International Year of Millets (IYoM) : 2023
Promote Nutritional and Ecological Benefits of Millets to the World
Millets were earlier promoted during 2011-12 to 2013-14 under the programme of Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millets Promotion (INSIMP) – as a sub scheme of RKVY and later on merged as component of National Food Security Mission (NFSM) as NFSM-Coarse Cereals from 2014-15. A Committee was constituted under the Chairmanship of Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI AAyog in respect of "Introduction of Millets under PDS to provide Nutritional Support” and a meeting of the committee was held on 13th October, 2017 in NITI Aayog. After deliberations, the following decisions were taken by DA & FW: Millets viz. Jowar, Bajra and Ragi need to be promoted through PDS cross the country to improve nutritional content in diet of masses. Instead of calling them coarse grains, millets should be positioned as Nutri Cereals and their benefits need to be popularized amongst masses through sustained and effective campaign and research needs to be done to develop high yielding varieties and also varieties with longer shelf life.
A Sub-Mission on National Food Security Mission – Nutri Cereals comprising sorghum (Jowar), pearl millet (Bajra), finger millet (Ragi/Mandua) and small millets viz; little millet (Kutki), kodo millet (Kodo), barnyard millet (Sawa/Jhangora), foxtail millet (Kangni/Kakun), proso millet (Cheena) is implemented from the year 2018-19 in 212 districts of 14 states. The North Eastern States, Himachal Pradesh and UT of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have been given flexibility to implement programme on nutri-cereals.
FOXTAIL MILLET contains about 12.3% protein, 4.3% fat, 60.9% carbohydrates and about 3.3% minerals
Bajra contains about 11.6% protein, 5% fat, 67.5% carbohydrates and about 2.3% minerals
Kodo Millet contains about 8.3% protein, 1.4% fat, 65.9% carbohydrates and about 2.6% minerals
Finger Millet contains about 7.3% protein, 1.3% fat, 72.0% carbohydrates and about 2.7% minerals
Sorghum contains about 10.4% protein, 1.9% fat, 72.6% carbohydrates and about 1.6% minerals
Proso Millet contains about 12.5% protein, 1.1% fat, 70.4% carbohydrates and about 1.9% minerals