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International Year of Millets

Last updated on January 27, 2023 by ClearIAS Team

The United Nations declared the year 2023 as the International Year of the Millet, following a proposal by India, which wants to position itself as a global hub for millet. Millets have historically been part of the Indian subcontinent for centuries. Read here to know more about it.

As the global agrifood systems face challenges to feed an ever-growing global population, resilient cereals like millets provide an affordable and nutritious option, and efforts need to be scaled up to promote their cultivation.

The United Nations General Assembly at its 75th session in March 2021 declared 2023 the International Year of Millets (IYM 2023).

UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is the lead agency for celebrating the Year in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders.

Table of Contents

International year of millets 2023

International year of millets 2023 will be an opportunity to raise awareness of, and direct policy attention to the nutritional and health benefits of millets and their suitability for cultivation under adverse and changing climatic conditions.

The Year will also promote the sustainable production of millets while highlighting their potential to provide new sustainable market opportunities for producers and consumers.

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International Year of millets provides a unique opportunity to:

• raise awareness of, and direct policy attention to the nutritional and health benefits of millet consumption
• the suitability of millets for cultivation under adverse and changing climatic conditions
• creating sustainable and innovative market opportunities for many countries around the work for millets to benefit farmers and consumers globally.

IYM 2023 hopes to galvanize interest in millets among various stakeholders like farmers, the youth, and civil society and push governments and policymakers to prioritize the production and trade of these cereals.

Millets encompass a diverse group of cereals including pearl, proso, foxtail, barnyard, little, kodo, browntop, finger, and Guinea millets, as well as fonio, sorghum (or great millet), and teff.

They are an important source of nourishment for millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

They are deeply rooted in Indigenous Peoples’ culture and traditions and help guarantee food security in areas where they are culturally relevant.

India, Nigeria, and China are the largest producers of millet in the world, accounting for more than 55% of global production.

Significance of millets

• Millets can grow on arid lands with minimal inputs and are resilient to changes in climate. They are therefore an ideal solution for countries to increase self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imported cereal grains.
• Millets can play an important role and contribute to our collective efforts to empower smallholder farmers, achieve sustainable development, eliminate hunger, adapt to climate change, promote biodiversity, and transform agri-food systems.
• Greater millet production can support the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and can provide decent jobs for women and youth.
• The revenue created can boost economic growth. With the possibility of a healthy cereal alternative with millet, the risks associated with production shocks can be mitigated.
• Millets include various nutrients and minerals essential for the human body, hence increasing intake will aid in enhancing people’s health in India and worldwide.
• Dietary fiber found in millet helps regulate blood pressure and sugar levels.
• Millets are hardy crops against disease/pests and are also grown as trap crops in Oilseed and Pulses for control of disease and pest management. Therefore, they require lesser support for chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides.
• Even though there has been an increase in millet’s popularity since Covid, there is still a long way to go. Millets must be produced more to increase their consumption and satisfy future demand.

India for International Year of Millets

Millets were among the first crops to be domesticated in India with several evidence of its consumption during the Indus valley civilization .

Being grown in more than 130 countries at present, Millet is considered traditional food for more than half a billion people across Asia and Africa.

In India, millets are primarily a Kharif crop , requiring less water and agricultural inputs than other similar staples.

• India produces all the nine commonly known millets and is the largest producer and fifth-largest exporter of millets in the world.
• Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana are the major millets producing states.
• Before the Green Revolution , millets made up around 40 percent of all cultivated grains, which has dropped to around 20 percent over the years.

Millets are important by the virtue of their mammoth potential to generate livelihoods, increase farmers’ income and ensure food & nutritional security worldwide.

Recognizing the enormous potential of Millets, which also aligns with several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , the Government of India has prioritized Millets.

• In April 2018, Millets were rebranded as “Nutri Cereals”, followed by the year 2018 being declared as the National Year of Millets, aiming at larger promotion and demand generation.
• The global millets market is projected to register a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period between 2021-2026.

