Why millet is being called a superfood
During my childhood, I often used to go to my grandparents' house in Uttar Pradesh. I used to see that my grandmother was eating plain jowar-bajra roti.
She would gradually add water to the dough and knead it and after preparing the dough, she would make it into small pieces. After this, she would keep those dough balls in between the palms of both hands and pat them slowly. Without a rolling pin, she would make round rotis by tapping between the palms of both hands and then bake them on an earthen stove, on a wooden flame.
When she used to serve me rotis, I used to prick my nose. I never understood why she gives so much importance to coarse cereals like jowar and millet instead of thin, soft and soft rotis to eat.
But a few years ago, I too started eating the same things that my grandmother used to eat. I removed wheat flour from my kitchen and replaced it with millet flour.
Although now I have to work harder in eating roti, but still I could not give it up because after eating this roti for a few days I myself felt that it is more healthy.
Growing trend of coarse cereals
I am not the only one to eat coarse cereals instead of flour.
Agricultural experts have been doing this for the past few years. In the last few years, many such crops have returned to the fields and such food in the plates, which was completely forgotten till some time ago.
Dr. Jacqueline Hoggs, Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, says, "Solid global efforts to bring coarse grain back to the field and to the plate and remove the 'forgotten crop' tag on it. Effort is needed."
The year 2018 was celebrated as the 'Year of Millets' in India. Apart from this, accepting India's proposal, the United Nations has decided to celebrate the year 2023 as the 'International Year of Millets' .
According to reports, this year people will be made aware about the health benefits of coarse cereals. Along with this, people will also be told about their usefulness for farming.
Coarse grains can grow even in poor soils and they do not require as much pesticide comparatively.
All good coarse cereals
According to Dr. Hoggs, "Coarse grains are rapidly making a comeback. They are being recognized as smart foods because they are good for the earth, for farmers and for your health."
She says, “They do not require a lot of water and grow easily in high temperatures. These crops are good for farmers because they are easier to grow than other crops and at the same time they are resistant to insects. Coarse grains are good for health as they are rich in nutrients. According to studies, millet helps in controlling diabetes and improves cholesterol level. Removes zinc and iron deficiency. And most importantly, it is gluten-free."
It is not surprising that health experts are showing interest in coarse cereals.
There are about 80 million diabetic patients in India. About 17 million people die of heart disease every year and more than 33 lakh children in the country are malnourished, more than half of whom are severely malnourished.
Experts believe that this will not be an impossible task for India as coarse grains have been the main source of food for Indians for years.
Has been the main source of food for centuries
According to Vilas Tonpi, director of the Indian Institute of Millet Research, the food grains that mankind has been aware of since time immemorial are coarse grains like barley and millet.
He says, “Bajra etc. was also grown during the Indus Valley Civilization. It is cultivated in 21 states and each state and region has its own variety of cereals which are not only part of their food culture but also their religious rituals. are also a part of."
India produces about 14 million tonnes of millet annually. Not only this, India is also the largest millet producing country in the world.
According to Vilas Tonpi, "But in the last 50 years the cultivable land has come down from 38 million hectares to 13 million hectares and with this the yield has come down to 6% today as compared to the decline in the yield of millet in the 1960s. "
According to Dr Tonpi, the decline in the production of millet in the country started in 1969-70.
Vilas Tonpi explains, “By that time India was receiving food aid and importing food grains to feed a large population. To become self-sufficient in the food sector and to overcome malnutrition, there was a Green Revolution in India. And as a result high yielding varieties of rice and wheat were started to be grown."
In India, between 1960 and 2015, wheat production more than tripled and rice production increased by 800 percent. But during this period the production of coarse grains like millet remained low.
Coarse grains
Dr. Hoggs says, "In the past years, there has been a lot of emphasis on increasing the yield of rice and wheat, and during this time millet and many other traditional foods have been neglected and due to which their production has been affected."
She says, "It is not that easy to cook them and in today's time no one even has that much time. They have been used very rarely for decades. The market has also neglected them. But you should know this It's important to have different flavors and different types of nutrients on your plate."
To do this, she says, "To do this, the crops that have been forgotten will also have to be given the same attention as rice-wheat and other commercial crops."
Efforts to increase the demand for millet
Agricultural scientists had suggested many measures to bring these coarse grains back into practice and the results of their suggested strategy are also visible now.
According to Dr. Tonpi, an increase of 146 percent has been registered in the demand for millet in the last two years. Cookies, chips, puffs and other items made from coarse grains such as millet are being sold in supermarkets and online stores.
Millions of people are being given millets and coarse grains at the rate of Re 1 per kg through the Public Distribution System. In some states, dishes made from these coarse grains are being served for lunch as well.