing world, of 0.7% in sub-Saharan Africa and 0.9% annually in western, southern, and southeastern Asia.[2]
The calorie, protein, and macronutrient content of millets are comparable to and occasionally higher than that of traditional cereals in terms of nutritional value. They make a substantial contribution to both human and animal nutrition because of their high-calorie, calcium, iron, zinc, fat, and high-quality protein contents. They are also abundant sources of dietary fiber and trace minerals including micronutrients.[3] Nutritional insecurity is a serious concern in current scenario, which is primarily due to dependence on cereal-based diets which are deficient in micronutrients. Inclusion of millets in diet can support our efforts to combat child and adolescent malnutrition, boosting immunity and health.[4] They are gluten-free, making them a great option for the millions of people who have gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease worldwide. They are often referred to as “Nutri-Cereals” due to their numerous health advantages.
After the green revolution, the share of millets in our diet declined. They are good options in the era of fast food culture and a sedentary lifestyle. Millets are crucial for maintaining health and well-being and can aid in the prevention of many disorders related to the modern lifestyle, such as diabetes and obesity.
Millets can help the world to attain its top priorities on the “Food and Nutrition Security Map,” especially for achieving targets under sustainable development goals (SDGs) 2, 3, 12, and 13[5]: “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”; “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”; “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns”; “Achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture”; and “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts” respectively.