International Year of Millets 2023

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• The United Nations General Assembly has declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millet.

Background

• 2018: It was in 2018 that the government of India decided to mark the National Year of Millets. 
• Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture is the nodal agency and the Indian Institute of Millets Research has been made the nodal institute for the celebration of the International Year of Millets.
• India pitched the proposal to the United Nations for declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
  • With the support of 72 other countries, India’s initiative to promote millet was recognized and the United Nations General Assembly has recently declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
• Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO): the aim for 2023 is to increase awareness about millet in food security and nutrition. And also to encourage investments in research and development for the same.
• Aim of the International Year of Millets:
  • Elevate awareness of the contribution of millet to food security and nutrition.
  • Inspire stakeholders on improving sustainable production and quality of millets.
  • Draw focus on enhanced investment in research and development and extension services to achieve the other two aims.

Significance of millets

• Short time and poor soil: The crop does not require much water and gets ready in a short time. Millets do not require high-quality soil to grow and hence can easily cater to the needs of the growing population.
• Superfood: Millets are called the super grain because of their high nutritional value.
• High in fibre: According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) millets are high in dietary fibre.
• Other contents: millet contains 7-12 % protein, 2-5 % fat, 65-75% carbohydrates and 15-20% dietary fibre.
• Alleviating malnutrition: Due to their high density of nutrients including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and dietary fibre, millets are also excellent grains to alleviate malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency.
• COVID-19: The nutritional value of millets makes it even more relevant globally in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Millets can also help in tackling health challenges such as obesity, diabetes and lifestyle problems as they are gluten-free, have a low glycemic index and are high in dietary fibre and antioxidants.
• It can provide nutritional security and protect against nutritional deficiency, especially among children and women.
• It will also be critical for climate change measures in drylands and important for smallholder and marginal farmers.

Concerns /Challenges

• The awareness of the benefits of millets is still low and this is the reason for the lesser number of players working on value-added millet products in India.
• The main reasons behind the decline are low remuneration, lack of input subsidies and price incentives, subsidised supply of fine cereals through the public distribution system (PDS) and change in consumer preferences and lower demand 
• The lower demand also means limited supply and higher prices. 
• In the absence of proper market linkages for forest and agricultural produce, millet consumption is restricted to rural haats, bazaars, tourist spots and festivals. 

Steps taken towards promoting millets 

• The Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) has ordered all its offices to introduce and promote millets in their canteens and in meetings.
• Millet Startup Innovation Challenge: Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on the MyGov platform has launched various competitions to raise awareness of the benefits of millets.
  • This initiative encourages young minds to offer technological/ business solutions to the existing problems in the millets ecosystem.
• POSHAN Mission Abhiyan: The government also notified millets as nutri-cereals and included them under the POSHAN Mission Abhiyan.
• Mann ki Baat: PM had also highlighted the benefits of Millets to both farmers and consumers in one of the editions of his monthly radio programme ‘Mann ki Baat’.
• National Nutri Cereals Convention 4.0: The objective of the convention is to bring together all the stakeholders from Nutri Cereals Industry, from producers to processors to consumers, as well as academicians, researchers, and policymakers.

Source: AIR