Millets as smart crop

Millets as smart crop

Subjects: Geography

Context: Millets have received renewed attention as crops that are good for nutrition, health, and the planet.

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• As climate-smart crops, they are hardierthan other cereals. Since they need fewer inputs,they are less extractive for the soil and can revivesoil health. Additionally, their genetic diversityensures that agrobiodiversity is preserved.
• India has led the global conversation on reviving millet production for better lives,nutrition, and the environment, including at the UN General Assembly, where it appealed to declare 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
• It is the world’s leading producer of millets,producing around 41% of total production The national government is also implementing a Sub-Mission on Nutri-Cereals(Millets) as part of the National Food SecurityMission.
• State-level missions in Odisha, MadhyaPradesh, and Andhra Pradesh are a testament to India’s resolve to revive these indigenous crops.
• Millet conservation and promotion contribute to addressing food security, improved nutrition,and sustainable agriculture, which aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda.
• Millet production has been proven to enhance biodiversity and increase yields for small holder farmers, including rural women.
• The International Fund for AgriculturalDevelopment’s (IFAD’s) Tejaswini programme with Madhya Pradesh showed that growingmillets meant a nearly 10 times increase in income (₹1,800 per month in 2013-14 to ₹16,277 in 2020-21), with better food security because milletcrops were not impacted by excessive rainfall.
• A study by the FAO on millets in India emphasises strengthening value chains forenhancing nutritional benefits and increasing farmers’ incomes.
• Millets play important role in rainfed region of the country which contributes to 60 percent of the total area. The minor millets are rich source of nutrients and minerals and resistant to drought and stress in rainfed farming. Millets are adapted to a wide range of ecological conditions and are often grown on skeletal soils that are less than 15 cm deep. It does not demand rich soils for their survival and growth

Production:

Madhya Pradesh has highest area under small millets (32.4%) followed by Chhattisgarh (19.5%), Uttarakhand (8%), Maharashtra (7.8%), Gujarat (5.3%) and Tamil Nadu (3.9%).Uttrakhand has highest productivity of 1174 Kg/ ha followed by Tamil Nadu (1067 Kg/ha) and Gujarat (1056 Kg/ha). State-wise average area, production and yield estimates of small millets are given in table 5. Karnataka has the highest area and production of finger millet followed by Tamil Nadu. Karnataka itself occupied around 66 per cent of total production and other statesare very minimal production in India. But Tamil Nadu state has recorded highest productivity (2464 Kg/ha) of finger millet followed by Karnataka (1782 Kg/ha) which is above the national average yield (1580 Kg/ha). As far as compound growth rate is concern negative growth in all states including Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Area under finger millet and minor millets are losing its area to cereal crops and commercial crops even though they have higher nutritive value and are resistant to pest and disease and drought

Production pattern

Over the last five decades area under minor millet and finger millet have decreased drastically from 1955-56 to 2013-14 (table no 4). In case of minor millet almost eight fold reduction in area decreased from 53.35 lakh ha in 1955-56 to 6.82 lakh ha in 2013-14. Further the production of minor millet recorded four fold decreases during these periods.

Reasons:

• The marginal increase in yield of minor millets was seen but this is very minimal as compared to other cropsproduction were the tradeoff between rice and wheat with minor millet.
• Whereas finger millet, one fold decrease in area and there is not as much as decrease in production due to yield almost doubled in these period i.e from 800 kg/ha to 1661 in 2013-14.
• Poor policy support for coarse cereals on the one hand favorable policies for the cultivation of oilseeds such as sunflower and soybeans and cash crops such as cotton on the other hand became more profitable, driven by yield increases and higher prices spurred by growing consumer demand (Status paper on coarse cereals, Directorate of Millets Development, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation).
• Easy availability of rice and wheat on subsidized rate through PDS, social status attached to fine cereals, the penetration of diversified value-added products from rice and wheat and the ease of preparation and short cooking time for them have resulted in their increased consumption

Consumption pattern

Assam (18.82 kg/hsh/m) andBihar (18.69 kg/hsh/m) states were highest consumption of small millets was found in all India and rural areas. Other state are consuming less than the 10 kg/household/month which is lower than that of Assam and Bihar