The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has taken a proactive multi-stakeholder engagement approach (engaging all the central government ministries, states/UTs, farmers, start-ups, exporters, retail businesses, hotels, Indian Embassies, etc.) to achieve the aim of International Year of millets 2023 and taking Indian millets globally.

• Ministries, states, and Indian embassies have been allocated focused months in 2023 to carry out various activities for the promotion of IYM and increase awareness about the benefits of millets for the Consumer, Cultivator, and Climate.
• Embassies of India across more than 140 countries will be participating in the celebration of the International Year of Millets during 2023 by conducting side events on IYM involving the Indian Diaspora through exhibitions, seminars, talks, panel discussions, etc.

Millets are also an integral part of the G-20 meetings and delegates will be given a true millet experience through tasting, meeting farmers, and interactive sessions with start-ups and FPOs.

Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millets Promotion (INSIMP) was launched in 2011-12 to demonstrate improved production and post-harvest technologies in an integrated manner.

The government also has hiked the Minimum Support Price of Millet, which came as a big price incentive for farmers.

Way forward

Over the years, the consumption of millets has declined, and the area under production has been replaced with commercial crops, oilseeds, pulses, and maize.

Commercial crops are profitable, and their production is supported by several policies through subsidized inputs, incentivized procurement, and inclusion in the Public Distribution System .

This has resulted in changes in dietary patterns with preferential consumption of fine-calorie-rich cereal.

But the time has come to recognize the importance of millet and create a domestic and global demand along with providing nutritious food to the community.

Previous year question

• Concerning ‘Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millets Promotion’, which of the following statements is/are correct? (2016)
• This initiative aims to demonstrate the improved production and post-harvest technologies and to demonstrate value addition techniques, in an integrated manner, with a cluster approach.
• Poor, small, marginal, and tribal farmers have a larger stake in this scheme.
• An important objective of the scheme is to encourage farmers of commercial crops to shift to millet cultivation by offering them free kits of critical inputs of nutrients and micro irrigation Equipment.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 2 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

-Article written by Swathi Satish

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The International Year of Millets: Know How it Casted Light on the Goodness of Shree Anna

India celebrates the International Year of Millets, promoting these nutritious grains to combat malnutrition, ensure food security, and elevate its global position in sustainable agriculture.

India's celebration of the International Year of Millets marks a significant milestone in the country's agricultural and nutritional landscape.

With a growing awareness of the benefits of millets, India has become a key advocate for these ancient grains on the global stage. The United Nations' declaration of 2023 as the International Year of Millets, in response to India's call, has provided a unique opportunity to shine a spotlight on these small-seeded grains and their potential to combat malnutrition, promote sustainable agriculture, and enhance food security.

Millets have been an integral part of traditional Indian diets for centuries, and their nutritional value cannot be overstated. Rich in essential nutrients like iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and fibre, millets offer a powerhouse of nutrition, making them an excellent option to address malnutrition and improve public health.

India has taken various proactive measures to promote millets nationwide. The government is actively supporting farmers by providing incentives for millet cultivation, including easy access to credit, subsidies on seeds and equipment, and advanced agricultural techniques. Initiatives have been launched to include millets in the Public Distribution System (PDS) and Mid-Day Meal Schemes in schools, ensuring that nutritious food reaches vulnerable sections of society, especially children.

Yogi Govt to Provide Financial Help to Start Millet Outlets

Such mobile stores and outlets will be selling all kinds of coarse grains including barley, millet, and other crops.…

To raise awareness among consumers, the government has collaborated with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to launch campaigns and workshops on the nutritional benefits of millets. These campaigns aim to dispel myths surrounding millets, such as considering them as food only for the underprivileged or the elderly. Instead, they highlight millets' versatility and potential to cater to the changing preferences of health-conscious consumers.

