Millets, a group of small-grained cereals known as ‘Shree Anna,’ are valued for their exceptional nutrition and adaptability. The United Nations declared 2023 as the ‘International Year of Millets,’ recognizing the grain’s importance for food and nutritional security.
Millets are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, and are naturally gluten-free. They have a low glycemic index, making them suitable for people with diabetes and celiac disease.
India is currently the world’s largest producer of millets, contributing 38.4% to global grain production. Due to its low cultivation costs and ability to withstand climate change, millets are a crucial part of the country’s food reserves, making it a sustainable option for farmers.
By July 2025, India achieved a total millet production target of 18.015 million tons in 2024-25, an increase of 443,000 tons compared to the previous year. This continuous growth highlights the country’s focused efforts to promote millet cultivation across diverse agro-climatic zones.
The government has consistently strengthened budgetary and policy frameworks to promote millets. This support is available in all areas of production, export, and research. The National Food Security and Nutrition Mission supports millet production. The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is running a sub-mission on nutritious cereals under the National Food Security Mission, which includes jowar, bajra, ragi-mandua, and small millets like kutki, kodo, sava-jhangora, kangni-kakun. This initiative operates in 28 states and 2 union territories.
States can also utilize the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Vikas Yojana according to their needs and priorities and improve millet production. Additionally, the Nutritious Cereals Sub-Mission provides assistance to farmers. This scheme is implemented through states and union territories. Moreover, the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM-FME) scheme provides targeted support, including micro food processing units related to millet-based products. The scheme has received an allocation of Rs 2,000 crore for the year 2025-26.
The government also launched production-linked incentive schemes for millet-based products. Its aim was to promote the use of millets in branded ready-to-eat (RTE) and ready-to-cook (RTC) products. The government aimed to encourage their value addition by supporting the production of millet-based food products for both domestic and export markets and wanted to connect millet producers with food processors by increasing the demand for grain production. India produced a total of 18.015 million tons of millets in 2024-25. This was an increase of 443,000 tons compared to the previous year. Rajasthan is at the top in millet production.