Coarse cereals and millets: jowar, bajra, ragi, maize

Detail

1. What coarse cereals and millets are

• Coarse cereals are hardy food grains. They are mostly rainfed (they depend on rain, not canals or wells) and grow on poorer soils. They include jowar, bajra, ragi and maize.

• Together they cover about 16.5% of India's cropped area (NCERT, Class 12).

• Millets are small-seeded grasses grown for grain. The main ones are jowar, bajra and ragi.

• They are called "coarse grains", but they are very nutritious.

• The Government of India now calls them Nutri-cereals or dryland cereals. It notified millets as Nutri-cereals in April 2018 [2].

• India grows all nine commonly known millets [2]:

Group	Millet (English)	Indian name
Major millets	Sorghum	Jowar
	Pearl millet	Bajra
	Finger millet	Ragi
Minor (small) millets	Little millet	Kutki
	Foxtail millet	Kakun / Kangni
	Proso millet	Cheena
	Barnyard millet	Sawa
	Kodo millet	Kodon

• Where millets grow: they are staple crops of the dry farmlands of the arid and semi-arid tropics (hot places with little rain). In India they are grown in states with low to moderate rain, about 200–800 mm a year [2].
• History: millets are among the oldest crops. Remains of millets have been found at Mehrgarh (in present-day Balochistan, Pakistan), one of the earliest farming sites in South Asia (NCERT, Class 7). There is also evidence that people ate millets in the Indus Valley Civilisation [2].
• Pearl millet is a kharif crop (a crop sown with the start of the monsoon, about June–July, and harvested about September–October) (NCERT, Class 7).

2. Jowar (sorghum)

• Area: about 5.3% of the cropped area (NCERT).
• Rank: it is the third most important food crop by area and by output, after rice and wheat (NCERT, Class 10).
• Conditions:
• It is rainfed and is grown mostly in moist areas that need little irrigation.

• It is the main food crop of semi-arid central and southern India (semi-arid: dry areas that get some rain but not much).

• Seasons:

• In south India, it is grown in both kharif and rabi (rabi: the winter crop, sown about October–December and harvested about April–June).
• In north India, it is a kharif fodder crop. Fodder is food grown for animals.

• Yields south of the Vindhyas are very low (NCERT).

• Leading states (in order): Maharashtra (over half of India's output) → Karnataka → Madhya Pradesh → Andhra Pradesh → Telangana.

• Share among millets: sorghum is 27% of India's millet output, second only to pearl millet (4th Advance Estimates 2021-22) [2].
• Worldwide: jowar is grown in 112 countries, more than any other millet. Sorghum and pearl millet together cover over 90% of the world's millet area and output [2].

3. Bajra (pearl millet)

• Area: about 5.2% of the cropped area (NCERT).
• Conditions:
• It grows in the hot, dry north-west and west of India.
• It grows well on sandy soils and shallow black soils.
• It survives dry spells and drought.

• It is grown on its own or in mixed cropping, where two or more crops grow in the same field at the same time.

• Leading states: Rajasthan → Maharashtra → Gujarat → Uttar Pradesh → Haryana (NCERT, Class 12).

• Exam trap: the Class 10 NCERT ranks Uttar Pradesh second, after Rajasthan.

• Why yields went up: yields have risen in Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat. The reasons are:

• drought-resistant varieties (seed types that survive dry spells)

• more irrigation

• India's biggest millet: pearl millet makes up 60% of India's millet output (2021-22) [2].

• Bio-fortified seeds: eight bio-fortified varieties and hybrids of bajra were released between 2018 and February 2022 [2]. Bio-fortified means bred to carry more nutrients, such as iron and zinc.

4. Ragi (finger millet)

• Conditions:
• It is a crop of dry regions. NCERT calls it a typical dryland crop, meaning a crop grown without irrigation in low-rain areas.

• It grows on red, black, sandy, loamy and shallow black soils.

• Nutrition: it is rich in iron, calcium, other micronutrients (minerals and vitamins the body needs in small amounts) and roughage (fibre).

