Page 17 - NIS English February 01-15,2023

Nutritious Cereals: India Leading Cover Story

The Centre has set up the Nutri Cereals Export Promotion GLOBAL OUTLOOK OF MILLETS
n
Forum to accelerate exports of potential products,
including millets, and remove bottlenecks in the supply Millets Area and Production Region-wise (2019)
chain of nutrigrains.
Millets have higher nutritive value than more commonly AREA
n AREA (Lakh Production
consumed grains like rice and wheat. Millets are rich in Hectares) (Lakh Tonnes)
calcium, iron and fibre and help in fortifying nutrients Africa 489 423
essential for healthy growth of children. Also, the use
of millets in baby food and nutritional products is on America 53 193
the rise. Asia 162 215

According to the DGCIS data, India has registered a Europe 8 20
n
growth of 8.02 percent in the export of coarse cereals in
the financial year 2021-22, as 159,332.16 metric tonnes Australia and 6 12
of coarse cereals were exported, while the export of New Zealand
coarse cereals during the same period last year was India 138 173
147,501.08 metric tonne.
World 718 863
n The major countries to which India exports coarse
grains are United Arab Emirates, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, n India produces >170 Lakh tonnes (80% of Asia and 20% of global
Libya, Oman, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, United Kingdom production)
and America. Coarse cereals exported by India include n Global average yield: 1229 kg/ha, India (1239 kg/ha)
Bajra, Ragi, Kaneri, Jowar and Buckwheat. 16 major
types of coarse cereals are produced and exported.
These include Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Kangni, Cheena, Kodo, addition and enhancing farmers' income. APEDA
Sava/Sawa/Jhangora, Kutki, Kuttu, Chaulai and Brown launched a variety of coarse grain products for all age
Top Millet. groups at affordable prices ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 15
during Aahar Food Fair, Asia's largest B2B international
n APEDA has also signed an MoU with IIMR for value
food and hospitality fair.

grains was discovered by the Indus Civilization. It
was among the first plants to be used as a food
This special year will help raise worldwide source. It is grown in approximately 131 countries
awareness of the important role of millets in and is a traditional food for approximately
600 million Asian and African people. The
sustainable agriculture and their benefits International Year of Millets is being observed at
as smart and superfoods. This special year the initiative of the Government of India in order
mainly aims to provide four opportunities. to create a mass movement to ensure that Indian

First – increasing the contribution of millets millets, delicacies, and value-added products are
to food security, second – increasing global accepted globally. This year represents a once-
in-a-lifetime opportunity to promote better food
production, third – ensuring efficient system connectivity in order to increase global
processing, transportation, storage and production, ensure efficient processing and
consumption. and fourth – sustainable consumption, encourage better crop rotation,
production and quality of millets with and promote millets as a key component of food
commodities.
stakeholder participation.
BOOST WITH A LONG-TERM STRATEGY
The government is organising a number of

New India Samachar February 1-15, 2023 15