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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Nutritional benefits, awareness efforts may spur millets demand -B Krishna Mohan

Nutritional benefits, awareness efforts may spur millets demand -B Krishna Mohan

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published Published on Nov 11, 2015   modified Modified on Nov 11, 2015
-Financial Chronicle

Return for farmers could grow as overall output of cereal crops has remained stable

With growing health awareness and relatively lower costs, millets are making a strong comeback after experiencing negative growth for several years. Millets, which are coarse cereals, need less water and are hence preferred by farmers in areas where there is a shortage of water. The crop is also favoured because of its productivity and short growing season under dry, high-temperature conditions.

India is one of the largest producers of many kinds of millets. But in most cases, producers of millets are also main consumers. These cereals are also used as cattle and poultry feeds. While pearl millet (bajra) is the most cultivated millet, finger millet (ragi) and proso millet are the other small-seeded grasses that constitute the group.

In India, bajra and jowar are cultivated in about 9-10 million hectares mostly in Mahar­ashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The arrival of bajra in man­dis of Gujarat, Haryana, Mad­hya Pradesh, Maharas­htra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other states varies year to year, sometimes reaching about 800 tonne. The price also varies between Rs 1,110 per quintal and Rs 1,675 per quintal.

Ragi arrivals have been in small quantities in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana markets. The price of ragi depends upon the variety of the crop and ranges between Rs 1,450 per quintal and Rs 1,900 per quintal. However, the maximum price fetched has been Rs 2,200 per quintal.

The demand for millets is on the rise because of growing health concerns. They are now being included in the daily diet. Millets are highly nutritious, non-glutinous and not acid forming foods. They are considered to be the least allergenic and most digestible grains available.

“The demand apart, several farmers are going for millets cultivation due to the lower water requirements, which is about one tenth of water needed for paddy,” said G V Ramanjaneulu, executive director of the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.

According to Ramanjan­eulu, the government should focus on creating processing facilities and also ensure supply of seed on time and in adequ­ate quantities. Millet seeds are mostly supplied by the government. Millets fetch farmers who sell their produce directly between Rs 2,500 per quintal and Rs 3,000 per quintal aga­inst Rs 1,400 per quintal for rice. It’s a big incentive for farmers.

Also, low water requirement means less use of power for irrigating millets fields. It can also help in water management in water shortage areas. “If adequate incentives are provided by various governments, the cultivation area of the crop can be increased. Karnataka has already decided to supply millets through the public distribution system (PDS). This will spur its demand. More governments should follow this,” Ramanjaneulu said.

Meanwhile, the all-India coordinated pearl millet improvement project has played a pioneering role in developing improved breeding lines and parental lines of hybrids.

Some entrepreneurs are nurturing the use of millets with indigenous recipes as well as snack foods. Efforts are also being made by institutes like the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat), an international organisation that conducts agricultural research for rural development, to promote millets as smart foods.

“In the past one decade, there has been a decrease in the cultivation area of millets. In most cases, the millets have been replaced by rice and wheat. But the overall millets production has been stable and is expected to remain so,” said Stefania Grando, research programme director, dryland cereals at Icrisat.

The government initiatives for promotion of millets should be strengthened, considering the nutritional benefits of the crop. “Creation of awareness is expected to generate demand owing to nutritional merits of millets, including sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet,” the Icrisat official said and added that export was limited because of lower demand.

While in the rural areas the consumption of grain like finger millet has declined, it has increased among medium income population in the urban areas because of its health benefits, Grando pointed out.

According to a dossier on smart foods, rice, maize and wheat growing areas have experienced yield plateaus or a decrease in yield gain. There is scope for increasing the average yield of sorghum by three times. Millets can also be used in production of biofuels and fermentation industries. 

Financial Chronicle, 9 November, 2015, http://www.mydigitalfc.com/commodities/nutritional-benefits-awareness-efforts-may-spur-millets-demand-830


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