• Leading states (in order): Karnataka → Tamil Nadu → Himachal Pradesh → Uttarakhand → Sikkim → Jharkhand → Arunachal Pradesh.

• The list mixes southern plateau states with Himalayan hill states. Ragi grows well on hill slopes and in dry uplands.

• Share: finger millet is 11% of India's millet output. Small millets add up to only 2% (2021-22) [2].

5. Maize

• Area: about 3.6% of the cropped area (NCERT).
• Uses: it is grown for both food and fodder. It does well in semi-arid areas and on poorer soils.
• Conditions:
• It is a kharif crop.
• It needs 21–27°C.
• It does well on old alluvium. In north India this old soil is called bhangar: alluvium laid down by rivers long ago, lying above the flood level.

• In Bihar, maize is also grown in rabi.

• Where it grows: almost everywhere in India, except Punjab and the east and north-east (NCERT, Class 12).

• Leading states: Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar come first, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• Yield:
• It gives the highest yield of all coarse cereals.
• Yields are high in the south and fall towards central India.

• Output has risen because of HYV seeds (high-yielding varieties), fertilisers and irrigation.

• New demand is changing where and why maize is grown:

• Poultry feed: maize is the main grain fed to chickens.
• Grain ethanol: maize is made into ethanol, a fuel mixed with petrol. India's target is E20, meaning petrol with 20% ethanol.
• Result: the poultry industry and ethanol plants now compete to buy maize, so there is a strong pull to grow more of it (present-day; verify current).

6. The four crops compared

Crop	Share of cropped area (NCERT)	Main climate	Soils	Season	Leading state
Jowar	~5.3%	Semi-arid, rainfed	Moist areas needing little irrigation	Kharif + rabi (south); kharif fodder (north)	Maharashtra (over half)
Bajra	~5.2%	Hot, dry; drought-hardy	Sandy, shallow black	Kharif	Rajasthan
Ragi	—	Dry regions, hills	Red, black, sandy, loamy, shallow black	Mainly kharif	Karnataka
Maize	~3.6%	21–27°C, semi-arid	Old alluvium, poorer soils	Kharif (also rabi in Bihar)	Karnataka

7. India's place in world millet production

• India is the world's largest producer of millets and the fifth-largest exporter [2].
• India grows more than 170 lakh tonnes of millets. This is about 20% of world output and 80% of Asia's (FAOSTAT data for 2019) [2].
• Yield: India gets 1,239 kg per hectare. The world average is 1,229 kg per hectare [2].
• By continent: Africa has 68% of the world's millet area and 49% of its output (2019) [2].

• The main producing countries are India, Niger, Sudan and Nigeria [2].

• Main millet states in India: Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana [2]. Rajasthan leads because of bajra.

• Output growth: millet output grew 27% in 2021-22 over the year before. The earlier year's output was 15.92 million tonnes [2].
• Exports: millet exports were worth USD 34.32 million in 2021-22 [2].
• Main buyers: UAE, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Oman and others [2].

8. Why millets declined, and why they are coming back

The decline:

• The Green Revolution of the 1960s gave seeds, fertiliser and canals mainly to rice and wheat.
• The government also bought rice and wheat at MSP (Minimum Support Price) and gave them out through the PDS (Public Distribution System, the network of ration shops).
• Farmers then shifted to these crops, and people changed what they ate. Millets became "orphan crops", grown and eaten less and less.
• Result: millets fell from about 40% of all grains grown before the Green Revolution to about 20% [2].

Why millets are worth growing again:

• They suit a changing climate:
• They need little water and leave a low carbon footprint (they add little greenhouse gas).
• They grow fast and grow on poor soils with few or no fertilisers.
• They can stand heat of up to 50°C and drought [2].

• Pests rarely attack them in the field or in storage, so few pesticides are needed [2].

• They fight hidden hunger. Hidden hunger means a lack of vitamins and minerals even when a person eats enough calories.

• Millets have more protein, fibre, calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium and B-vitamins than rice or wheat [2].
• They are gluten-free (gluten is a wheat protein some people cannot digest).
• They have a low glycaemic index, meaning they raise blood sugar slowly. This helps against diabetes and obesity [2].

