Considering the potential of increasing exports of millets and millet products and the focus given by Government for development of millet sector of nurti-cereals, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is formulating a strategy with ICAR-Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR) and other stakeholders like National Institute Nutrition, CSIR – Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) and farmer producer organisations (FPOs) for perspective planning of five years for promotion of millets and millet products. In this regard, a meeting was organised by APEDA with ICAR-IIMR on December 2, 2020 under the chairmanship of Dr. M. Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA.
APEDA is preparing a perspective action plan for increasing export of millet and millet products for a period five years i.e. 2021-2026 to enable all concerned stakeholders for taking necessary action in a time bound manner for achieving the target.
Further, efforts would be made on identification of millet clusters, creation of platform to consolidate farmers, FPOs, exporters, associations, other stakeholders and identification of new potential international markets for promotion of Indian millets.
Millet is a common term to categorise small-seeded grasses that are often termed nutri-cereals, and includes sorghum, pearl millet, ragi, small millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet and other ones. Millets are the cereal crops generally small-seeded and known for high nutrition value. Increasing interest in reviving the consumption of millets across various countries is favouring the growth prospects of this product in recent years within the country and for exports as well.
Considering highly climate resilient, less water intensive, can be grown on drylands with high nutrition value, millets are also termed ‘smart food’ in various regions of the world.
