{"id":74315,"date":"2026-05-19T18:46:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T13:16:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=74315"},"modified":"2026-05-19T18:48:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T13:18:59","slug":"millet-based-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-05-2026\/millet-based-agriculture","title":{"rendered":"Emerging Agricultural Realignment Towards Millets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Agriculture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Iran-West Asia conflict, possible weak monsoon, and fertiliser supply uncertainties are driving Indian farmers towards low-input, climate-resilient crops such as millets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Current Factors Affecting Indian Agriculture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Fertiliser Supply:<\/strong> India is heavily dependent on imports for phosphatic and potassic fertilisers.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Geopolitical tensions<\/strong> in West Asia and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz may <strong>affect fertiliser availability<\/strong> and prices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Petroleum-based chemical inputs<\/strong> used in <strong>pesticide <\/strong>formulations may also become costlier.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weak monsoon: <\/strong>Fears of a below-normal monsoon may adversely affect <strong>kharif sowing and crop productivity.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Weak rainfall conditions can increase irrigation stress and groundwater extraction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Chain Uncertainty: <\/strong>Ongoing geopolitical tensions have disrupted global commodity and shipping markets.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Higher freight and logistics costs may affect agricultural input imports.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Existing issues in Indian Agriculture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Risks in Cotton Cultivation:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cotton farmers in Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan are facing severe damage from<strong> pink bollworm (Gulabi sundi).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cotton cultivation requires <strong>multiple pesticide sprays and high fertiliser use, <\/strong>increasing production costs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rising labour costs<\/strong> for cotton picking have further reduced profitability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Concern over water intensive crops:<\/strong> Weak monsoon conditions increase the cultivation risks associated with water-intensive crops such as<strong> rice<\/strong>, <strong>sugarcane <\/strong>thereby encouraging a shift towards drought-resilient millets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why Are Farmers Shifting Towards Millets?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Millets Require Lower Inputs: <\/strong>Millets are less dependent on costly imported fertilisers such as <strong>DAP and potash<\/strong>, making them more economical during periods of global supply disruptions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate Resilience: <\/strong>Millets are drought-resistant and can withstand high temperatures and erratic rainfall conditions.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Flexible Cropping Pattern: <\/strong>Bajra has a shorter crop duration of nearly 90\u201395 days and farmers can cultivate additional crops such as mustard and summer moong after harvesting bajra.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Millets improve land-use efficiency and help increase annual farm income.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>What are Millets?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Millets are a group of small grained cereal food crops popularly known as Nutri-cereals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Varieties: <\/strong>Multiple varieties of millets are produced such as <strong>Pearl Millets, Sorghum, Finger Millet, Foxtail, Kodo, Barnyard, Proso, Little Millet<\/strong> and <strong>Pseudo Millets<\/strong> like Buckwheat and Amaranths.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Millet Production in India<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is the largest producer of millets in the world. It produced a total of <strong>180.15 lakh tonnes of millets in 2024\u201325.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The major millet producing states in India are <strong>Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh,<\/strong> Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Condition for Millets Cultivation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Climate: <\/strong>The Millets are grown in <strong>tropical as well as subtropical<\/strong> up to an altitude of 2,100 m.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A mean temperature range of <strong>26-29\u00b0c <\/strong>during the growth is best for proper development and good crop yield.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Soil: <\/strong>Millet has wide adaptability to different soil from very poor to very fertile and can tolerate a certain degree of alkalinity.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The best soils are alluvial, loamy and sandy soil with good drainage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges in Millet Expansion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Weak Procurement and Market Infrastructure: <\/strong>Procurement systems for millets remain weaker than those for rice and wheat with underdeveloped\u00a0 storage, processing, and value-chain infrastructure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Consumer Preference: <\/strong>Public consumption patterns favouring rice and wheat, Limited awareness and inadequate branding constrain millet demand.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Policy Bias: <\/strong>Existing subsidy structures and procurement systems favour paddy and wheat cultivation, as farmers often receive stronger institutional support for conventional cereals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Steps taken by India to promote millet production<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>International Year of Millets:<\/strong> India spearheaded the UN General Assembly Resolution for declaring the year <strong>2023 <\/strong>as the &#8216;<strong>International Year of Millets&#8217;.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Higher Minimum Support Prices (MSP): <\/strong>To encourage farmers to take up millet cultivation, higher MSP to Jowar, Bajra and Ragi has been announced.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Food Security Mission \u2013 Nutri Cereals: <\/strong>The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is running a Sub-Mission on Nutri-Cereals comprising various millets under the <strong>National Food Security Mission.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Millet-Based Products (PLISMBP)<\/strong> was introduced to encourage-\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The use of millets in branded <strong>Ready\u2011to\u2011Eat (RTE) and Ready\u2011to\u2011Cook (RTC) <\/strong>products.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To encourage <strong>value addition in millet-based food items<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To connect <strong>millet growers with food processors<\/strong> by boosting production demand for the grain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The convergence of geopolitical uncertainty and monsoon risks is pushing Indian agriculture towards more sustainable cropping patterns.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The momentum created by the <strong>International Year of Millets <\/strong>may now translate into large-scale adoption of millets as economically viable and climate-resilient crops.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With effective procurement support and policy backing, <strong>2026 could become a defining year for millet-based agricultural transformation<\/strong> in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/ie\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Iran-West Asia conflict, possible weak monsoon, and fertiliser supply uncertainties are driving Indian farmers towards low-input, climate-resilient crops such as millets. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Current Factors Affecting Indian Agriculture <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Fertiliser Supply: India is heavily dependent on imports for phosphatic and potassic fertilisers. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Geopolitical tensions in West Asia and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz may affect fertiliser availability and prices. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-05-2026\/millet-based-agriculture \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74315"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74318,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74315\/revisions\/74318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}