9. International Year of Millets 2023 and Shree Anna

• The UN resolution:
• The UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/75/263 on 5 March 2021. It declared 2023 the International Year of Millets.

• It was passed without a vote [3].

• India's role:

• India proposed it. Its co-sponsors included Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia and Senegal [3].

• 72 countries supported the proposal [2].

• Steps India took before 2023:

• It observed 2018 as the National Year of Millets [2].
• It runs NFSM–Nutri Cereals, the part of the National Food Security Mission for millets, in 212 districts of 14 states [2].

• It raised the MSP for millets. For example, bajra MSP rose from ₹1,425 to ₹2,350 per quintal between 2017-18 and 2022-23 [2].

• Shree Anna:

• The Union Budget 2023-24 gave millets a new name, Shree Anna ("revered grain").
• On 18 March 2023, at the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference in New Delhi, ICAR-IIMR, Hyderabad (Indian Institute of Millets Research, Telangana) was announced as a Global Centre of Excellence [2].

• IIMR has helped about 250 start-ups grow under RKVY-RAFTAAR (a farm-sector scheme for new ideas and businesses) [2].

• Getting millets onto plates:

• The Centre has asked states to add millets to PM POSHAN (the mid-day meal scheme), mainly where people already eat them [2].
• Millets are also being brought into the PDS.

Prelims Hooks

• Third most important food crop of India by area and output: jowar (sorghum).
• Largest producers: jowar – Maharashtra (over half); bajra – Rajasthan; ragi – Karnataka; maize – Karnataka.
• Bajra trap: after Rajasthan, Class 12 NCERT lists Maharashtra second, while Class 10 NCERT lists Uttar Pradesh second.
• Order of millet output in India (2021-22): pearl millet (60%) > sorghum (27%) > finger millet (11%) > small millets (2%) [2].
• Maize: 21–27°C, old alluvium, kharif; also rabi in Bihar. It is not grown much in Punjab or the east and north-east. It has the highest yield of all coarse cereals.
• Jowar season: kharif and rabi in the south; kharif fodder crop in the north.
• Ragi is rich in iron, calcium and roughage. Among its leading states are the hill states Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Minor-millet name pairs: Kodo–Kodon, Little–Kutki, Foxtail–Kakun, Proso–Cheena, Barnyard–Sawa [2].
• IYM 2023: UNGA resolution A/RES/75/263, 5 March 2021, adopted without a vote, proposed by India [3]. The Global Centre of Excellence on millets is ICAR-IIMR, Hyderabad [2].
• India in the world: largest millet producer, with about 20% of world and 80% of Asian output. It is the fifth-largest exporter [2].

Mains Points

• Why coarse cereals grow where they do (GS-I): they follow dryness and poor soils.
• Bajra grows on the sandy soils of the dry north-west (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana).
• Jowar grows on the semi-arid black-soil Deccan (Maharashtra, Karnataka).
• Ragi grows on the red soils of the southern plateau and on Himalayan slopes.
• Maize grows on old alluvium and the plateau uplands (Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar).

• All of them avoid canal-irrigated Punjab and the wet east.

• Decline and revival (GS-III):

• Green Revolution support and PDS rice and wheat → millets became "orphan crops" → they fell from about 40% to about 20% of grains grown [2].
• The revival rests on MSP increases, NFSM–Nutri Cereals, PM POSHAN and the PDS, and the Shree Anna branding [2].

• Its gains are water security, climate adaptation and the fight against hidden hunger.

• Climate-smart farming: millets survive heat up to 50°C. They need little water and few fertilisers or pesticides, and have a low carbon footprint [2].

• This makes them a cushion for rainfed farmers as droughts and heatwaves grow more common.

• They are also a way to save groundwater in areas where it is over-used.

• Maize's new geography: demand for poultry feed and for grain ethanol under the E20 target is pulling maize into new areas.

• Gains: higher farm incomes and less need to import oil.
• Trade-offs: higher feed costs for poultry farmers, and the "food vs fuel" question.