We, representatives from farmer organizations, civil society groups, scientific community and development academics have met at the National Institute of Rural Development, Rajendranagar as members of the Millet Network of India [MINI] on June 5th and 6th in the National Consultation on Millets and resolved that Millets are the future of Indias food and farming and therefore it is time for the policy makers to wake up to this reality.

The two day national consultation organized by the Millet Network of India has confirmed our belief and practice that millets are truly the miracle grains. We have also discussed the various facets of millet based farming systems, and have come to the conclusion that with their capacity for multiple securities such as Food Security, Fodder Security, Health and Nutritional Security, Livelihood Security and Ecological Security, millets are the food and farming future of India. This leads us to suggest the renaming of millets as nutri-cereals.

Besides its long list of credentials, millets can grow under completely rainfed conditions and therefore do not need irrigation for their cultivation. They can be raised in the harshest of environments and therefore can support farming in the most challenged ecological zones. They can earn India energy independence since they can be farmed with either none or very minimum external inputs. This potential of millets has the capacity to make millet farmers food sovereign.

Unfortunately over the last three decades millets have been progressively marginalized from the Indian agriculture and have lost nearly 35% of their cultivated area from 45.9 Mha in 1990 to 31.5 Mha in 2005. A slew of policy measures that have ignored millets, a hostile market and their social undermining by many sectors including media have been the root cause for this marginalization.

Therefore there is an imperative need to reclaim millets into our farming and policy landscape. In order to realize this: we are demanding/urging/exhorting

1. The first need is to put millets into the Public Distribution System. Different parts of India grow different kinds of millets. Rajasthan along with a large part of Rainfed India cultivates Pearl Millet [Bajra]. Deccan plateau [Marathwada in Maharashtra, Telangana in Andhra Pradesh and North Karnataka in Karnataka] is well known for sorghum. Southern Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Southern Karnataka are the home of Finger millet [Ragi]. Uttarakhand and other hill and tribal areas cultivate a range of small millets such as Foxtail, Proso, Kodo and Barnyard. The Indian PDS system will be enriched with the high nutritive quality of these millets if they are included in it.
2. A nutritive analysis of millets vis a vis the major grains such as rice and wheat prove that nutrient to nutrient, millets score over the other grains. They have 30 to 300% more nutritional elements such as Calcium, Minerals, Iron, Fibre, Beta Carotine and many other micronutrients,
3. The pro millet PDS paradigm must depend on a completely decentralized approach, supported by the government, both in procurement and in storage. This will resolve the question of availability and keeping quality.
4. Government must urgently provide space for millet based foods in the ICDS, school meals and welfare hostel programmes
5. All these together will open up new markets for millet farmers and revitalize them.
6. There are a number of institutional mechanisms that needs to be created, nurtured and developed.

Enabling conditions

1. Millets need a number of enabling conditions. One of them is to increase livestock which are local breeds and adapted to local ecosystems. This will create a symbiotic relationship between the farming and pastoralism, such as increased organic manure, fodder availability, milk production and increased incomes for farmers.
2. The rainfed lands where millets are grown need urgent attention for their productivity enhancement. This could be achieved through special watersheds on millet lands and dovetailing government’s empowerment programmes such as NREGA to support millet cultivation from sowing to harvesting.
3. Millet farms are intrinsically biodiverse. This aspect must not be overlooked. Therefore farming system development should become the aim and not single crop development. The monitoring, evaluation and research on millet cultivation must be tailored to this special quality of millet farming system.
4. Policy makers and donors must take note of the fact that millets make way for a dynamic diversity on farmers fields.
5. Millets can be cultivated without using groundwater or any irrigated water. Their energy requirement from sources such as chemical fertilizers, pesticides, water and power can be near zero. Therefore this production system must be honored through offering socio-ecological bonus to millet growing farmers. Appropriate institutional mechanisms must be developed to assess this.
6. Institutional finance and insurance which is offered generously to farmers who cultivate preferred grains such as rice and wheat and non food crops must be extended to millet farmers also.
7. Research institutions must concentrate on a new thrust on millet areas and issues. But such research initiatives must be led by farmers since they offer exciting perspectives for the research which has to be people-centered and people directed.

MARKETS

1. Apart from the focus on community-controlled local food security, millets should enter the new and emerging markets for the burgeoning health conscious, urban populations with value addition as health food using appropriate processing and other technologies.
2. A network of NGO-facilitated markets which promote millets from their areas is key to this market promotion. This rescues millets from the trap of the corporate controlled organic markets which have narrow parameters of profit and not the wider concept of millets.
3. This should ultimately lead to an autonomous federation of millet growing farmers markets.