Furthermore, the International Year of Millets has spurred research and innovation in the food industry. Several food companies are now introducing millet-based products, such as ready-to-eat snacks, breakfast cereals, and baked goods, to cater to the growing demand for healthier alternatives. These innovations not only contribute to improved public health but also stimulate the agricultural economy and create employment opportunities in rural areas.

India is leveraging its diplomatic relations to share knowledge and best practices related to millet cultivation with other countries facing similar challenges. By collaborating on research and technology exchange, India is playing a crucial role in building a more sustainable and secure global food system.

The celebrations of the International Year of Millets are not confined within India's borders; international events, workshops, and seminars are organized to showcase India's efforts and encourage other nations to adopt similar strategies.

Beyond their nutritional benefits, India's promotion of millets aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. By emphasizing the goodness of millets, India takes significant strides towards a healthier, more sustainable future for its citizens and the world at large.

As the year-long celebration continues, India aims to leave a lasting impact by inspiring a global movement towards more diverse, nutritious, and sustainable food choices. By recognizing the importance of these humble grains, the world can take a collective step towards a brighter, healthier future for generations to come.

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[Explainer] Why is 2023 the International Year of Millets? What do we achieve by celebrating such years?

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• Millets, hardy dryland crops grown in Asian and African countries, are gaining popularity for their nutritional qualities. The UN is celebrating 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
• Commemorations such as these draw attention to lesser-known topics, in this case crops. They also foster a global exchange of ideas, research and development as well as bolster trade.
• After 2013, the International Year of Quinoa, the superfood rose in popularity and is grown across the world. Researchers say sudden rise in popularity benefited farmers, but also resulted in a boom-and-bust cycle. There are concerns the same could happen to millets.

When India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Union Budget in February 2023, she referred to millets as “ shri anna ” or the best of all grains. Her rebranding of millets – often derogatorily referred to as the ‘poor man’s grain’ and listed as a neglected and underutilised crop species not long ago – was accompanied by the promise of government funding for the Hyderabad-based Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), which was established in 1958 . Though there is no clarity on the amount of funding, Sitharaman said IIMR will become a centre of excellence and a global hub for millet research and development.

This and other efforts around promoting millets are linked to the UN’s declaration of 2023 as the International Year of Millets.

So how does a neglected crop, which all but vanished from our plates, make a comeback?

What are millets? Why are they suddenly popular?

Millet refers to several varieties of small-seeded grasses that are cultivated as grain crops. Amongst these, pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi) and sorghum (jowar) are the most popular. Pearl millet accounts for close to half the global millet output . Minor millets include foxtail, barnyard, proso and others. These crops are grown in marginal and dry lands in several countries in Asia and Africa, with India being the world’s largest millet producer .

The sudden global fame of this coarse grain can be traced back to March 2021, when the United Nations (UN) General Assembly at its 75th session declared 2023 the International Year of Millets (IYM2023).

Jacqueline Hughes, Director General of International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), says, as the world becomes increasingly aware of the negative impacts of climate change, millets are gaining attention as “future crops”. ICRISAT led the technical session at the launch of the IYM2023 at FAO in Rome in December 2022, and recently hosted a global conference on transformations of drylands.

Hughes explained in an email interview with Mongabay-India, that millets are adapted to the drylands and can grow in very difficult conditions. Since they are hardy, salinity-tolerant, and can grow in drought-prone environments with poor soils, even in temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius, they minimise the risk to farmers and communities.

Staple crops such as rice, wheat and maize can’t solve the crisis of micronutrient deficiency. Millets, on the other hand, are known to have a range of nutritional benefits, says Israel Oliver King, Director, Biodiversity at the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation ( MSSRF ).

Hughes added that millets are gluten-free, low glycaemic index, and a range of nutritional benefits.

Millets were once grown as traditional crops in several countries like China, Japan, India, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and several other Asian and African countries.

