1ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, Pusa, Library Avenue, New Delhi-110 012, India
2Birsa Agricultural University, Kanke, Ranchi-834 006, Jharkhand, India
3Department of Agriculture, Galgotias University, Greater Noida-203 201, Uttar Pradesh, India
Millets, the earliest domesticated grains since the Indus Valley Civilization (3000 B.C.), are renowned as “Hardy Cereals” for their drought resilience and minimal irrigation requirements. Millets are nutritionally rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. As per the 201617 report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, India, the area under the cultivation of millets in India has reduced by 60% (14.72 million hectares). Despite the manifold benefits associated with millet cultivation, farmers face significant challenges, primarily stemming from the inadequate infrastructure required for processing, lack of extension services and marketing millets. The government is making efforts to increase millets production through various promotional campaigns such as the National Millets Year and International Millets Year. In this article we have attempted to illustrate the millet scenario in world and in India with the analysis of the trends in area, production and productivity of the major and the minor millets of the country.
Area, Millets, Production, Productivity, Trend analysis
