Global Coarse Grains

• On March 5, 2021, the United Nations declared the year 2023 as the ‘International Year of Millets’. 
• Whose theme is ‘Rich in Heritage, full of Potential’.
• It was proposed by India and it was supported by 72 countries. 
• On 6 December 2022, the opening ceremony of the International Year of Millets 2023 was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy. 

Current Perspective

• On March 18, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the two-day Global Coarse Cereals / Millets (Shri Anna) conference at the Subrahmanyam Hall of the ‘Indian Agricultural Science Complex’ (NASC) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. inaugurated.

Conference Highlights

• In this conference, the Prime Minister released a commemorative postage stamp and a commemorative coin on coarse grains (Shri Anna).

• Also released Compeudium of Indian Millet Startups and Book of Millet Standard.
• Apart from this, an exhibition cum buyer-seller meet pavilion was also inaugurated.
• The Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has been declared a ‘Global Center of Excellence’.
• In this conference, Guyana has announced that it will produce exclusively coarse cereals on 200 acres of land under the technology and technical guidance of India.

National Food Security Campaign

Indian Institute of Millet Research
It was established in the year 1958 and is located in Hyderabad, Telangana.
It is the nodal agency of the Government of India for research on millets.

Millet Cereals (Sri Anna)

It is a group of grasses with small seeds. They are grown as an annual crop in temperate, sub-tropical and tropical, dry areas mainly on marginal lands.

Coarse Cereal Classification

• It is gluten free, contains minimum fat and minimum carbohydrate, which is beneficial for health. 
• Coarse grain (Shri Anna) is adapted to high temperature and drought-prone environment and it takes 1200 ml of water to be used for rice. Compared to quantity only 350 ml. Water is needed. 
• It is grown in about 130 countries and is the food of about 600 million people in Asia and Africa.

India’s position in Coarse Cereal (Sri Anna) production

• The Indian Food Security Campaign declared coarse cereals as Nutri-Cereals in the year 2018.
• The year 2018 was declared as the ‘National Year of Millets’ in India with the theme ‘Nutritious Millets for Nutrition’.

National Food Security Campaign

→ It was launched in the year 2007-8 during the 11th Five Year Plan.
→ Its objective was to encourage an increase in the production of rice, wheat and pulses.
→ Under this program, between the Government of India and the states. The share is 60:40 and 90:10 between North Eastern States and Hilly States and 100 percent share of Center in Union Territories.

• India is the largest producer of coarse cereals in the world, which was 179 lakh tonnes in the year 2020-21.
• Coarse cereals are cultivated on 12.5 million hectares of land in 21 states of the country, which is 15 percent of the global production.
• India produces 17 million tonnes annually, which is more than 80 percent of Asia’s total production and 20 percent of the world’s production.  
• The average yield of coarse grains in India is 1239 kg. per hectare, while the global average yield is 1229 kg. per hectare.
• Bajra accounts for 61 per cent, jowar 27 per cent and Madua/Ragi 10 per cent of India’s total produced coarse grains. Jowar accounts for 40.5 percent and bajra accounts for 8.09 percent of the world production.
• The main producing states in India are Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

• The combined production of the above mentioned ten states is equal to about 98 percent production of the year 2020-21.
•  In India, minimum support price is given to three varieties of millet, jowar, millet and ragi.

Minimum Support Price

→ That minimum price of an agricultural produce, below which the produce cannot be bought from the farmer.
→ The Minimum Support Price is implemented on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices.
→ It was implemented in the year 1966-67.
→ In this, 22 products, food grains, oil, pulses and oilseeds are given.

Minimum support price for coarse grains for the year 2022-23

Other Related Facts

• On March 22, 2023, the Indian Army has decided to use three popular varieties of coarse grains (Shri Anna) – millet, jowar, ragi – in the ration of soldiers.
• The Indian Army has decided to include coarse grains (Shri Anna) in the ration of soldiers from the session starting from the year 2023-24, which will not exceed 25 percent of the authorized quantity of grains (rice and wheat flour). Approval has been sought from the government.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman termed millets as ‘Shri Anna’ or the best grain during the Union Budget.
• Coarse grains (Shri Anna) have been identified in 19 districts of the country under the ‘One District, One Product’ scheme. 
• 25 million farmers in India are directly involved in the production of coarse cereals.

Read MPPSC Notes in Hindi and English click here

Food of the Future

• Karnataka’s campaign to encourage the cultivation of millets, under which farmers are given a grant of ten thousand rupees per hectare.

Savayava Bhagya Yojana

• Organic Agriculture and Coarse Grain Promotion Scheme of Karnataka State.

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