Yet, if you haven’t ever eaten millets or heard of them, it is because over the last century rice, wheat and maize have ruled the world – and our plates. In India, experts say the Green Revolution eliminated food diversity and reduced the importance of millets in our farms and plates. Globally too, millets have lost their importance to rice, wheat and maize, which together account for 89% of the world’s grain production .

Millets once accounted for about a third of India’s food basket but has seen a drastic decline in consumption, Hughes says. In the last few decades, per capita consumption of millets dropped by 83% in rural and 77% in urban areas.

Tara Satyavathi, Director of IIMR says, as policy makers forgot millets, funding for research and development shrunk. Millets didn’t see the growth and popularity which rice, wheat and maize did in the 20th century.

“Many people have lost the tradition of consuming millets even if they might be from countries that originally consumed millets,” Makiko Taguchi, Agricultural Officer, Agricultural Officer, Plant Production and Protection Division, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) told Mongabay-India in a Zoom interview. This includes taking stock of the history and the traditions around millets.

“Production and consumption need to go hand in hand, but the first [step] is to really get the public’s attention of what the benefits of millets can be,” she says.

Hughes points to recent work by ICRISAT, the National Institute of Nutrition in India and other partners that has found that regular consumption of millets can lower the risk of diabetes and obesity, improve cholesterol levels, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

IYM2023 hopes to increase the attention and interest for millet consumption, says Taguchi. Through that, support for small scale producers in many different developing countries can be improved, and better livelihood opportunities could be provided.

Read more: Shift to coarse grains from rice for healthy, environment-friendly diet: study

What is the International Year of Millets?

International observances (day, weeks, years, or even decades) bring attention to the importance of a topic, Taguchi explains. Generally, a member nation makes a proposal to the UN through a relevant agency, such as the FAO in case of millets.

India’s proposal to FAO went through internal approvals before being presented at the UN General Assembly and was approved with the support of 71 countries. India is the Chair, and Nigeria and ICRISAT are the Vice-Chair of the FAO International Committee for the International Year of Millets.

While this is a UN-wide event, because millets fall under food and agriculture, the FAO is the corresponding implementing agency coordinating with relevant technical experts, several UN member countries and representatives from all regions, and stakeholders such as academia, private sector, and civil society.

The IYM2023 consolidates and pushes for global cooperation to promote millet in various ways.

As King points out, the seeds of IYM2023, were sown increasing research interest in neglected crops in the last century. Parallelly, the ICRISAT, ICAR, IIMR, MSSRF and other institutes have conducted research and development on millets for decades. The Indian government too started taking notice in the last few years, and rebranded millets as nutri-cereals in 2018 .

Even as area under millet cultivation dropped by 56% drop in India, production increased from 11.3 to 15.3 million tonnes, Hughes points out. This was due to the development and adoption of improved varieties and hybrids, and better crop management practices. Overall, millet productivity has increased by more than two times, and pearl millet productivity has tripled.

Is there an example that such observances can yield lasting results?

One of the most famous food fads of recent times is quinoa, which rose to global fame as a superfood thanks in part to the International Year of Quinoa 2013 (IYQ2013). Quinoa too was a neglected and underutilised crop and was grown in 50 countries before 2013. After IYQ2013, this number grew to over 123 countries. This staple from the Andean region, is now grown in diverse climatic zones. Like millets, quinoa too is climate resilient, can improve nutritional security and an alternative to wheat and rice. However, experts have identified a boom and bust cycle when crops like quinoa rise into prominence suddenly.

King, who co-authored a research paper published in Global Food Security in 2022, says once economically developed nations learnt of quinoa’s nutritional importance, there was a sudden increase in consumer demand triggering a rise in prices. There was rapid land-use change resulting in a production increase. This boom was followed by a bust, a rapid decrease in prices, and subsequently, production.

