Rapid Fire
Closing Ceremony of International Year of Millets
- 01 Apr 2024
- 1 min read
Recently, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) hosted the closing ceremony of the International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023 at the FAO headquarters in Rome.
- The United Nations declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets following a proposal by India, supported by over 70 countries, to raise awareness about millets' benefits.
- The year-long celebration highlighted millets' nutritional benefits, adaptability to adverse climates, and role in creating sustainable market opportunities.
- Millets are small-grained, annual, warm-weather cereals belonging to the grass family.
- Jowar (Sorghum), Bajra (Pearl Millet) and Ragi (Finger millet) are the important millets cultivated in India.
- Millets are the main crops in semiarid tropics due to low rainfall and poor soil fertility. They have higher nutrient content than major cereal crops and are tolerant to drought and extreme weather conditions.
Read more: India's Millet Revolution
