Agriculture
Revival of Millet Cultivation
- 31 Mar 2021
- 7 min read
Why in News
An International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) supported initiative to revive Kodo and Kutki Millets cultivation, started in the year 2013-14 in Dindori district of Madhya Pradesh, has given new life to the forgotten crops.
- IFAD is a specialized agency of the United Nations and was one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference.
- Founded in 1977, IFAD focuses on rural poverty reduction, working with poor rural populations in developing countries to eliminate poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.
Key Points
- About the Project:
- Beginning:
- The project was started with 1,497 women-farmers from 40 villages – mostly from the Gonda and Baiga tribes – growing these two minor millets (Kodo and Kutki) on 749 acres.
- Seed and Training:
- The identified farmers were supplied good-quality seeds and trained by scientists from the Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University in Jabalpur and the local Krishi Vigyan Kendra – on field preparation, line-sowing (as opposed to conventional broadcasting by hand) and application of compost, zinc, bavistin fungicide and other specific plant protection chemicals.
- Self Help Groups:
- A federation of the farmers’ self-help groups undertook procurement of the produce and also its mechanical de-hulling (the traditional manual pounding process to remove husk from the grain was time-consuming).
- Beginning:
- Impact:
- Helped in increasing the number of farmers growing kodo-kutki in the project area to 14,301 in 2019-20.
- Helped in increasing the acreage to 14,876 acres.
- Helped in meeting nutritional goals (fighting malnourishment among children).
- Helped in reviving millet cultivation (crop yields are 1.5-2 times higher than before).
Millets
- About:
- Millets are often referred to as Superfood and its production can be seen as an approach for sustainable agriculture and a healthy world.
- Millets in India:
- The three major millet crops currently grown in India are jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet) and ragi (finger millet).
- Along with that, India grows a rich array of bio-genetically diverse and indigenous varieties of “small millets” like kodo, kutki, chenna and sanwa.
- Major producers include Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana.
- The three major millet crops currently grown in India are jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet) and ragi (finger millet).
- Need for Reviving Millet Cultivation:
- Nutritional Security:
- Millets are less expensive and nutritionally superior to wheat & rice owing to their high protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals like iron content.
- Millets are also rich in calcium and magnesium.
- For example, Ragi is known to have the highest calcium content among all the food grains.
- Its high iron content can fight high prevalence of anaemia in Indian women of reproductive age and infants.
- Climate Resilient:
- They are also harder and drought-resistant crops, which has to do with their short growing season (70-100 days, as against 120-150 days for paddy/wheat) and lower water requirement (350-500 mm versus 600-1,200 mm).
- Economic Security:
- As low investment is needed for production of millets, these can prove to be a sustainable income source for farmers.
- Can Tackle Health Issues:
- Millets can help tackle lifestyle problems and health challenges such as obesity and diabetes as they are gluten-free and have a low glycemic index (a relative ranking of carbohydrates in foods according to how they affect blood glucose levels).
- Millets are rich in antioxidants.
- Millets can help tackle lifestyle problems and health challenges such as obesity and diabetes as they are gluten-free and have a low glycemic index (a relative ranking of carbohydrates in foods according to how they affect blood glucose levels).
- Nutritional Security:
- Challenges:
- Preference for Wheat:
- Wheat has gluten proteins that swell and form networks on adding water to the flour, making the dough more cohesive and elastic.
- The resultant chapattis come out soft, which isn’t possible with millets that are gluten-free.
- Wheat has gluten proteins that swell and form networks on adding water to the flour, making the dough more cohesive and elastic.
- Increased Demand for Processed Food:
- India has seen a jump in consumer demand for ultra-processed and ready-to-eat products, which are high in sodium, sugar, trans-fats and even some carcinogens.
- With the intense marketing of processed foods, even the rural population started perceiving mill-processed rice and wheat as more aspirational.
- National Food Security Act Promoting Other Grains:
- In rural India, the National Food Security Act of 2013 entitles three-fourths of all households to 5 kg of wheat or rice per person per month at Rs 2 and Rs 3 per kg, respectively, thus reducing the demand for millets.
- Preference for Wheat:
- Indian Initiatives:
- Promoting Millets:
- The Union Agriculture Ministry, in April 2018, declared millets as “Nutri-Cereals”, considering their “high nutritive value” and also “anti-diabetic properties”.
- 2018 was also observed as ‘National Year of Millets”.
- Increase in MSP:
- The government has hiked the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Millets, which came as a big price incentive for farmers.
- Further, to provide a steady market for the produce, the government has included millets in the public distribution system.
- Input Support:
- The government has introduced provision of seed kits and inputs to farmers, building value chains through Farmer Producer Organisations and supporting the marketability of millets.
- International Initiative:
- The United Nation General Assembly adopted an India-sponsored resolution to mark 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
- Promoting Millets:
Way Forward
- Farming of millets deserves encouragement especially in view of their climate resilience, short cropping duration and ability to grow on poor soils, hilly terrains and with little rain.
- Because of their accessibility to the poor, they can play an essential role in providing nourishment to people across all income categories and supporting climate adaptation of rainfed farming systems.