News: Stagnant Millet Production in India: RBI Annual Report 2023-24
Report highlighted that while India accounts for nearly 80% of Asia’s and 20% of global millet production, the acreage and production of millets have stagnated over the years.
Reasons for Stagnant Millet Production
- Yield gap caused by labor shortages and insufficient fertilizer.
- Shift in consumer preferences and MSP-backed procurement schemes for fine cereals.
- Relatively shorter shelf life of crops posing storage issues.
About Millet (Shree Anna)
- Millets is a Kharif Crop.
- They are small cereal grains that belong to Poaceae family (grass family).
- They are nutri-cereals comprising of major millets (sorghum, pearl-millet, etc.) and minor millets (foxtail, kodo, etc.).
- They are rich source of micronutrients and contain 7-12% protein, 2-5% fat, 65-75% carbohydrates and 15-20% dietary fibre.
- India’s millet productivity (excluding sorghum) was lower than China, Ethiopia, and Russia in 2022.
- India’s major millets producing states are Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, etc.
Initiatives taken to promote Millet
- National Millets Mission (NMM): NMM was launched in 2007 to promote the production and consumption of millets.
- Price Support Scheme (PSS): Provides financial assistance to farmers for the cultivation of millets.
- Development of Value-Added Products: Encourages the production of value-added millet-based products to increase the demand and consumption of millets.
- Promoting Millets in PDS: The government has introduced millets in the Public Distribution System to make it accessible and affordable to the masses.
- Promotion of Organic Farming: The government is promoting organic farming of millets to increase the production and consumption of organic millets.
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