UPSC CSE MAINS SYLLABUS – GS –3 – Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and relatedconstraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.

Importance of Millets

Millets are ancient Super grains the reservoirs of nutrition for a better health. Millets (sorghum, pearl millet and small millets) are the important food and fodder crops in semi-arid regions, and are predominantly gaining more importance in a world that is increasingly becoming populous, malnourished and facing large climatic uncertainties.

Need for millets:

  1. Double burden of malnutrition that is undernutrition and overnutrition.
  2. Overnutrition has led to increase of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
  3. Undernutrition has led to wasting, stunting and has affected the cognitive development of children.

Benefits:

Some government measures:

Road ahead:

These are welcome however, much more initiatives are needed

Millet promotion should cover all aspects of the agricultural cycle,

Therefore, to overcome the targeted hunger and mitigate the effect of climate change in long run, there is a need to accelerate the production of coarse cereals/millets in the country.

Source:”Agriculture ministry”.

POSSIBLE UPSC MAINS EXAMINATION:

Never before have the importance of millets been so much. Elaborate. What measures have been taken to promote millets so far?