There was also a lot of pull-pressure on Andean communities to grow a certain white variety of quinoa, he says. There are over 6,000 quinoa varieties, but many brown and black varieties were neglected as the market prefers a certain colour and size. This influences breeding and growing preferences.

“It is not the choice of the people who grow it, it is the choice of people who eat and trade in it,” he says. With millets, this can be fixed by focussing on diversity based on farm-based and community centric mechanisms.

“We want countries to maintain their tradition and their production,” Taguchi emphasises, adding that with millets one of the important focus areas has been to understand diverse food cultures and traditions, genetic diversity of millets grown in specific environments, and “to really celebrate those different types of millets and the ways in which they are used around the world.” Some ongoing programmes as part of IYM2023 is an ongoing global Chef’s challenge to cook with millets to promote this.

What’s after the IYM2023?

Satyavathi says that continued policy support is crucial, and so is more funding for research and development of various aspects including germ plasm research, productivity and storage, post-harvest technology and value-added products. The research and development scenario, as well as demand for and supply of millet products is improving.

Nutrihub , a startup incubator at IIMR, has supported over 500 entrepreneurs and companies to work on post-harvest technology, value-added millet products, among other things. ICRISAT, through the HarvestPlus-supported biofortification program, biofortified varieties of millets with high iron and zinc content.

In India, restaurants are serving millet dishes, mainstream brands such as Tata have a line of millet products under the brand called Soulfull, and several public sector canteens have started serving millets too.

King adds that several states like Karnataka and Odisha have promoted millets, many have included it in mid-day meals.

Recently, the Indian embassy in China had a line up of events for diplomats to discuss and dine over millets, the Economic Times reported .

As Taguchi says, in the long term, the hope is that there is enough interest from around the world, including governments and stakeholders to create a community of practice, research and development-focused groups.

To avoid a repeat of what happened with quinoa, King says regardless of technological and production growth, the diversity farm and plates needs to come through community centric models. “The fear is that a particular fashion of approaching this, in terms of promoting specific technology – whether it through seeds, processing facilities, or export strategy – should not kill the diversity on farms.”

Read more: There’s bajra in my beer! Craft breweries experiment with millets in beer

Banner image: A woman winnows pearl millet. Photo by Alina Paul-Bossuet (ICRISAT)/Flickr.

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2023 is The International ‘Year of Millets’ | Here’s Why They Matter For Global Food Security

• Human Stories

Indigenous millets are a nutritious and climate-resilient crop. But in India, their production is rapidly declining. Find out why the United Nations declared 2023 “the International Year of Millets” and how traditional farmers like Narayan and Kusum Gaikwad preserve the traditional millet varieties.

The guidelines from district administration were not to step out after 10 AM. 77-year-old Narayan Gaikwad did the opposite. “I just wanted to see the effect of this scorching heat on my pearl millet,” he says.

The temperature passed 40 degrees Celsius in the last week of May this year. Despite the heat, Gaikwad, adorning a white shirt, pyjama , and traditional Indian cap with a pointed end, inspected every crop in his 3.5-acre field.

“The hybrid sugarcane had dried completely and immediately needed to be irrigated,” he explains. Meanwhile, sorghum and pearl millet didn’t require any more water. “It has been a month since I watered them, and they all shone brightly. These crops can survive the heat as they are a powerhouse of energy,” Gaikwad tells me as he hugs his pearl millet in the unbearable heat.

Gaikwad and his wife, Kusum, are 65 and live in Jambhali village, which has a population of fewer than 5000 people in India’s Maharashtra state. Over 80% of the people in Jambhali are farmers, but Gaikwad and Kusum are the only ones still cultivating traditional pearl millet and sorghum. Most of their neighbours switched to hybrid sugarcane and sorghum in the 1970s.  

