The National Conference on Millets on the theme ‘The Future Super Food for India’ held in New Delhi.

June 24, 2022

Union Minister of State for M/o Food Processing Industries, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated the National Conference on Millets on the theme ‘The Future Super Food for India’ in New Delhi, organised by industry body ASSOCHAM with the support of M/o Food Processing Industries.
The conference has been organised to discuss opportunities and challenges in ensuring food and nutritional security.
Millets have been among the oldest eatables in the country. It is a crop grown from small seeds which can be grown well in dry areas or even on lands with deficient and low fertility thus is known as the superfood of India.
Due to their short growing season, millets can develop from seeds to ready-to-harvest crops in just about 65 days and this characteristic of the millets is of vital importance in thickly populated regions of the world.
If stored properly, millets can keep well for two years or beyond. There is a need to mainstream millets to improve India’s nutrition outcomes.
The Government of India has already revised the guidelines to facilitate the movement of the surplus production of millets to other states.
The provision of inter-state transportation of surplus millets through the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is incorporated to cater for advance demands placed by consuming states before the start of procurement.
The major millets producing states in India include Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
India is the 5th largest exporter of millets globally.
The year 2023 will be the international year of millets that will create value generation and promotion of sustainable products in food choices.