Millets

Context:

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has declared 2023 to be the ‘International Year of Millets’.

Millets are fundamentally grasses. They are cultivated worldwide, but especially in the tropical parts of Africa and Asia, as cereal crops.
Common varieties: Pearl millet ( Cenchrus americanus), barnyard millet ( Echinochloa utilis), finger millet ( Eleusine coracana), and foxtail millet ( Setaria italica).
Nutritional Content: Carbohydrates, proteins, fibre, amino acids, and various minerals.

Status of India in Millets Production:

According to the Agricultural and Processed Foods Development Authority, India is the world’s largest producer of millets.
In 2021-2022, the country accounted for 40.51% of the world’s pearl millet production and 8.09% of sorghum.
Within the country, pearl millet made up 60% of all the millet production, sorghum 27%, and ragi 11%.

Concern:

However, the consumption of millets faces one threat that has already overtaken India’s major food crops: grain-processing.

How does processing affect the nutrients?

Processing and preparing millets can affect nutrients in three ways: enhancing them, suppressing/removing them, or ignoring them.
“Whole grain” refers to the endosperm, germ, and bran, while “refined grain” refers only to the endosperm.
Husk removal can decrease phytic acid and polyphenol contents in pearl millets.
Decortication (remove any other outer covering and expose the seed) removes crude and dietary fiber but makes the grain more edible and visually attractive.
Milling and sieving can reduce nutrient content due to the loss of bran.
Germination and fermentation can improve the overall nutritional characteristics of millets.
Polishing, The longer the grains were milled, the more protein, fat, and fibre contents the process removed.

Significance of Millets:

Low input requirements and high nutritional density,
It would tackle Food security challenges in the coming decades.
Ability of millet crops to reliably withstand harsh, resource-poor conditions.
Drought-tolerant, adapted to growing in warm weather, and require low moisture (axiomatically, they are particularly efficient consumers of water) and loamy soil.