Demand for millet foods rising
When compared to rice and wheat, millets are rich in minerals like iron, calcium and zinc. Also, fiber and protein content is relatively high, and the carbohydrate content is relatively less in millets
Dr Ch Srinivasa Rao, Director, ICAR-NAARM
Hyderabad: During Covid period, the demand for millet foods has increased drastically among the consumers. Post pandemic, the demand has not reduced and further improved over the last couple of years especially in India, which is often referred as a diabetic capital of the world. As more people are facing diabetes-related health issues in the country, the demand is obviously growing in the consumer market.
“Millet foods have been consumed by our grandfathers, and great grandfathers. Millet food consumption was around 20 per cent in India during 1955-70. Later, Green Revolution led the rice and wheat crops to take over the millets in the country. The millet food consumption came down to 5-7 per cent in 2020,” Dr Ch Srinivasa Rao, Director of ICAR-NAARM, told Bizz Buzz.
He is one of the speakers in ‘National Conference on Millets: The Future Super Food for the World’ to be held in Hyderabad today. The event is being organised by industry body Assocham in association with Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, ICRISAT, ICAR – NAARM, ICAR – IIMR and ICMR - National Institute of Nutrition.
As the United Nations has declared 2023 as the ‘International Year of Millets’, a series of awareness programmes are being organised by the ICAR-NAARM by involving all the stakeholders, in the form of meetings, workshops, seminars, and other events. As a part of this, the one day national meet will create a lot of awareness on millet production, latest technologies being adopted and constraints.
National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) acts as a nodal think tank of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and also nodal trying institute of entire ICAR and the State agriculture. Srinivasa Rao says, “The interest in millets has renewed in the recent years as the fiber and protein content is relatively high, and the carbohydrate content is relatively less in millets.
“Every doctor recommends the diabetic patients to consume more fiber content foods. When compared to rice and wheat, fiber content is very high in millets. Also, millets are rich in minerals like iron, calcium and zinc. During Covid, doctors suggested us to take zinc because it is an immune booster. Now, again after approximately 58 years, there is a renewed interest in eating millet foods,” he informed.
