ASSOCHAM's Virtual Session on Millets 2021: Status & Way Forward

Millets can be the wonder crop providing food, nutrition and livelihood security, beating the adverse effects of climate change. Millets are group of small, grained cereal food crops which are highly tolerant to drought and other extreme weather conditions and are grown with low chemical inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides.

They have various qualities that makes its importance in today’s food value chain and are popularly known as Nutri-cereals as they provide most of the nutrients required for normal functioning of human body. Millets are nutritionally superior to rice and wheat as they contain a high number of proteins, dietary fibers, iron, zinc, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin B, and essential amino acids. The essential amino acid profile of the millet protein is better than various cereals such as maize.

The production in country is comparatively low. India currently has around 14 million hectares of land under millets cultivation These areas include Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Production of millets is around 14 million tons a year with Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Karnataka leading in millet farming.

Despite high potential, the crop has not been given high importance. In spite of the superior quality of millets, only pearl millet has been prioritized as crop of choice for iron biofortification in India. Therefore, vast potential exists to utilize the minor millets for biofortification.

The session will focus on the status and Challenges. The discussions will invite views on policy interventions required to promote the production of millets crops in India and increasing its area under cultivation and lastly the role of all stakeholder viz research institutes, farmers / growers, Government: Central and State, Industry: seed, stage, distribution and Processing food Industry.