Millets, a group of nutritious small-seeded annual grasses, hold significant importance for global food security. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, in anticipation of the International Year of Millets 2023, has initiated numerous events and initiatives. This is to garner participation and awareness regarding these ‘golden grains’, which were once an integral part of Indian agriculture.
The Significance of the International Year of Millets
India proposed the observance for an International Year of Millets in 2023, which was accepted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2018. The United Nations General Assembly then declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets. India led this resolution, with over 70 nations showing their support.
The primary objectives of this initiative involve raising awareness about millets’ contribution to nutrition and food security. Other aims include inspiring improvements in sustainable millet production, increasing investments in research and development, and promoting extension services.
Understanding Millets
Millets refer to a cluster of small-seeded annual grasses grown as grain crops. They are primarily cultivated in marginal lands in dry areas across temperate, subtropical and tropical regions. India homes several kinds of millets like Ragi, Jowar, Sama, Bajra, and Variga.
First domesticated for food in Indus civilization, millets now have a global presence, growing in around 131 countries and serving as traditional food for approximately 60 crore people in Asia & Africa. With a share of 20% in global production and 80% of Asia’s production, India stands as the world’s largest millet producer.
Global Distribution of Millets
Though originally a major producer, India’s position has now been overtaken by Nigeria and China, who collectively produce more than 55% of the world’s millets. However, in recent years, Africa has seen a dramatic surge in millet production.
Significance of Millets
Compared to wheat and rice, millets are nutritionally superior, inexpensive, and rich in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals like iron, calcium, and magnesium. Their high nutritional content can fight against nutritional deficiency, especially among children and women. Their gluten-free nature and low glycemic index make them ideal for tackling health-related issues like obesity and diabetes.
Super Crop for Cultivation
Millets are photo-insensitive and resilient to climate change. They can grow in poor soils without requiring extensive external inputs. They consume less water and can thrive under drought conditions even with very low rainfall. In comparison to rice plants, millets have a lower carbon and water footprint.
Government Initiatives for Promoting Millets
ONE of the government’s key initiatives for promoting millets is the Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millet Promotion (INSIMP). Secondly, the government has increased the Minimum Support Price for millets, giving farmers a financial incentive to cultivate them. To ensure a steady market for millets, the government included them in the public distribution system.
In addition to these measures, the government has been providing seed kits and other farming inputs to farmers, building value chains via Farmer Producer Organizations, and promoting the marketability of millets.
Questions Regarding Millets in UPSC Civil Services Examination
The ‘Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millets Promotion’ was a question in a previous year’s UPSC Civil Services Examination. This initiative primarily aims to demonstrate improved production and post-harvest technologies alongside value addition techniques for increased millet production. Poor, small, marginal, and tribal farmers have a significant stake in this scheme. An important objective of the scheme is to catalyze increased production of millets and generate consumer demand for millet-based food products through processing and value addition techniques.
This initiative does not include any provision to encourage farmers of commercial crops to shift to millet cultivation, providing them with free kits of critical nutrients inputs or micro-irrigation equipment. Therefore, the question’s correct answer is option (c), indicating the correctness of the first two statements.
