Farm to fork: An overview of millet supply chains in India

ICRISAT NEWS 2023

Opinion Piece by ICRISAT's Dr Shalander Kumar, Deputy Research Program Director, Enabling Systems Transformation; Dr Abhishek Das, Scientist; and Dr ML Jat, Research Program Director, Resilient Farm and Food Systems. Originally published in Ideas For India.

Following a proposal by India, the year 2023 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Millets. Present global agri-food systems face multiple challenges, including not just hunger but the triple burden of malnutrition.

Malnutrition continues to be one of India’s most significant challenges (Chandra 2022). In 2022, despite the country running the largest food public distribution systems (PDS), which feeds over 800 million people, India was ranked 107 out of 121 countries in the Global Hunger Index. 

Millets can make a big contribution in achieving the goal of food security and nutrition for India and other countries across the world. Millets, also referred to as ‘nutri-cereals’ and ‘Shree Anna’, include sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi), foxtail millet (kangani/kakun/korra) and buckwheat (kuttu) among others and are a powerhouse of nutrients.

See more: https://pressroom.icrisat.org/farm-to-fork-an-overview-of-millet-supply-chains-in-india