Lok Sabha Question No. 4247 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-28
Subject: Millets Cultivation
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: B.N. CHANDRAPPA, DODDAALAHALLI KEMPEGOWDA SURESH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4247

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 28 TH    MARCH, 2017

## MILLETS CULTIVATION

4247.      SHRI   B.N. CHANDRAPPA: SHRI   D.K. SURESH:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether various types of millets are grown in various States of the country and if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
- (b) whether the Government is aware that there is a need to create awareness amongst the people about Millets and its health benefits to build a healthy society and the nation and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government is aware that millets can be grown in drought prone regions as they take less water to grow and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) whether the Government proposes to provide financial incentives to encourage farmers to grow more millets in the country and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI  S.S. AHLUWALIA)

- (a) & (b): Yes.  Madam.   Various types of  millets  such  as  Jowar,  Bajra  and  Small  Millets (Finger millets, foxtail, Kodo,  Little,  Proso  and  Barnyard  Millets)  are  grown  in various states/parts of the country. The State-wise area of millets are at Annexure-I.

To  create  awareness  amongst  the  people  about  Millets  and  its  health  benefits,  the following initiatives have been taken by the Government:-

1.  A  programme,  'Initiative  for  Nutritional  Security  through  Intensive  Millets  Promotion (INSIMP)' was launched during 2011-12. Under the scheme three National Centres of Excellences (CoEs) were set up at CCSHAU, Hissar for Pearl Millet, Indian Institute of Millets  Research,  Hyderabad  for  Sorghum  and  University  of  Agriculture  Sciences, Bangalore  for Small Millets. These  institutions are working on value addition, development of  entrepreneurs  and  creating  awareness  amongst  consumers  for  health benefits of millets.

Under this Scheme, small pre-processing and processing units have also been set up through Progressive Farmers, Entrepreneurs/NGO in the major millets grown states .

(c) & (d):      Yes,  Madam.   Millets are hardy crop suitable for rainfed areas.  These crops are largely grown in arid and semi-arid areas under low rainfall (200-600 mm), where fine cereals like  wheat  and  rice  cannot  be  grown  profitably.  India  is  the  world's  largest  producer  and consumer of millets. These crops have more feed, fodder and ecological value in arid and semiarid regions of the country. Besides, the small millets are largely cultivated by tribal farmers for their sustenance.

Therefore, a separate Crop Component on Coarse Cereals which includes millets has been  added  in  National  Food  Security  Mission  (NFSM)  which  is  being  implemented  in  265 districts of 28 States of the country.

Further,  to  incentivize  farmers  by  ensuring  remunerative  prices  for  their  produce,  the Government of India is increasing Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) of Jowar and Bajra over the years .

## Annexure-I

## Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4247 for answer on 28.03.2017 asked by Shri B. N. Chandrappa and Shri D. K. Suresh

