MILLETS

Millets are generally grain consumed by ancestors of Indian people from the past. It is a reason why most people define it as traditional food. Many millet varieties have been grown in the Indian subcontinent for food and some Indian farmers grow millets for the purpose of livelihood. Various types of millets have their own characteristics and nutritional value. Since the nutritional values have been dependent on the types of millets so the taste  differs if their type changed. Various types of millets of the world cannot be grown in any region of the world because to grow them, a proper climatic condition is needed.

Importance of geographical location for millets

Millets are known as drought resistant crops and so they are mainly grown in the region where the temperature is high and there is a scarcity of water. Although after the green revolution in India, there is barely a region that is tolerating water scarcity problems. Millets are very beneficial for the health, and also a traditional food of India, so the demand for them in the market has not been so much exacerbated yet. They need high temperatures and less water and fertiliser to grow. They can also grow in  poor and hardy soils

India is the largest producer of millets because of its climatic and geographical location in the world. It is a well-known fact that geographical location is a key factor for the development of soil quality and the various types of millet or cash crops can be grown according to the soil feature. The geographical location of India, especially the peninsular and western parts is much appropriate for the production of millets because these parts mainly contained rain shadow regions apart from Haryana and Punjab.

Production of millets in India

India is one of the largest producers of millets in the world. There are many millet varieties that have been grown and this is the reason why India is known for its millets production. In the production of any crops, even grass millets, geographical and climatic conditions play a vital role in production. Since the western part of India is a rain shadow region, most of the farmers of this region are mainly sowing millets in their lands for livelihood.

They can also be grown in the rainy areas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh but their yield can be negatively impacted due to high rainfall. The soil of some regions of these areas is hardy and is impeccable for the production of millet and that region mostly occurs in the southern part of the river Ganga. The farmers of this region, nowadays, grow cash crops for their livelihood but the traditional and uneducated farmers of these areas are mostly growing these crops even though the problems of scarcity of water have been solved after the green revolution.

Various types of millets

In India, various types of millets have been grown for the purpose of food and livelihood like sorghum, pearl millet, ragi, small millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, barnyard millet and Kodo millet. Even after the industrial revolution in India, most of the people of this country are still dependent on agriculture, and some of these regions are still tolerating the problem of scarcity of water and these regions are impeccable for the production of millets. Since soil texture also plays a vital role in the production of millets and the soil texture of India, especially western, peninsular region and southern parts of the river Ganga is much appropriate for the production of them so most of the millet varieties has been grown in these regions.

Health benefit of Indian millets

Millets are very beneficial for those people who are suffering from health problems like obesity and diabetes. They contain a rich amount of antioxidants so they are helpful to reduce the obesity problems of youths. They are free from gluten and contain dietary fibre so it is very beneficial for those youth who are very concerned about their health and go to the gym for physical development. They are highly nutritional and contain a rich amount of protein and deity fibres, various vitamins like vitamin A and B, magnesium and potassium. So the demand for this has been increased among those people who are so much concerned about their health and physical development.

Conclusion

After industrialisation, the people of India have had much more health problems like obesity. It is the most common disease in Indian youths and this is a reason why most of the youths are going to the gym to burn their calories and lose some weight. The modern people of India as well as the world are much concerned about their health and millets is a nutritional seed so the demand for them has increased in the past few years.