Millets are nutri-cereals that include crops like Major Millets: Jowar, Bajra, Ragi and Minor Millets: Foxtail Millet, Little Millet, Kodo Millet, etc.
They are climate-resilient, drought-tolerant, and nutrient-rich, making them ideal for sustainable agriculture and food security.
Millets are rich in fiber, iron, calcium and protein-ideal for combating malnutrition. It requires less water, chemical inputs and suited to dryland farming.
2018 is declared as National Year of Millets in India to promote production and consumption of millets. India is the largest producer of millets in the world.
2023 is declared as International Year of Millets by UN.
National Millet Mission is launched in 2018 by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare with the objective to increase production and productivity of millets, improve value addition and processing, enhance domestic consumption and exports.
Millets were included in Public Distribution System and used in Mid-Day Meal Scheme and POSHAN Abhiyaan.