## State- wise Area of Sorghum, Pearl Millet, Finger Millet and Small Millets ('000 ha')

|                   | Sorghum   | Sorghum   | Sorghum   | Pearl Millet   | Pearl Millet   | Pearl Millet   | Finger Millet   | Finger Millet   | Finger Millet   | Small Millet   | Small Millet   | Small Millet   |
|-------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|----------------|----------------|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
| State/UTs         | 2013-- 14 | 2014-15   | 2015-16   | 2013-14        | 2014- 15       | 2015-16        | 2013-14         | 2014-15         | 2015-16         | 2013- 14       | 2014-15        | 2015- 16       |
| Andhra Pradesh    | 117.9     | 142.0     | 174.0     | 38.8           | 28.0           | 36.0           | 41.9.0          | 33.0            | 32.0            | 28.0           | 20.0           | 51.0           |
| Arunachal Pradesh | -         | -         | -         | -              | -              |                | -               | -               |                 | 22.7           | 26.0           | 27.5           |
| Assam             | -         | -         | -         | ---            | -              | -              | -               | -               |                 | 5.4            | 5.3            | 6.6            |
| Bihar             | 1.2       | 1.5       | 1.6       | 2.6            | 3.3            | 4.1            | 7.0             | 6.7             | 6.9             | 2.8            | 2.6            | 1.8            |
| Chhattisgarh      | 5.7       | 5.1       | 5.1       | 0              | 0.1            | 0.0            | 6.0             | 6.7             | 6.9             | 112.8          | 119.0          | 94.8           |
| Gujarat           | 128.0     | 145.0     | 103.0     | 694.0          | 460 .0         | 393.0          | 14.0            | 20.0            | 19.0            | 38.0           | 31.0           | 18.0           |
| Haryana           | 72.0      | 50.0      | 53.0      | 404.0          | 383 .0         | 370.0          | 0               | 0               | 0.0             | 0              | 0              | 0              |
| Himachal Pradesh  | -         | -         | -         | 0.8            | 0.7            | 0.1            | 2.0             | 1.9             | 1.9             | 4.6            | 4.4            | 4.2            |
| Jammu & Kashmir   | -         | -         | -         | 14.1           | 15. 8          | 9.1            | 8.7             | 8.8             | 0               | 5.1            | 5.6            | 5.9            |
| Jharkhand         | 0.5       | 0.5       | 2.1       | 0.2            | 0.2            | 0.2            | 11.9            | 13.9            | 14.3            | 0              | 0              | 0.             |
| Karnataka         | 1139. 0   | 1047.0    | 1104.0    | 280.0          | 234 .0         | 166.0          | 671.0           | 708.0           | 705.0           | 24.0           | 23.0           | 28.0           |
| Kerala            | 0.2       | 0.2       | 0.2       | 0.0            | 0.0            | 0.0            | 0.1             | 0.1             | 0.1             | 0.0            | 0.0            | 0              |
| Madhya Pradesh    | 254.7     | 220.0     | 205.0     | 189.6          | 225 .0         | 267.0          | 0.4             | 11.0            | 1               | 227.7          | 123.0          | 180.0          |
| Maharashtra       | 2862. 0   | 3288.0    | 3218.0    | 762.0          | 865 .0         | 801.0          | 126.0           | 112.0           | 92.0            | 57.0           | 81.0           | 76.0           |
| Meghalaya         |           |           |           | 0              | 0              |                | 0               | 0               |                 | 2.8            | 2.9            | 2.90           |
| Nagaland          | 0.2       | -         | 0.3       | 0.7            | 0              | 0.7            | 0.3             | 0               | 0.3             | 8.7            | 8.7            | 8.7            |
| Orissa            | 7.5       | 6.7       | 6.2       | 3.0            | 2.4            | 2.1            | 56.6            | 51.5            | 45.7            | 19.3           | 20.8           | 25.4           |
| Punjab            | 0.0       | 0.0       | 0.0       | 0.8            | 0              | 0              | 0               | 0               | 0               | 0              | 0              | 0.0            |
| Rajasthan         | 579.6     | 661.0     | 631.2     | 4434.6         | 407 6.9        | 4044.6         | 0               | 0               | 0               | 13.7           | 13.9           | 13.9           |
| Sikkim            |           |           |           |                | 0              |                | 3.6             | 0               | 2.9             | 3.0            | 3.0            | 3.6            |
| Tamilnadu         | 347.1     | 347.5     | 339.2     | 54.4           | 57. 7          | 51.6           | 118.7           | 104.4           | 90.0            | 32.4           | 27.7           | 31.3           |
| Telangana         | 109.1     | 79.0      | 76.0      | 10.2           | 11. 0          | 6.0            | 2.0             | 2.0             | 1.0             | 0              | 0              | 1.0            |
| Uttar Pradesh     | 165.0     | 164.0     | 155.0     | 919.0          | 952 .0         | 975            | 0               | 0               | 0.0             | 8.0            | 7.0            | 8.0            |
| Uttrakhand        |           |           |           | 0.1            | 0.2            |                | 112.2           | 112.9           | 107.4           | 64.5           | 63.0           | 59.0           |
| West Bengal       | 0.0       | 0.0       | 0.0       | 0.1            | 0.2            | 0.2            | 10.1            | 10.1            | 11.0            | 1.5            | 1.6            | 2.3            |
| D & N Haveli      | 0.5       | 0.5       | 0.0       | 0.3            | 0.5            | 0              | 1.0             | 1.0             | 0.9             | 0.2            | 0.2            | 0.0            |
| Delhi             | 3.2       | 3.2       | 3.2       | 1.5            | 1.5            | 1.5            | 0.0             | 0               | 0.0             | 0              | 0              | 0.0            |
| Others            | -         | 3.9       |           | -              | -              | 0              | 0               | -               | 0               | 0              | -              | 0.0            |
| All-India         | 5793. 4   | 6161.4    | 6077.0    | 7810.7         | 731 8          | 7128.6         | 1193.6          | 1206.1          | 1138.3          | 682.2          | 589.7          | 649.9          |

Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, DAC&FW.

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