Implications of Nutricereals on Consumers

Introduction

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has declared the year 2023 to be the “International Year of Millets.” “Millets are fantastic, nutrient-dense, ancient crops,” said Q.U Dongyu, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Millets have the potential to significantly contribute to a wide range of socioeconomic and social goals, including the empowerment of smallholder farmers, the eradication of poverty, the adaptation to climate change, the promotion of biodiversity, and the transformation of agri-food systems (Banerjee, 2022).

The concern is on the nutritious value that is attached to millets, In recent years, the growth prospects of the millets market have been helped significantly by the rising interest that is being shown in revitalising the consumption of millets across a variety of countries. In addition, several programmes are currently being done to increase millet production and consumption to lower the risk of health complications carried on by diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular illnesses. It has been essential for the growth of the millet sector that millet suppliers and enterprises that manufacture food and beverages work together to develop unified strategies for meeting the demand for millet products.

Many inhabitants have relied on millets as their primary food source for centuries. Millets are home-grownup crops in many counties of the world- Asia & Africa, although they are believed to have originated in tropical western Africa through evolutionary processes. Millets have been grown in Africa and East Asia for the past 10,000 years. India is one of the biggest producers of millets in the world. Millets are a complex group of cereals that include fonio, sorghum (also called “large millet”), proso, foxtail, barnyard, teff, Kodo, browntop, pearl, small, finger, and Guinea millets, among others. Millets are resistant to climate change and may thrive in dry environments with little to no additional water or fertiliser. As a result, they are a perfect alternative for nations that wish to enhance their level of self-sufficiency and decrease their dependency on cereal grains imported from other countries. The ability of millets to help farmers adapt to and survive in the face of climate change, malnutrition, and other major challenges is attracting increasing interest from governments and businesses. India has announced its intention to make the International Year of Millets 2023 a “People's Movement” and to make the country the “Global Hub for Millets.”(Sahoo & Mahapatra, 2023). Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries contributed 73% growth in real terms to global value-added between 2000 and 2019, which amounted to USD 3.5 trillion in 2018. (FAO Statistical Yearbook 2021- World Food and Agriculture, 2021)

Consumption of millet around the world is down 0.9% from a year ago, but it's forecast to rise between 2019 and 2024. There will be more than $12 billion worth of millets sold by 2025, up from more than $9 billion now. As a result of supportive government measures, the worldwide millets market is expected to expand rapidly between 2019 and 2025. The reason is that there exists a greater propensity among the urban population in Asia and the Pacific region to consume nutritious food.

India has become a permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador TS Tirumurti said “To improve production efficiency, get more money for research and development, and make more connections in the food industry, it is important to make consumers, manufacturers, and decision-makers aware of the nutritional and environmental value of millets.” Now, Millets have been experiencing a resurgence in global production and consumption due to their nutritional benefits, climate resilience, and sustainability.