Millets are one of the most nutritious and extensively grown crops, especially in semi-arid and arid zones. India produces around 173 lakh tones over 138 lack HA area. This makes up around 80% of production in Asia and 20% of global production.
Nutritional Benefits of Millets:
Millets contain 7-12% protein, 2-5% fat, 65-75% carbohydrates, and 15-20% dietary fiber. It has various nutritional benefits as it helps in keeping a balanced sugar level in diabetes, is rich in dietary fibers, reduces stomach acidity, limits ulcer formations, is rich in protein, and makes bones stronger. Apart from that, it also lowers blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, and increases antioxidant levels in the body. People with gluten intolerance should opt for a millet diet for better health.
Why are Millets Called ‘Smart Food’?
Millets are not only nutritionally rich but they also proved to be “Smart food” as they are easy to cultivate, can easily grow organically, and help in increasing not only farmer’s income but also national food security.
How to Improve Millet Production?
Fasal Amrit has helped farmers improve crop productivity using less water. Hargobind Kushwaha from Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh, is one of the farmers who have used Fasal Amrit in his agricultural land for Pearl Millets and has observed considerable improvement in yield in less amount of water. This not only saved the cost of water but also reduced the cost of other inputs required. In his own words, Kushwaha said, “By using Fasal Amrit, I got to see an increased yield of 26 %, and no other inputs were required for my crop of Pearl Millet.” Proving that any millet grown with Fasal Amrit can help farmers grow a better yield and hence earn better prices.
How Can Value Addition of Millets Increase Farmer’s Income?
Farmers are now aware of value addition which helps them fetch better prices for their crops. It helps in increasing the monetary value of crops. Millets are not only useful as flour or grain but there are several other value-added products that can improve consumption along with the quality of produce. Products like traditional breakfasts, flaked recipes, baked bakery products, etc can be prepared using millet which is quite popular in recent times.
Altogether, millets are a highly nutritious crop that is popular among diet-conscious consumers making it a popular grain. This will help farmers increase their average income by opting for it as a crop and value-adding to get better returns.
