New Delhi: The International Year of Millets begins with a special emphasis on its core areas.

The Government of India, led by the Prime Minister, supported the proposal for the International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023, which was approved by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The declaration has helped the Government of India to be at the forefront of the IYM celebrations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also shared his vision to make IYM 2023 a 'People's Movement' alongside positioning India as the 'Global Hub for Millets'.

Millets were among the first crops to be domesticated in India and are now grown in over 130 countries. Millets are considered traditional food for over half a billion people across Asia and Africa. Millets are primarily a kharif crop in India, necessitating less water and agricultural inputs than other similar staples.

Millets have been prioritised by the Government of India (GoI) due to their enormous potential and alignment with several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Millets were rebranded as "Nutri Cereals" in April 2018, and the year 2018 was declared the National Year of Millets, with the goal of increasing promotion and demand generation. The global millets market is expected to grow at a 4.5% CAGR between 2021 and 2026.

To achieve the goal of IYM 2023 and take Indian millets globally, the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has taken a proactive multi-stakeholder engagement approach (involving all central government ministries, states/UTs, farmers, start-ups, exporters, retail businesses, hotels, Indian Embassies, and so on). Ministries, states, and Indian embassies have been assigned focus months in 2023 to carry out various activities to promote IYM and raise awareness about the benefits of millets to consumers, cultivators, and the environment.

Among central ministries, the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs of the Government of India will kick off IYM activities in January 2023.

The ministry has planned 15 activities over 15 days in January, including video messages with athletes, nutritionists, and fitness experts, webinars on millets with leading nutritionists, dieticians, and elite athletes, promotion amplification through the Fit India App, and so on.

Other ministries planning events in January include the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, which will hold Millet Fair-cum-exhibitions in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh; the FSSAI, which will hold Eat Right Melas in Punjab, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, among others.

In terms of states, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, and Rajasthan have been given the month of January to carry out specific activities for IYM sensitization and promotion. The states will hold millet-related activities such as mahotsavs/melas and food festivals, farmer training, awareness campaigns, workshops/ seminars, hoarding placement and promotional material distribution at various key locations throughout the state, and so on. Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, and Punjab are among the other states hosting similar events in January.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and DA&FW will participate in the Trade Show in Belgium in January 2023, where a multi-stakeholder delegation of DA&FW, APEDA, start-ups, exporters, and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) will showcase the diversity of Indian millets through RTE and RTC millet-based products marketed by Indian companies, B2B, B2G interactions, and so on.

Furthermore, Indian embassies in over 140 countries will take part in the celebration of IYM in 2023 by hosting side events involving the Indian Diaspora, such as exhibitions, seminars, talks, and panel discussions. In January, the Indian embassies in Azerbaijan and Belarus will hold activities such as B2B meetings with local chambers, food bloggers, importers of food items, and local restaurants, among others.

Exhibitions/contests of cooked millets dishes will be organised with the help of the Indian diaspora, and millets dishes will be served as part of the Republic Day celebrations. As part of IYM promotion, the High Commission of India in Abuja and the Consulate General of India in Lagos have planned a Millets Food Festival and a Millets Food preparation competition in January 2023.

The Millets Food Festival would be held at the High Commission and would include preparation stalls as well as invitees from both the Nigerian and Indian communities.

Through a collaborative approach, the DA&FW encourages everyone in the Millets value-chain, including International Organizations, Academia, Hotels, Media, Indian Diaspora, Start-up communities, Civil Society, and all others, to come forward and join hands to revive the forgotten glory of 'Miracle Millets' through the grand celebration of International Year of Millets - 2023.

Millets are also an important part of the G-20 meetings, and delegates will get a real millet experience by tasting, meeting farmers, and participating in interactive sessions with start-ups and FPOs.

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