Millet production in India

Various types of millet are cultivated in India, such as pearl millet, sorghum, finger millet, barnyard millet, foxtail millet, little millet, and proso millet. In fact, India is the largest millet-producing country in the world. In 2019, for example, India produced 17.3 million tonnes of millet, making up 80% of Asia’s harvest and 20% of global production. 1

After the Indian government’s proposal, the United Nations declared 2023 the international year of millets, drawing attention to these climate-resilient and nutritious crops. 2 But efforts to revive millets tend to focus on modern hybrid rather than traditional varieties. And if everything goes well, these hybrid varieties have significantly higher yields.

For example, a Government report points out that since the green revolution of 1965-70, the area under millet cultivation declined by a massive 56%, but the productivity increased to 228% because of the adoption of high-yielding hybrid varieties. 1

The problem with an overreliance on hybrids is that they can’t deal as well with adversity. According to several local farmers, the hybrid varieties are more affected by pests, diseases, and extreme weather events than the traditional ones.  

Millets are nutri-cereal grains that belong to Poaceae , a plant family commonly known as grasses. They are small, round grains grown primarily in Asian and African countries and used for human consumption and livestock feed.

Unprocessed pearl millet.

Abandoning traditional millet

In the past, millets formed 20% of the food grain basket in India, which has now come down to a mere 6%. 1    

These falling numbers are visible in tens of thousands of India’s villages like Jambhali, where farmers abandoned traditional crops to move towards well-paying and easier-to-harvest soybeans, sugarcane, and cereals like rice, wheat, and maize. Where millet is still being grown, it tends to be new hybrid versions rather than traditional varieties. But some people are resisting the change.   

Last-generation farmers like Gaikwad are defying this trend. For him, abandoning the crop would mean letting down a family legacy of cultivating millet, which goes back 150 years.   

“I always give fresh fodder to my cattle, and so I cultivate millets throughout the year,” he says. Almost every day, Gaikwad cuts ten kilograms of pearl millet’s stalk for his Murrah water buffalo. He proudly shares that there’s no particular season to cultivate pearl millet. “I grow it throughout the year despite the climatic fluctuations.”  

Every day, the Gaikwad family eats millet flatbread, which makes it impossible for them to abandon the crop. “Our family has a tradition of eating flatbread made of sorghum, pearl millet or finger millet. If we abandon the crop, we don’t just end an important tradition but also bring a tremendous change in farming by moving to complete cash crops or intense usage of chemical fertilisers. None are good for the environment,” says Kusum.   

Citizens of Mumbai, India take part in a rally to build awareness of the importance of millets in local diets, 2023. (Bhushan Koyande via Getty Images)

Declining Indigenous millet cultivation  

Traditional sorghum takes six months to grow, while the hybrid varieties grow in just half the time and yield almost twice the production. Gaikwad recalls the 1970s when farmers in his village started shifting to high-yielding hybrid millet varieties. Seeing such bumper harvests, one by one, farmers in Jambhali kept abandoning the traditional crops until they hit a dead end.

After several years of success, the new varieties started to fail. I spoke to several local farmers, who explained that hybrid crops are less climate resilient and require intense use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Increasing the use of chemical fertilisers has deteriorated soil quality, bringing down production in the long term. This can create a vicious cycle whereby farmers use even more fertilisers to try to overcome poor soil health, but that “solution” can simultaneously make the problem even worse.

Since 2010, India has reported a 40% decline in sorghum production, down to 4 million metric tons in 2022-23. 3 , 4

Gaikwad cultivates both traditional and hybrid sorghum varieties. He says that while the hybrid varieties are required to feed the growing population, there needs to be a balance.

Chemical fertilisers have been virtually uncontrolled for several years, and Gaikwad says it’s almost impossible to reverse the trend. “Now, many farmers can’t grow any crop without using chemical fertilisers and pesticides,” he says, pointing towards a neighbouring farmer’s field suffering from extreme salinification.   

Read more about how chemical fertilisers are feeding the world - and at what cost

The pros and cons of hybrid varieties  

Hybrid varieties might be less resilient, but there are good reasons why they are becoming so popular.

