India must not lose focus on wheat and rice while encouraging millets
Amid concerns over global food shortage, India-- the world’s largest producer of millet—is looking at expanding its public distribution. The short nutritious grains may be distributed for mid-day meals and also at the Anganwadi centres. While it is imperative to reset focus on production of these short grains with their growing acceptance within the country and outside and rising threats of food insecurity, experts said it must be done in a well-planned manner ensuring that it does not lead to “lower cultivation of other staple crops such as rice and wheat.”
Millet crops are essentially resilient to drought and floods and can be produced even at drylands.
"Increased production of millets should enlarge the overall food plate, not lower it by reducing other crops yields," a food analyst with one of the industry bodies told India Narrative.
Compared to other cereals such as wheat, rice and maize, production of millets is still low in the country. “The increase in millet output and distribution can easily ease food pressure in India but authorities must prepare a roadmap for the same at the earliest,” he said.
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