Returning To Millet, Crop Of Ancestors, To Improve Food Security

ANKARA, Feb 5 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Feb, 2023 ) :At the 18th G20 Summit to be held in the Indian capital New Delhi on Sept. 9-10, hosts plan to serve guests millet-based culinary delights prepared by master chefs to promote the long-forgotten crop that has been displaced by other staple foods.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement recently at a luncheon for members of parliament, where all dishes from appetizers to main courses and desserts were made with millet.

The UN has also declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets to promote it as an alternative crop and also address the serious issue of food security and environmental problems caused by the cultivation of traditional crops such as rice and wheat in many parts of the world.

According to the world organization, an estimated 690 million people suffered from chronic malnutrition in 2019. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened concerns about food security and caused widespread disruptions to food systems, leading to potential food insecurity for millions more.

Experts believe that many areas around the world, including parts of India's Gangetic Plain and the North China Plain, have become infertile due to repeated cultivation of rice and wheat.

"Excessive cultivation and monocultures lead to soil degradation, nutrient depletion, and loss of soil fertility, resulting in declining crop yields and soil degradation. To mitigate this problem, farmers need to adopt sustainable agricultural practices such as crop rotation, soil conservation, and alternative crops," Abhay Jha, an agronomist, told Anadolu.

He, therefore, believes that millet can play an important role in improving food security by providing a sustainable and nutritious food source, especially in regions affected by climate change and water scarcity.

Millet is a small-grain cereal that includes sorghum, pearl millet, foxtail millet, small millet, kodo millet, finger millet, panicle millet, bovine millet, and brown millet.

- Ideal to substitute poppy cultivation in Afghanistan Particularly in arid and aerated Afghanistan, where food crops remain a problem, millet is an ideal crop to promote in the country to replace poppy cultivation. According to experts, millets are well adapted to the country's agroclimatic conditions and can provide farmers with a reliable source of food and income, especially in areas where water is scarce.

However, to encourage cultivation, there needs to be greater public awareness of the nutritional and economic benefits of millet, technical and financial support for farmers, and improved supply chain and market linkages for millet.

UN officials explain that the idea of declaring 2023 the International Year of Millet was aimed at raising awareness of the nutritional and economic importance of this forgotten crop and promoting its cultivation and consumption.

"The aim is to increase recognition of millet as a staple food and promote its use in food security and poverty alleviation initiatives, particularly in developing countries where it plays an important role in the food security of millions of people. It is expected that the declaration will also lead to more investment and research in millet production, processing, and use," a statement by the UN said.