International Year of Millets 2023

Why is in news? MoU signed between Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and NAFED to boost International Year of Millets (IYOM)-2023

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited in New Delhi on 4^th October, 2022, to boost the initiative visioned by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to promote Millets towards celebration of the International Year of Millets 2023.

Both organizations will work together for the promotion and marketing of millet-based products, keeping in view the initiative of “International Year of Millets (IYOM)-2023” proposed by the Government of India to the United Nations, which is to be celebrated across the world.

As India is gearing up to bring millet back on the global map, they will build support and organize, promote, market, and forge effective market linkages for millet-based products to maximize the value capture and millet-based commodities across the country.

DA&FW and NAFED will collaborate in key areas like - (i) facilitating advisory support to manufacturers/processors of millet-based products to develop value-added millet-based commodities; (ii) on-boarding of start-ups, inclusive of start-ups empanelled with Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR); (iii) formation of FPOs specifically for developing a range of millet-based products; (iv) promote and market millet-based products through the network of NAFED Bazaar Stores and other institutions linked with NAFED as well as installation of Millet based Vending Machines at various locations across Delhi-NCR; and (v) dispensing millet-based products that shall assist in establishing the focus on millet-based commodities.

India's proposal to observe an International Year of Millets in 2023 has been approved at the by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

India is celebrating 2018 as the national year of millets.

Millet is a collective term referring to a number of small-seeded annual grasses that are cultivated as grain crops, primarily on marginal lands in dry areas in temperate, subtropical and tropical regions.

Some of the common millets available in India are Ragi (Finger millet), Jowar (Sorghum), Sama (Little millet), Bajra (Pearl millet), and Variga (Proso millet).

Millets are less expensive and nutritionally superior to wheat & rice owing to their high protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals like iron content.