Cultivation of millets for Food Security and Economic prosperity in Nepal

• राष्ट्रिय खाद्य बैंक लिमिटेड
• २०८० मङ्सिर २८

Cultivation of millets for Food Security and Economic prosperity in Nepal

Chhabi Lal Paudel

Research, Innovation and Development Section Head

Rastriya Khadya Bank Limited

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) is main millet commodity cultivated in Nepal which have 267071 ha area and production is 339462 metric ton. Other cultivated millets in Nepal are Proso millet ( Panicum miliaceum) which is called Chino, Foxtail mille ( Setaria italica ), Kaguno, Pearl millet ( penniestum typhoides), Bajara and sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor), Junelo of which production statistics is not available. Barnyard millet ( Echinochola frumentacea), Sawa and Kodo millet ( Paspalum scrobiculatum) are cultivated in nominal areas and treated as weeds in other large area. Millets can be successfully cultivated in Nepal from Terai to Himalayan region, up to the altitude range  of 3000 m from the sea level. Proso millet and foxtail millets are of Chinese/ Mongolian origin and finger millet, pearl millet and sorghum are of African origin which are regarded as the indigenous  crop species of Nepal. There is a lot of local varietal diversity in proso millet, finger millet and foxtail millet.

Millets are the small  grains that are highly nutritious for the human beings. They are naturally gluten free cereals. Millets contain 7 to 15 percent protein depending upon different types of millets. Carbohydrate content is lower than rice, wheat and maize. Millets are the good source of minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber and thus regarded as the super food. Millets have low glycemic index which is helpful in managing blood sugar level. We can get nutritional and health benefits by consuming millets. Millets have high fiber content and antioxidant properties which help in heart health, body weight loss and gut health. Improvement in bone health, reduced risk of certain cancers and more absorption nutrients from other sources of foods taken in the same time is scientifically proven fact.

Millets can serve as a dietary staple food providing a significant portion of daily caloric intake. Many food products are  prepared from millets according to taste and cultural importance of the certain place. Millets can be cooked like rice as a porridge, soups and stews. Millets are good source of high quality baby food. Millets grains can be ground into flour to make bread, pan cake, Sel Roti and many other salty and sweet items of snacks. Millets have quality of cooking, baking and popping to prepare different types of food products. Tin Pane, our famous traditional beverage is also made from millets. Millets can be used in making beer and other alcoholic beverages by milling and brewing. Versatile food products can be prepared from millets according to the cultural demand of the society.

Millets have great role in farming systems of Nepal. Millets are the drought tolerant hardy crops and can be successfully cultivated in different agroecological zones of the country. Sorghum and pearl millet can be concentrated in hot and dry areas. Proso millet and foxtail millet can be cultivated in highland areas. Finger millet can be cultivated everywhere. Water requirement is very less in millet cultivation compared to rice. Millets require 70% less water than rice and do not disturb soil health like rice. Water stagnation in the field kills a lot of soil flora and fauna which are very useful in crop production. All the residual plant materials of millets after harvesting seeds can be used as a fodder to the livestock. Millets grains are also good source of animal and bird feed. The millet biomass can also be used in mulching, composting, thatching and handicraft making. The below ground biomass includes the root systems of the millets which is almost equal to the above ground biomass which is very good for the soil biology and maintaining good soil health.  

Millets are very important cereal commodities to address the problem of food insecurity of the country. The skyrocketing food import situation of the country is indicating the hunger and  dangerous days ahead for us. Nepal must seek the ways and means of self sustaining food systems within the country for its survivability and prosperity. Promotion of millets can bring food self-sufficiency in the country. Millets can be successfully cultivated in rainfed situation of Nepal. Rain water is sufficient for its growth and development. Millets are of short duration crop and can be cultivated as a catch crop if other main crops are failed. They require less production input and less tillage. They can be cultivated in cost effective way. Millets are nutrient dense crops and by increasing their production and consumption, malnutrition rate can also be decreased together with maintaining food security. Millets are suitable crops for our micro climates and diversified agro ecosystems of the different ecological regions of the country. Policy recognition and  priority is urgently needed for its promotion. Traditionally millets were the minor underutilized crop species which are not fully recognized by the government and donor groups. Research and development of  millets is very weak. Now millets cultivation is gaining popularity from international communities and many national governments due to its suitability in the climate changed context. Nepal is most vulnerable country due to climate change. Millets are climate resilient crops. They have very low carbon foot print. They are good for nutritional value, soil health and significantly reduce green house gas emissions. They have great role in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Millets can contribute for achieving several sustainable development goals like Zero hunger(SDG 2), good health and well being (SDG 3), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), decent work and economic growth ( SDG 8), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12) and climate action (SDG 13). By realizing this, UN, FAO celebrated year 2023 as a millets year to create awareness on millets and to promote it globally for food security.  India is giving high priority for millets cultivation. Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR) under UN is redirecting its resources on millets research and development. International Crops Research Institute on Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is mandated to do research and development on millets globally. This organization is developing millets production and processing technologies for the poor nations of the world. Nepal has free access of varieties and technologies developed by ICRISAT. National Hill Crops Research Programme (NHCRP), Nepal Agriculture Research Council (NARC) is responsible for doing research in millets in Nepal. Hill crops research programme is located in Kavre, Dolakha district. National hill crops research programme coordinates with ICRISAT for bringing technologies and varieties from ICRISAT.  ICRISAT also provides training to NARC scientists and extension personnel about millets and legumes research and development. NARC is responsible for developing technologies and department of agriculture is responsible for disseminating technologies to the producer farmers. Farmers can get technologies of millets production from NARC, ICRISAT, private  companies and agriculture service providers for enhancing production and profitability. For maximizing yield per unit area and minimizing environmental impact, farmers need to adopt suitable technologies according to the local micro climatic environment. Millet species and varietal selection, conservation tillage, moisture management, agroecological practices, integrated pest management, erosion control, resource efficient practices, waste reduction and circularity and education and training to the farmers are some of the important technologies and activities  for millets cultivation. Research have to develop climate smart millets production technologies.

Market guarantee for producer is great incentives for the millets producer. Market demand of millets is increasing day by day due to its tremendous health benefits.  There is high demand of millets from the health conscious urban consumers in recent years.  Nearest market is the most reliable market for the powerless small producers and also to the poor consumers. Therefore, strengthening existing value chain and developing local new value chains in millets is urgently needed to take benefit from the millets farming in the country. Local food banks and local seed banks have also great role in local value chain development. Farmer training and community support is also crucial. Government should develop minimum infrastructure for value chain development like processing facilities, product diversification, quality standard, value addition, transport and law and order situation. Local millets production, processing and product diversification activities should be linked with agrotourism and with urban and rural market centers.

Millets production is a sustainable and versatile agriculture practice that can simultaneously address multiple challenges including food security, climate change mitigation and rural economic development. Millets by nature are climate resilient and are successful in increasing food production in areas of our country where there is frequent other crop failure due to drought.  Millets are nutrient rich food source and combat malnutrition and improve food security in remote rural area. Millets are very much suitable in crop rotation and in local cropping patterns and are good crop for atmospheric carbon sequestration into the soil through their root system. Rural income generation is possible through millets farming, processing, value addition and product diversification. Millets are highly potential crops for Nepal. Their production should be increased in the country  for the food import substitution and local economic prosperity. Therefore government should prioritize millets research and implement promotional activities in all districts of the country. Then there will be successful participation from family farms, agribusinesses, processors and other value chain actors for millets cultivation, processing and marketing.