A recent study, published in April of this year in the Agronomy Journal, highlights the transformation of India's primary pearl millet (bajra) production areas. Between 1998 and 2017, these zones have shifted to encompass 18 districts located across eastern Rajasthan and Haryana. The research was a collaboration between the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research – All India Coordinated Research Project on Pearl Millet (ICAR-AICRP).

This alteration in cultivation zones has been attributed to an increase in rainfall induced by human-driven climate change. In India, pearl millet cultivation areas are traditionally classified based on precipitation patterns and soil types:

(i) Zone A1 – Arid Zone of Rajasthan (less than 400 mm rainfall) (ii) Zone A – Semi-arid regions in north and central India (more than 400 mm rainfall) – Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh (iii) Zone B – Southern and central western India

The study further divides Zone 'A' into three subzones: 'G', 'AE1', and 'AE2'. Zone 'G' witnessed an average increase in rainfall in Gujarat, while Zone 'AE1' experienced a rise in eastern Rajasthan and Haryana. Additionally, Zone 'AE2' covers 12 districts in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Conclusion

In India, millets are predominantly cultivated during the kharif season. As per Agriculture Ministry data for 2018-19, three millet crops—bajra (3.67%), jowar (2.13%), and ragi (0.48%)—comprised approximately 7 percent of the total cultivated area in the country.

Millets are renowned for being nutritional powerhouses. Buckwheat (kuttu) and amaranth (chaulai), categorized as pseudo millets due to their substantial nutritional value, are now recognized as "Nutri Cereals" for production, consumption, and trade.

On March 3, 2021, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) ratified a resolution designating 2023 as the International Year of Millets. Proposed by India, this initiative garnered support from 72 countries.

Other Points to Consider

Millets under PDS

Benefits of Millets

Main millets-producing states