Millets The True 'Shree Anna'

India persuaded the United Nations General Assembly to observe the year 2023 as 'the International Year of Millets' in order to focus the important roles that millets can play in the global scene to ensure food and nutritional security to the population that is expected to reach 10 billion in 2050 from about 8 billion today.

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Millets are referred to as ‘Shree Anna’ by many locals, meaning ‘the honoured grains’ or ‘the food grains with divine grace’ because these people hold millets with high esteem.

Millets had been among the staple foods for the people in Asia and Africa and particularly, for India for over 10,000 years.

However, millets were sidelined after the Green Revolution laid emphasis on the cultivation of wheat, rice, and maize. As a result, their contribution to meet the food security of many communities in India declined from 25 per cent in the 1970s to less than 6 per cent whereas the per capita annual consumption fell from 35 kg to 13 kg over the last five decades.

India is the leading country in the cultivation of various millet varieties, producing an impressive 12.5 million tonnes in 2020. This constitutes a substantial portion of the global millet production, which reached a total of 30.5 million tonnes that year. Following India, the Republic of Niger produced 3.5 million tonnes, China produced 2.3 million tonnes, Nigeria produced 2.0 million tonnes, Mali produced 1.9 million tonnes, Sudan produced 1.5 million tonnes, and Ethiopia produced 1.2 million tonnes. Among these millets, ‘major millets’ such as ragi (finger millet), jowar (sorghum), and bajra (pearl millet) take the lead. Additionally, there are ‘minor millets,’ which include foxtail, kodo, proso, buckwheat, brown top, barnyard millet, etc. India’s significant production of millets plays a vital role in global agriculture.