MILLETS PRODUCTION IN INDIA

MILLETS PRODUCTION IN INDIA:

• Coarse food grains like jowar, bajra and ragi are called millets.
• Global millets production stands at 86 million tones in 2023.
• India is the largest producer of millets in the world(17 million tonnes & 20%).
• Africa accounts for almost 42 million tonnes of millets production in 2023, followed by asia at 21.5 million tones(25%).
• World production of millets currently stands at around 33 million tones in 2023.
• These are called Nutria-Millets/Nutria-Cereals, due to their nutritional value.
• Millets are short durational (3-4 months) warm weather grasses, grown on less fertile and sandy soils.
• India’s two varieties of millets namely Pearl Millet (Bajra) and Sorghum (Jowar) together contribute approx 19 per cent in world production in 2020.
• India’s Pearl Millet production accounts for 40.51 per cent followed by Sorghum 8.09 per cent in the world production of Millets in 2020.
• Sorghum and Pearl millet are the major millet crops grown, constituting above 90% of the world millets production.
• The major millets producing states in India are Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Currently, together these ten states accounts for around 98 per cent in Millets production in India during the period 2020-21.
• Rajasthan contributes 28.61 per cent of the total millet production in India.
• Six states namely Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat accounts for more than 83 per cent share in total millet production
• Multiple varieties of millets are produced in India such as Pearl Millets, Sorghum, Finger Millet, Foxtail, Kodo, Barnyard, Proso, Little Millet and Pseudo Millets like Buckwheat and Amaranths. Pearl millet (Bajra), Sorghum (Jowar) and Finger Millet (Ragi) constitutes the largest share in India’s total production of millets.
• Millets (common name) ------- Scientific name
  • Pearl millet(Bajra) ---------------- Pennisetum glaucum
  • Foxtail millet(kangni)                       Setaria italica
  • Barnyard millet(jhangora) Echinochloa esculenta
  • Finger millet(ragi) ---------------------Eleusine coracana
  • Proso millet(barri) -------------------Panicum miliaceum
  • Kodo millet(kodara) ------------------Paspalum scrobiculatum
  • Sorghum(jowar)------------------------ Sorghum bicolor
  • Little millet (kutki) ---------------------Panicum sumatrense