International Year of millets 2023

Tags: Important Days

The year 2023 is being observed all over the world as the International Year of the millets. The Government of India aims to make the International Year of the millets a ‘People’s Movement’ and position India as the ‘Global Hub for Millets’. India is the largest producer of millets in the world.

Background to the International Year 

The Government of India proposed to the United Nations General Assembly to declare 2023 as the International Year of the Millets.

The proposal was accepted and passed by the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2021 and 2023 was declared as the International Year of Millets.

Celebration of the International Millet Year in India 

In the month of January 2023 the government of India and its ministries in collaboration with the state government will undertake a series of events to celebrate the International Years of Millets.

 The Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries which will be organizing Millet Fair-cum-exhibitions in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare along with Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) will participate in a trade show on millets in Belgium.

The External Affairs Ministry through its embassy in Azerbaijan and Belarus will conduct Business to Business meetings and participate in food festivals in these countries to promote Indian millets. 

The Indian High Commission in Nigeria has planned a Millets Food Festival and a Millets Food preparation competition in January 2023.

In the month of January Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Punjab will be conducting millet centric activities including Mahotsav/ meals and food festivals, training of farmers, awareness campaigns etc. 

Importance of Millets 

Millet is one of the oldest known foods to humans. However its consumption in the world has declined due to the emphasis given to wheat and rice by the governments. 

It is also called coarse cereals or nutri cereals due to its high nutritive value.  To increase the consumption of millets in India the government of India declared millets as nutri-cereals and 2018 was declared as the National Millets Year in India.

The Government of India has set a target of production of 205 lakh tonnes of Nutri Cereals in the country by 2022-23. 

 Rajasthan is the largest producer of nutri-cereals in India followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka.