Millets and other neglected crops
Why millets are back: types, nutrition and climate benefits, the International Year of Millets, Shree Anna, processing hurdles and other neglected crops.
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Sixty years ago, millets were everyday staples across much of India: jowar rotis in Maharashtra, bajra in Rajasthan, ragi mudde in Karnataka. The Green Revolution, subsidised rice and wheat in the public distribution system, and changing tastes pushed them to the margins. The area under millets in India shrank from more than 35 million hectares in the mid-1960s to around 14–15 million hectares today, even as yields per hectare improved.
Now millets are back on the agenda. At India's proposal, the United Nations declared 2023 the International Year of Millets. India rebranded millets as Shree Anna and set up a Global Centre of Excellence at the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) in Hyderabad. States from Odisha to Karnataka run millet missions. Supporters point to three benefits: nutrition, climate resilience and farmer income in drylands.
What are millets?
"Millets" is a collective name for small-seeded grasses (Poaceae) grown for grain, mostly in the semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa.
| Group | Crops (common Indian names) |
|---|---|
| Major millets | Sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi) |
| Minor (small) millets | Foxtail (kangni), proso (cheena), kodo, little (kutki), barnyard (sanwa), browntop |
| Pseudo-millets (not grasses) | Amaranth (rajgira), buckwheat (kuttu) |
India is the world's largest producer of millets. Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh lead. Pearl millet is the largest crop by area, followed by sorghum and finger millet.
Why millets matter
Nutrition
- Finger millet is exceptionally rich in calcium, around 340 mg per 100 g, more than 30 times as much as milled rice.
- Pearl millet is rich in iron and zinc. Biofortified varieties such as Dhanashakti contain even more.
- Millets supply more dietary fibre, protein and B vitamins than polished rice. Many have a lower glycaemic response when eaten as whole grains, which is useful for managing diabetes, though processing and cooking affect this.
- All millets are gluten-free.
Against these benefits, millets contain phytate and tannins that reduce mineral absorption. Soaking, germination, fermentation and malting improve bioavailability.
Climate and resources
- Millets are mostly C4 plants with efficient photosynthesis and water use.
- They are drought-tolerant, grow on poor and shallow soils, and often need far less water than rice. Pearl millet needs about 300–350 mm per season, compared with more than 1,100 mm for rice.
- Many small millets mature in 60–90 days, which allows them to fit short rainy seasons or escape late drought.
- They need fewer inputs, and suffer from fewer serious pests.
- Their heat tolerance makes them valuable as temperatures rise.
Water productivity of rice and pearl millet
A hectare of irrigated rice yielding 5 t of grain may use about 1,200 mm of water, which is 12 million litres. That is roughly 2,400 litres per kg of grain. A rainfed pearl millet crop yielding 2 t per ha on 350 mm, or 3.5 million litres, uses roughly 1,750 litres per kg, and the water is rain rather than pumped groundwater. In districts where aquifers are falling, shifting part of the area from rice to millets saves groundwater. That is why states such as Punjab, Haryana and Telangana encourage diversification, often backed by procurement or price support.
Barriers to the revival
- Low and volatile prices, and limited MSP procurement compared with rice and wheat.
- Processing bottlenecks: small millets have hard husks and need dehulling, which is laborious by hand. Pearl millet flour goes rancid within days because of lipase activity, which limits shelf life.
- Yield gaps: many farmers use old varieties and little seed of improved types.
- Consumer habits: urban consumers see millets as coarse grains, or as expensive niche health foods.
- Policy bias: decades of subsidies, procurement and research favoured rice and wheat.
What is being done
- Public distribution and nutrition schemes: states have added millets to the PDS, the ICDS (anganwadi) and PM POSHAN school meals. Karnataka distributes ragi and Odisha includes ragi in its programmes.
- The Odisha Millet Mission (from 2017) is a model combining farmer support, procurement, processing and inclusion in meals and markets.
- Research: high-yielding and biofortified varieties and hybrids, and machinery for harvesting, threshing and dehulling.
- Value addition: millet-based ready-to-eat foods, start-ups, the Production Linked Incentive scheme for millet products, and Farmer Producer Organisations.
- Promotion during and after the International Year of Millets.
Other neglected and underutilised species
Millets are the best-known example of neglected and underutilised species (NUS): crops that are locally important but have received little research, policy or market attention. Others include:
- pulses such as horse gram, moth bean and rice bean;
- tubers such as elephant foot yam and taro;
- fruits such as jackfruit, jamun and bael;
- leafy vegetables such as moringa (drumstick) and amaranth greens;
- in Africa, teff, fonio and bambara groundnut.
They contribute to dietary diversity, climate resilience and agrobiodiversity. FAO and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT promote them through research, seed systems and market development.
Key points
- Millets are small-seeded grasses. The major millets are sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet; the minor millets include foxtail, kodo, little, proso, barnyard and browntop. Amaranth and buckwheat are pseudo-millets.
- India's millet area fell from more than 35 Mha (1960s) to about 14–15 Mha. India remains the largest producer. 2023 was the International Year of Millets, and India brands millets as Shree Anna.
- Finger millet is rich in calcium, about 340 mg per 100 g; pearl millet is rich in iron and zinc. Millets are gluten-free and high in fibre.
- Millets are C4, drought-tolerant, short-duration and need little water or input.
- Barriers are prices, procurement, dehulling and shelf life, yield gaps and consumer habits. Responses include PDS and meal inclusion, millet missions, research and value addition.
- Neglected and underutilised species include horse gram, moth bean, jackfruit, moringa and teff.
What the exams ask
- Classify millets and give their botanical and local names.
- State the nutritional advantages of finger and pearl millet.
- Explain why millets suit climate change and dryland farming.
- Discuss constraints to millet production and consumption, and recent policy measures.
- Define neglected and underutilised species with examples.
Described in general terms: the kind of examination, not a past paper. Laisha never reproduces exam questions.
Questions people ask
Are millets really healthier than rice and wheat?
Compared with polished rice and refined wheat flour, whole-grain millets provide more fibre, minerals and, often, protein, and a slower rise in blood sugar. Compared with whole-wheat flour or brown rice the difference is smaller. A diverse diet with whole grains, including millets, is healthier than one based on any single refined staple.
Why does bajra flour go bad quickly?
Pearl millet has a relatively high fat content and active lipase enzymes. Once the grain is milled, these enzymes break down the fat, and the flour turns bitter and rancid within days. Heat treatment of the grain or flour, such as roasting or steaming, inactivates the enzymes and extends shelf life.
Can millets replace rice in Punjab?
Partly. Shifting some area from rice to millets, maize or pulses would save groundwater. Farmers need assured markets and prices comparable with rice to make the switch, and consumers and processors need to absorb the extra grain. Diversification programmes therefore combine agronomy with procurement and market development.
Sources
- FAO. International Year of Millets 2023: Unleashing the Potential of Millets. FAO, Rome, 2023.
- Longvah, T., Ananthan, R., Bhaskarachary, K. and Venkaiah, K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, 2017.
- Kumar, A. et al. "Nutraceutical value of finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.], and their improvement using omics approaches." Frontiers in Plant Science 7, 934 (2016).
- Padulosi, S., Thompson, J. and Rudebjer, P. Fighting Poverty, Hunger and Malnutrition with Neglected and Underutilized Species. Bioversity International, Rome, 2013.
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