74th Republic Day Parade: ICAR Tableau Displayed Millets at Kartavya Path

The International Year of Millets 2023 theme was one of the special attractions of the 74th Republic Day parade on the recently renovated Kartavya Path on Thursday, January 26 presented by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Tableau.

The ICAR's tableau showed the thriving jowar, bajra, ragi, kutki, and sanwa crops. A rangoli made of millet grains was placed on the tractor in front of the tableau.

At the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), 72 nations supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi's declaration that 2023 will be the International Year of Millets. Following this, the UNGA declared 2023 to be the International Year of Millets, which began on that date in official form.

Additionally, this year's G20 presidency is being held in India, which increases the significance of this specific tableau even further. Global and regional food security has long been one of the Group of 20's top priorities.

Small-seeded grasses that are frequently referred to as "nutri-cereals" are considered to as millet. Some of them are jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet), ragi (finger millet), kutki (little millet), kakun (foxtail millet), cheena (proso millet), sawa (barnyard millet), and kodo millet (kodon). Currently, millets are being promoted as "super food."

India’s Millets Trade & Production

With a 2.5 million hectare production area and a market share of more than 15%, India is recognized as a global leader in millet production. Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana are the states that produce millet. During 2021–2022, India exported millet products worth $34.32 million. India exported millets worth $26.97 million in 2020–2021 as compared to $28.5 million in 2019–2020. UAE, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Oman, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, the UK, and the US are India's top millet exporting nations.