India’s Millets Hub: Chhattisgarh

Both agronomic and dietary concerns are present in the world.Because agricultural fields with irrigation systems have been fully utilised, we must concentrate on dry lands to boost grain output.

Utilizing dry soils to produce enough highquality grains is difficult because of their poor productivity.In terms of poor growth conditions and high nutritional value, millets outperform other grains like wheat and rice as climate change-resistant crops. These nutritional cereals contain vitamins, minerals, vital fatty acids, phytochemicals, and antioxidants that can aid in the eradication of a variety of ailments caused by a lack of dietary nutrients.

The production of millets can maintain the productivity of dry landand guarantee future food and nutritional security.

One of the earliest foods consumed by humans was millet, which is also thought to be the first cereal grain to be utilised in home settings. Today, millet is the sixth-most important grain in the world, providing food for one-third of the world’s population and being consumed in large quantities in many In terms of poor growth conditions and high nutritional value, millets outperform other grains like wheat and rice as climate change-resistant crops. These nutritional cereals contain vitamins, minerals, vital fatty acids, phytochemicals, and antioxidants that can aid in the eradication of a variety of ailments caused by a lack of dietary nutrients. The production of millets can maintain the productivity of dry lands and guarantee future food and nutritional security. Millets and sorghum are two grains that can sustain populations all over the world. They are nutrient-rich, drought-tolerant crops.

Millets have a low glycemic index, are gluten-free, high in protein and antioxidants, and can help prevent or control diabetes. Particularly rich in iron, one of the most prevalent micronutrient deficits worldwide, pearl millet (shown on the left) provides twice as much protein as milk. The calcium content of finger millet is three times that of milk. Kodo millet contains ten times as much dietary fibre as rice and contains three times as much as wheat and maize.

Millets are multifunctional; their stalks can be used for brewing, animal feed, biofuel, and other purposes in addition to making grains for human consumption. Over the next ten years, yields of other important crops, like maize, may plateau or decline. Millets not only take half as long to mature as wheat and require little to no pesticides or fertilisers, but they also use 70% less water than rice and 30% less water than maize.

Types of millet 

There are more than 20 different types of millet. Some of the more common varieties include:

• Pearl (Pennisetum glaucum)
• Finger (Eleusine coracana)
• Foxtail (Setaria italica)
• Proso (Panicum miliaceum)
• Barnyard (Echinochloa utilis)

To become India’s millet hub, the Chhattisgarh government announces the “Millet Mission.” The “Millet Mission” programme aims to give farmers the proper price for tiny cereal crops, offer input support, make arrangements for procurement, process the harvests, and make sure that the farmers take advantage of specialist knowledge. At a ceremony for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Indian Institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad, and the collectors of 14 Chhattisgarh districts under the state’s “Millet Mission,”  CM Bhupesh Baghel stated, “Like minor forest produce, we want to make small grain crops also the strength of Chhattisgarh.”

The Millet Mission would not only boost the income of farmers in Vananchal and tribal areas due to the rising demand for millets like Kodo, Kutki, and Ragi both domestically and overseas, but it will also offer Chhattisgarh a new sense of identity. Additionally, millets’ processing and value addition will give farmers, women’s groups, and young people jobs. 20 districts in Chhattisgarh produce kodo, kutki, and ragi. MoUs were signed with 14 of these districts during the initial phase. According to Tonapi, the Millet Mission’s launch in Chhattisgarh will prove to be a turning point in this direction. These input help for farmers in the state of Chhattisgarh who are producing millet, it is  a fantastic move by the state government. 2023, and it is assumed this mission  would be recognised as the International Year of Millet. By 2023, Chhattisgarh will have established itself as a national millet hub thanks to the Millet Mission. The Millet Mission intends to give Chhattisgarh a new identity while also increasing the income of farmers in Vananchal and tribal regions. Farmers as well as numerous youth and women’s organisations in the state will have jobs processing millets.

References

• Pradhan, A., Nag, S. K. and Patil, S.K. 2010. Dietary management of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaerth) controls diabetes. Current Science, 98(6):763- 765.
• Seetharam, A., Riley, K.W. and Harinarayana, G.1986. Small millets in global agriculture. Proceedings of the First International Small Millets Workshop. Bangalore, India, 1986, October 29 –November 2.
• Ashwani Kumar Thakur, Prafull Kumar and Subhas Chandra Yadav. 2017. Impact of Front Line Demostration (FLD) on the Yield and Economics of Small Millet on Bastar District of Chhattisgarh, India. Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci. 6(9): 1489-1497.
• https://agricultureandfoodsecurity.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40066-018-0183-3.
• https://foodtank.com/news/2018/04/icrisat-millets-sorghum-forgotten-foods-future/