Millet-only lunch in Parliament

PM Modi, along with fellow parliamentarians from all parties, enjoyed a sumptuous lunch featuring millets to raise awareness and prepare for 2023.

The United Nations has designated 2023 as the “International Year of Millets,” following a proposal from India in 2019.

Sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), foxtail millet (kangni), little millet (kutki), kodo millet, finger millet (ragi/ mandua), proso millet (cheena/ common millet), barnyard millet (sawa/ sanwa/ jhangora), and brown top millet are all small grain cereals (korale).
They were among the first domesticated crops.
Millets were consumed in the Indus-Sarasvati civilisation, according to evidence (3,300 to 1300 BCE).
Several varieties that are now grown all over the world originated in India.
Indigenous varieties of the crop can also be found in West Africa, China, and Japan.

Cultivation of millets

Millets are now grown in over 130 countries and are the traditional food of over a billion people in Asia and Africa.
Sorghum (jowar) is the most important millet crop worldwide.
The United States, China, Australia, India, Argentina, Nigeria, and Sudan are the top jowar producers.
Another important millet crop is bajra, which is grown primarily in India and some African countries.

Millets are primarily a kharif crop in India.
According to Agriculture Ministry data, three millet crops accounted for roughly 7% of the country’s gross cropped area in 2018-19: bajra (3.67%), jowar (2.13%), and ragi (0.48%).

(1) Jowar

Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh are the primary growing states for jowar.
In 2020-21, the jowar area was 4.24 million hectares, with a production of 4.78 million tonnes.
During 2020-21, Maharashtra had the largest area (1.94 million ha) and production (1.76 million tonnes) of jowar.

(2) Bajra

Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka are the primary growing states for bajra.
Rajasthan had the most bajra land (4.32 million ha) out of the total 7.75 million ha in 2020-21.
In 2020-21, the state produced the most bajra in the country (4.53 million tonnes out of a total of 10.86 million tonnes).
Millets were consumed primarily in the following states: Gujarat (jowar and bajra), Karnataka (jowar and ragi), Maharashtra (jowar and bajra), Rajasthan (bajra), and Uttarakhand (ragi).

Millets are environmentally friendly crops because they require significantly less water than rice and wheat and can be grown in rainfed areas without additional irrigation.
Wheat and rice have the lowest green water footprints but the highest blue water footprints, while millets are the polar opposite. The term “green water footprint” refers to water derived from precipitation, whereas “blue water” refers to water derived from land sources.
Highly nutritious: The Agriculture Ministry designated certain millets as “Nutri Cereals” for production, consumption, and trade.
Millets contain 7-12% protein, 2-5% fat, 65-75% carbohydrates, and 15-20% dietary fibre. Small millets contain more nutrients than fine cereals. They contain more protein, fat, and fibre.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/agriculture-minister-to-host-millet-only-lunch-for-mps-pm-modi-to-attend-11671447918116.html