Gaikwad says farmers can harvest over 500 kilograms of pearl millet in an acre of field, while hybrid varieties can go as high as 700-800 kilograms. His sons now prefer cultivating only the hybrid varieties and have abandoned traditional farming. “It’s not their mistake. It’s just unaffordable to cultivate the traditional varieties looking at recurring farm losses and the rising cost of living,” explains Gaikwad. But even if growing hybrid varieties can make more financial sense, there is a nutritional catch.

In an article for Bizz Buzz News, Devinder Sharma, writer, researcher and expert on Indian agriculture, writes, “Not many people know that developing high-yielding crop varieties and hybrids is inversely proportional to a fall in nutrients. The higher the crop productivity, the steeper is the decline in its nutritive value.” He further writes, “They (millets) have 30 to 300 per cent more nutritional elements than wheat and rice. By breeding for higher productivity, millets will invariably lose the advantage they are known for.” 5 , 6

In Maharashtra alone, over 40 pearl millet hybrid varieties have been released. This threatens the cultivation of nutrient-rich traditional varieties and means that local people could eat increasingly less nutritious food. 7    

How millets help solve the problem of food security  

When compared to other grains and the hybrid millet varieties, traditional millets are highly nutritious.

Amongst millets, finger millet contains the highest amount of calcium. 8 Globally, 3.5 billion people remain at risk of inadequate calcium intake. 9 Roughly 90% of them live in Asia and Africa. With traditional millets declining and rapidly changing eating habits, the health risks are becoming more severe.

Millets are also found to be an excellent iron source, thereby helping people with anaemia. 10 Looking at such benefits, Gaikwad talks of the sugarcane cutters who migrate hundreds of kilometres from drought-prone regions and mainly eat pearl and finger millet flatbread. “They always stay healthy because of eating millet.”

Alongside traditional pearl millet, Gaikwad cultivates ridge gourd (aka. Chinese okra), bitter gourd, amaranth, and elephant grass. “None of these crops interfere with pearl millet’s growth,” he explains. Moreover, diversifying the cultivation has helped him restore the soil nutrients.

Every crop amongst them is nutritious and good for the environment, says Gaikwad. While other farmers in the region struggle to cultivate anything besides sugarcane, Gaikwad proudly grows over fifty food crops and vegetables.   

Editor’s note: Work is being done to “biofortify” hybrid varieties and make them more nutritious. A 2019 study states that 70,000 hectares of “biofortified” pearl millet are grown in India. 11 Research projects are in various stages of development, so it’s too early to say how beneficial they might prove to people suffering from micronutrient deficiencies in India and beyond.

Using traditional millets to make farms climate-proof  

Farming conditions in Maharashtra have rapidly changed.

Since 2019, floods have become frequent, ravaging hundreds of villages every year. A year before the 2019 flood, India saw the destruction of 1.7 million hectares of land, which increased to 11.42 million hectares in 2019-2020. 12 This damage was caused by heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides.

A rescue operation takes place following a landslide in Khalapur Irshalwadi Village, around 63 kilometers from Mumbai. The incident occurred when the region was gripped by heavy rain. July 21, 2023. (Satish Bate via Getty Images)

Gaikwad’s fellow villagers reported a significant farm loss in all these years, but he always managed a good harvest. Despite reporting a decline in soybean and hybrid groundnut production, he proudly says, “Nothing happened to my sorghum and pearl millet.” His pearl millet survived despite the heat waves and unseasonal rain. This is not unique to Gaikwad. Research has found that millets are climate resilient. 13

Gaikwad shares that pearl millet reaches around four feet, and its roots hold the soil firmly, making it more resilient. “Cultivating pearl millet and sorghum costs me nothing as it doesn’t require chemical fertilisers and pesticides,” he says, helping him tremendously in bringing down the cost of production.

