In order to establish the fact that Millets really are the future crop of the country, a couple of things must be looked at. This article, therefore, arrives at the answer to the heading by exploring Millets through a number of different headers- a. Introduction b. What makes Millets special? c. Worldwide production & availability d. Nutritional information e. Health benefits of using millets f. The business angle g. The way forward By exploring these topics in a somewhat detailed manner, it would be easier to support the fact that Millets truly are the crops of the future.

1. Millets: The future crop of India
In order to establish the fact that Millets really are the future crop of the country, a couple of things must be
looked at. This article, therefore, arrives at the answer to the heading by exploring Millets through a number
of different headers-
a. Introduction
b. What makes Millets special?
c. Worldwide production & availability
d. Nutritional information
e. Health benefits of using millets
f. The business angle
g. The way forward
By exploring these topics in a somewhat detailed manner, it would be easier to support the fact that Millets
truly are the crops of the future.
IN TRO DUCTIO N
Millet is the term given to a collective group of small-seeded grass (Poaceae, which is the scientific term for
grass) that primarily grows in developing countries like India, Niger, Mali and Nigeria. Being one of the
earliest cultivated crops, millets was primarily considered to be a major ingredient in bird seeds, but it is
interesting to note that millets have been used in making beer, flatbreads, porridges and other fermented
beverages for many years now.
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Some of the most popularly cultivated millets and their scientific names are listed down below-
 Finger millet (Eleusine coracana)
 Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum)

2.  Foxtail millet (Setaria italica)
 Little Millet (Panicum sumatrense)
The genus Echinochloa contains the Indian and Japanese barnyard millets. There are several other variants of
millets, but these listed are the most popular. Millets are divided into two broad categories- major and minor.
While the major brand contains the most popular millets like pearl, foxtail, finger (Ragi in India) and Proso
(White millet); the minor branch contains the unpopular ones like barnyard, little, Guinea, fonio, Kodo to
name a few. It is heartening to note that Millets has been positively accepted in almost all parts of the world,
especially the developed countries and many are now adding millets in their day to day diet because of its
advantages.
WHAT MAK ES MILLETS S PECIAL?
One of the best qualities of the crop is its extremely high tolerance for droughts. To highlight how little water
is needed for rearing these plants, it is insightful to notice that whereas to grow one kilogram of rice, almost
5000 litres of water is required, the same quantity of millets requires only 250 to 300 litres at maximum.
Millets are widely referred to as the climate-smart crop as it has the potential to combat the ongoing global
climate crisis. In addition, millets grow well in the absence of pesticide and insecticide, and in the hands of
the trained farmer, they require little to no input labour.
After harvesting, the remaining stalks can be used for animal fodder, and millets themselves are used as bird
feeds as well. In fact, in developed nations such as the United States and the United Kingdom, millets were
primarily used as bird feed before their miracle qualities caught the public eye. In recent years, a trend towards
organic farming and alternatives to the already well-established grains have made millets as a favourite go-to
grain for many. Millets can also be used as the raw material for biofuels. There are a number of studies that
have been conducted on the same.
WO RLDWIDE PRO DUCTIO N & AVAILABILITY
India currently leads the world in Millet production followed by the African countries of Nigeria and Niger.
China is also present in the list as one of the leading producers, although it lags much behind India in this
aspect. The figures shown here are for the year 2107. In India, as of 2018, the crop is grown in 21 states, and
the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Kerala and
Jharkhand give high importance to the growth of millets.

3. Source
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N UTRITIO N AL IN FO RMATIO N
The image below compares the nutritional content of different kinds of Millet to Rice, Wheat and Quinoa,
which are other crops widely consumed throughout the world. Raw Millet is composed of roughly 73%
carbohydrates, 9% water, 11% protein and 4% fat, thereby making them low fat but high carb alternatives.
Millets are rich in phenols, especially catechins and ferulic acid which act as antioxidants. Millets are also
gluten-free, making them an ideal source of food for those inflicted by the celiac disease or for those who
choose to eat gluten-free.

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HEALTH BEN EFITS O F USIN G MILLETS
With increasing obesity and stress in the upcoming population, millets serve as a cancelling factor for many
of the diseases that develop because of obesity and stress. These claims are made only after years of testing
with multiple test subjects within which the improvements were noticed.
 Healthy heart: Being a good source of Magnesium, millets help keep the heart beating strong.
Magnesium-rich foods help reduce the effects of asthma, and the frequency of migraine attacks.
 Lowering the risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Another reason to have millets is their uncanny ability to reduce
the risk of diabetes which can again be attributed to the high concentration of magnesium present in
the grains.
 Gallstone prevention: Consumption of fibre rich foods have shown to reduce the chances of
gallbladder stones forming within the individual. It is speculated that fibre-rich foods pass through the
intestines rapidly and also reduces the bile secretion, thereby decreasing the chances of stone
formation.
 Breast Cancer shield: Fibres are shown to reduce the instances of breast cancer among women who
are pre-menopausal.
THE BUSIN ESS AN GLE
A strong business plan is extremely important for the success of a product. So, it is highly essential that a
stakeholder analysis should be done keeping in mind, Millets. The potential stakeholders in India with respect
to Millets would be-
 The farmers
 The Governments (both Central and State)
 Entrepreneurs (preferably in the organic product area)
 Suppliers and Distributors
 Retailers and Wholesalers
 The customers (People who buy might be different from the end-user, the consumer)
 The consumers (People who cook and eat the Millets)
 Workers employed across the value chain
It has to be kept in mind that for Millets, the competitor would be wheat, rice and other widely available and
used grain crops.
High power, high interest: These would be the farmers, as they have maximum involvement with maize. The
customer, end consumer and Governments belong in this category.
High power, low interest: Retailers, Suppliers, Wholesalers and Distributors who keep stock of competitor to
Millets would belong in this category.
Low power, high interest: Entrepreneurs would belong in this category as when they are setting up a business;
entrepreneurs don't have much control over the external factors.

5. Low power, low interest: This would comprise of the workers that are employed across the value chain. These
workers, while taking up the role of customer or consumer, automatically gets shifted to the high power-high
interest segment.
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The image below gives the readers a brief idea of the marketing efficiencies of various marketing channels
associated with the Pearl Millets.
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THE WAY FO RWARD
It goes without saying that government impetus is extremely important in making Millet as the star crop of
the country. Several marketing campaigns that focus on the importance of millets have to designed and
circulated amongst the masses by the government in addition to Millet based initiatives. Odisha government

6. has taken a number of steps in this regard, and the images below show the initiatives taken by the government
towards the same.
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A robust public distribution system of not only Millets but also other essential grains will ensure that Millets
are helpful in satiating the hunger of the poor. In addition, farmers need to be incentivized properly regarding
the production of Millets as a whole and strategic team need to be deployed by the government that makes use
of barren, low-quality lands to produce millets while useful well-nourished lands can be used for the
production of other crops.
If India can successfully leverage the growing preference for Millets, both in the country and worldwide,
improve its Yield per Hectare of Millets by commercializing it, incentivize production amongst farmers and
improve distribution using the PDS, then Millets will definitely be one of India's top exports bringing in much-
needed revenue from outside.
REFEREN CES
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millet
 https://yourstory.com/2017/04/millets
 http://archive.wizardconcepts.com/bhoomima/article/millets-future-food-and-farming
 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/specials/india-file/from-green-revolution-to-millet-
revolution/article23356997.ece#
 https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-millet-3376839
 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-millet#benefits