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Importance and value addition of millets
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Monday, 30 June, 2025, 12 : 00 PM [IST]
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Dr Snehal Giri
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Millets are a group of nutritiously rich, drought tolerant, and mostly grown in the arid and semi-arid regions of India. They are small-seeded grasses belonging to the botanical family Poaceae. They constitute an important source of food and fodder for millions of resource-poor farmers and play a vital role in the ecological and economic security of India. These millets are also known as "coarse cereals" or "cereals of the poor".
Millets are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Millets are important crops in the semiarid tropics of Asia and Africa (especially in South India, Mali, Nigeria, and Niger), with 97% of millet production in developing countries. This crop is favoured due to its productivity and short growing season under dry, high-temperature conditions.
India is the largest producer of millet in the world. In India, Millets are grown in about 21 states.
There is a major impetus in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.
Classification of millets
Minor millets
- Sorghum/Jowar: Sorghum bicolour
- Bajra/ Pearl millet: Pennisetum typhoides
- Ragi/Finger millet: Eleusinecorcana
Minor millets
- Foxtail millet/Navane: Setaria italica
- Little millet/Saame: Panicum milliare
- Kodo millet/Haraka: Paspalum scrobiculatum
- Proso millet/Baragu: Panicum millaceum
- Barnyard millet/Udlu: Echinochloa frumentaceae
Nutritional Importance of millets
- Millet grains are rich sources of nutrients like carbohydrates, protein, dietary fibre, and good quality fat and have substantially higher amounts of minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, and B complex vitamins, making them a preferable choice over cereal grains.
- The millets are also regarded to have antimicrobial and DNA damage protection activities due to their phytochemical content.
- A very high proportion of the millet grain comprises dietary fibre and non-starch polysaccharides which help in weight regulation. Due to the slow release of glucose, millets are an excellent choice of food for diabetics.
- Unlike wheat, barley, and rye, which contain gluten, millets are gluten-free. This makes them suitable for individuals with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease, a condition where the consumption of gluten can cause intestinal inflammation and other health issues.
- Millets have a lower glycaemic index compared to refined grains. This means that they are digested and absorbed more slowly, resulting in a slower and steadier release of glucose into the bloodstream. As a result, millets can help regulate blood sugar levels and provide sustained energy, making them suitable for individuals with diabetes or those seeking to manage their blood sugar levels.
- Millets are rich in dietary fibre, which aids in digestion, helps maintain bowel regularity, and promotes a healthy gut. Fiber also contributes to a feeling of fullness, which can be beneficial for weight management.
- Finger millet is the richest source of calcium (300- 350 mg/100 g) and other small millets are good sources of phosphorous and iron.
- Millets are nutritious cereals, also known as nutri-cereals, which contribute significantly to food and nutritional security.
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India states that millets are high in nutrition and dietary fibre. It adds that millets contain, 7-12 percent protein, 2-5 percent fat, 65-75 percent carbohydrates, and 15-20 percent dietary fibre.
- It also states that the essential amino acid present in millets is way better than many crops in India and thus plays an important role in benefiting overall health.
- FSSAI also adds that consuming millet also helps fight cardiovascular diseases as millet consumption decreases triglycerides. It states that millets are also known for preventing Type 2 diabetes and reducing blood pressure.
- Indian Institute of Millet Research states that the fiber present in Millets helps keep “bad” cholesterol in the blood under check and helps protect the heart.
- Initiatives taken by the Government of India to create a demand for millet
- To bring back millets and create domestic, and global demand and to provide nutritional food to the people, the Government of India decided to mark the National Year of Millets in 2018.
- Keeping in view the nutritional value of the millets, the Government also notified Millets as nutri-cereals in the same year and included them under the POSHAN Mission Abhiyan.
- In 2021, India proposed to the United Nations to declare 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYOM).
- The proposal of India got support from 72 countries and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets. Now, the Government of India has celebrated 2023 as the International Year of Millets, to make it a people’s movement so that Indian millet, recipes, and value-added products are accepted globally.
Processing and value addition of millets- Millets have good grain qualities for processing. Primary processing mainly involves destoning, cleaning, dehusking, dehulling, grading, and pulverising. Millets can be used for traditional as well as novel value-added foods. Unprocessed or processed grain can be cooked as whole or decorticated and if necessary, ground to flour by traditional or industrial methods.
Inclusion of millet in the diet- Due to its high nutritional value and other benefits, millets can be included in our diet as breakfast, staple food evening snacks, for diabetic patients, mid-day meals in schools, and for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
Value-added products from millets
Traditional recipes
- Breakfast food: Idli, Dosa, Idiyappam, Rotti, Upma, Porridge, Khakra, and Chappathi.
- Sweets: Halwa, Adhirasam, Kesari, Nutritious ball and Kheer.
- Snacks: Vada, Pakoda, Ribbon pakoda, Murukku.
Bakery products- People of all ages are affectionate of different bakery products, because of their taste, color, and easy-to-digest nature. Small millets can be incorporated in different variations from 10% to 50% levels to standardise bread, cake, cookies, soup sticks, and Khari replacing refined wheat flour.
Pasta products
- Pasta meals like vermicelli, noodles, macaroni, etc., are commonly liked by children of today's generation and by other age groups for their taste, inexpensive and easy method of preparation. Pasta is a perfect foundation for healthy, nutritious, and satisfying meals, generally eaten with nutrient-dense food partners, such as fibre-filled vegetables.
Flaked and Popped products- These Ready-To-Eat products are very popular, being crisp and friable in texture. The relatively smaller size and quick hydration of millets make them most suitable for the production of flakes and popped products.
Conclusion
Diversification of food resources by incorporating less popular millets is essential for achieving nutritional security and combating emerging climatic vagaries and life-threatening diseases. A variety of foods can be prepared with millet like ragi idli, jowar or cheela, dosa or bajra or jowar roti, ragi laddu, etc. making it a versatile food. Millet khichadi, ragi malt, apple ragi halwa, ragi cookies, cakes, or breakfast cereal which not only makes meals palatable but also visually appealing. The products which are commonly prepared by the farmers using cereals can be replaced with small millet to increase their utilisation.
(The author is assistant professor, Food Science and
Nutrition College of Agriculture, Bheemarayangudi.
She can be reached at snehal.giri92@gmail.com)
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