International Year of Millets-2023

About  International Year of Millets-

• The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) at its 75th session in March 2021 declared 2023 the International Year of Millets (IYM 2023). 
• FAO is the lead agency for celebrating the Year in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders.
• Spearheaded by the Prime Minister, the Government of India sponsored the proposal for International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023 which was accepted by the UNGA.
• The PM of India has also shared his vision to make IYM 2023 a ‘People’s Movement’ alongside positioning India as the ‘Global Hub for Millets’.
• Recognising the enormous potential of Millets, which also aligns with several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Government of India (GoI) has prioritized Millets. 
• In April 2018, Millets were rebranded as “Nutri Cereals”, followed by the year 2018 being declared as the National Year of Millets, aiming at larger promotion and demand generation. 
• The global millets market is projected to register a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period between 2021-2026.

About Millets-

• ‘Millets’ were among the first crops to be domesticated in India with several evidence of its consumption during the Indus valley civilization. 
• Being grown in more than 130 countries at present, Millets are considered traditional food for more than half a billion people across Asia and Africa. 
• In India, millets are primarily a kharif crop, requiring less water and agricultural inputs than other similar staples. 
• Millets are important by the virtue of its mammoth potential to generate livelihoods, increase farmers’ income and ensure food & nutritional security all over the world.

• Millets can grow on arid lands with minimal inputs and are resilient to changes in climate. 
• They are therefore an ideal solution for countries to increase self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imported cereal grains. 
• India is one of the leading producers of millets in the world with an estimated share of around 41 percent in the global production.
• India’s top five millet producing states are Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Share of export of millets is nearly 1% of the total millet production.
• Exports of millets from India include mainly whole grain and the export of value-added products of millets from India is negligible.
• India’s major millet exporting countries are U.A.E, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Oman, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, U.K and U.S.A. The varieties of millets exported by India include Bajra, Ragi, Canary, Jawar, and Buckwheat.
• The major millet importing countries in the world are Indonesia, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Italy, the U.S.A, United Kingdom, Brazil and Netherlands.
• There are 16 major varieties of millet, which are produced and exported, including Sorghum (Jowar), Pearl Millet (Bajra), Finger Millet (Ragi) Minor Millets (Kangani), Proso Millet (Cheena), Kodo Millet (Kodo), Barnyard Millet (Sawa/Sanwa/Jhangora), Little Millet (Kutki), Two Pseudo Millets (BuckWheat/Kuttu), Ameranthus (Chaulai) and Brown Top Millet.
• It is estimated that the millets market is set to grow from its current market value of more than USD 9 billion to over USD 12 billion by 2025.