Introduction:
Millets are the excellent source of essential nutrients; they are also called as ‘nutritious cereals’. The Indian Millets are nutritionally superior to wheat and rice as they are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. They are also gluten-free and have a low glycemic index, making them ideal for people with celiac disease or diabetes. India is the world's largest producer of millets with a share of 38.4% of world’s production (FAO, 2023).
Production:
FY24 Indian millets production includes sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi), barnyard millet, prosomillet, Kodomillet, Buckwheat, Amaranthus and Foxtail millet. Among different states Rajasthan is the largest producer followed by Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
Area:
Among all the states, Rajasthan has covered largest area under millets cultivation followed by, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The total area under millets in India during FY 24 as follows:
| Production in FY24’ (Mil MT) | Area under Cultivation in FY24’ (Mil ha) | |
| Millets | 15.38 | 12.19 |
Exports:
Millets are exported to UAE, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, USA, Senegal, Germany, Japan etc. The Indian millets export realization was as follows:
| volume of export FY24 (lakh MT) | Exported in FY24 (USD Mil) | |
| Millets | 1.46 | 70.89 |