Similarly, his wife Kusum, who has preserved the traditional sorghum, has reported a good harvest. “We are the only family in the village to cultivate this traditional sorghum variety,” she says.   

Challenges in preserving the traditional millets   

Faced with growing debts, crop failures, and a rapidly changing climate - farmers in India are struggling.

“A single pearl millet cob produces over 1,000 seeds. So why are farmers still dying of suicide?” asks Gaikwad. He refers to a major agrarian crisis worsened by a rapidly destabilising climate. Around 400,000 farmers died by suicide in India between 1995 and 2018. 14

A government report points out that over 50% of India’s farming households are in debt with an average of 74,121 Indian Rupees (€826), an equivalent of what a farmer like Gaikwad will get after selling 2,400 kilograms of sorghum. 15

But even if millets are more climate-resilient and nutritious, they don’t fetch a good price. “Many times, it becomes difficult even to recover the cost of production. Hence, to date, none has come to me to ask for its seeds,” he says, referring to the declining interest of the next-generation farmers in cultivating them.

Sugarcane is more profitable in the short run. “Sugarcane and cash crops don’t require much care and maintenance. You keep irrigating the field indiscriminately and supplying fertilisers, and those crops flourish,” he says. However, sugarcane requires a tremendous amount of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and when it is continually grown in the same place, the soil becomes depleted of nutrients. It’s also worth remembering that sugarcane isn’t a nutritious crop that improves health or food security. As our sugar intake increases, public health continues to deteriorate.

As sugarcane production grows, traditional millet survival is at risk. “Now we are at a point in farming where if you lose the seed once, you will lose it forever,” So the Gaikwads have taken it upon themselves to preserve the traditional seeds. Over the years, they have successfully preserved the seeds of over fifteen vegetables, millet, and food crops.

“Someday, someone will realise the importance of these crops. My goal is to preserve the crops until then and let them take it ahead.”   

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• Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (2022). “INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF MILLETS (IYoM)- 2023.”
• United Nations (2022). “International Year of Millets 2023 - Building momentum for the year.”
• Statista (2022). “Production volume of jowar in India from financial year 2010 to 2021, with estimates for 2022.”
• US Department of Agriculture (2023). “Sorghum 2022 World Production.”
• Sharma, D. (2023). “Shun hybrid varieties, promote traditional millet seeds in India.” Bizz Buzz News.
• Govindaraj, M. et al. (2019). ‘Breeding Biofortified Pearl Millet Varieties and Hybrids to Enhance Millet Markets for Human Nutrition’.
• C Tara Satyavathi, et al. (2018) Pearl Millet Hybrids and Varieties. ICAR-All India Coordinated Research Project on Pearl Millet, Mandor, Jodhpur, India.
• Puranik S., et al. (2017). Harnessing Finger Millet to Combat Calcium Deficiency in Humans: Challenges and Prospects. Frontiers in Plant Science.
• Shlisky, J., et al. (2022). Calcium deficiency worldwide: Prevalence of inadequate intakes and associated health outcomes.
• Anitha, S., et al. (2021). Millets Can Have a Major Impact on Improving Iron Status, Hemoglobin Level, and in Reducing Iron Deficiency Anemia–A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
• Govindaraj, M., et al. (2019) Breeding Biofortified Pearl Millet Varieties and Hybrids to Enhance Millet Markets for Human Nutrition.
• MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE (2020). “AGRICULTURAL LAND DAMAGED BY FLOODS.”
• Abdullah, K. & Abukari, A. & Abdulai, A. (2022) “Testing the climate resilience of sorghum and millet with time series data, Cogent Food & Agriculture,”
• Hadikar, J. (2021). “Statistics say nearly 4,00,000 farmers committed suicide in India between 1995 and 2018. Why?”
• Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (2021). “Situation Assessment of Agricultural Households and Land and Livestock Holdings of Households in Rural India, 2019 (January – December 2019).”

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