EDUCATION

1. There is an urgent need to produce a range of educational materials highlighting the nutritious values of millets addressing the consumers and ecological values of millets addressing the farmers.
2. Countrywide there are excellent practices and experiences concerning millet farming, processing and cooking. These must be documented and experiences shared and information disseminated.
3. Farmer Exchanges can be key to the revival of millets. Such exchanges should be supported through appropriate funding support in order to build a new confidence and vibrancy among millet farming community.

For
[p v satheesh]
National Convenor
Millet Network of India

[Endorsed by farmers, scientists, development academics and civil society activists from the states of Delhi, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, major millet growing states of India]

1. Sri D Srinivasulu, Commissioner for Agriculture, Andhra Pradesh
2. Dr. P Raghavareddy, Vice Chancellor, ANGRAU
3. Mr. M Subramanyam, Joint Director for Fertilizers, Hyderabad
4. Dr R Hampaiah, Chari, Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board
5. Dr B K Sinha, Director General, NIRD, Hyderabad
6. Dr. B. Sesi Keran, NIN, Secunderabad, A.P.
7. Dr Thapliyal, Prof & Head, CAS & DM, NIRD, Hyderabad
8. Mr P V Satheesh, DDS, Hyderabad
9. Dr. DVLN Prakash Rao, NIRD, Hyderabad
10. Dr. Someshwar Rao, NBPGR,  Hyderabad
11. Mr N Sri Rammurthy,  Sakthi, Hyderabad, A.P
12. Mr. Sanyasi Rao, Anthra, Hyderabad, A.P
13. Ms. Amala, Anthra, Hyderabad, A.P
14. Mr. Madhu, Yakshi, Hyderabad, A.P.
15. Mr. H. R. Prakash, Artic, Srikakulam, A.P
16. Mr. K. Suresh, WASSAN, Hyderabad, A.P
17. Mr. Abdul Karim, Rural Development Trust (RDT), Anantapur, A.P
18. Mr.  Joginaidu, Sarada Vally Development Samithi(SVDS), A.P
19. Mr. K. Siva Prasad, Action Food Production (AFPRO), Secunderabad, A.P
20. Mr. Rama Mohan, Centre for World Solidarity, Secunderabad, A.P
21. Mr. Shaik Anwar, OXFAM (I) Trust, Secunderabad, A.P.
22. Dr. K. S. Varaprasad, NBPGR, Hyderabad, A.P
23. Dr. K. N. Rai, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, A.P.
24. Dr. A C Jena, NIRD, Hyderabad, A.P.
25. Dr. Radhika Rani, NIRD, Hyderabad, A.P.
26. Dr. P. Rajyalakshmi, ANGRAU, Hyderabad, A.P.
27. Dr. Vijaya Khadir, ANGRAU, Hyderabad, A.p.
28. Dr. Vimala, ANGRAU, Hyderabad, A.P.
29. Dr. Hd. Upadhyaya, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, A.P.
30. Mr. Qayum, DDS, Hyderabad
31. Mr. R. Lakshmi Prasad, ETV, Hyderabad
32. Ms. Usha, SABALA, Hyderabad
33. Ms. Salome Yesudas,  Hyderabad
34. Ms Chendramma, Farmer, DDS, Andhra Pradesh
35. Ms. Kamalamma, Farmer, Andhra Pradesh
36. Ms. Laxmamma, Farmer, Andhra Pradesh
37. Ms Chinna Narsamma, Farmer, DDS, Andhra Pradesh
38. Ms. Kanchi Kohli, Kalpvriksh, New Delhi
39. Mr. Mihir Kumar Kundu, IAVE, New Delhi
40. Mr. Sanjay K Rai, Fian Indian, New Delhi
41. Mr. Balasaheb Gaikwad, Janwadi Gramavikas Pratisthan, Maharashtra
42. Mr. Vijay Jawandhia, Shetkari Sanghatana, Maharashtra
43. Mr. Ganpat Bothale, PALVI, Maharashtra
44. Mr. Balnath Sonawane, Lokpanchyat, Maharashtra
45. Ms. Anuja Krishna, ECONET, Maharashtra
46. Ms. Pushpashree Nayak, MASS, Orissa
47. Mr. Amulya Baul, AGRAGAMEE, Orissa
48. Mr. Debjeet Sarangi, Living Farms , Orissa
49. Mr. Prasanth Narayanan, DULAL, Orissa
50. Mr. Ruturaj Patnaik, & Manoranjan Mohanty, RCDC, Orissa
51. Mr. Rajat Yadav, SSS, M.P.
52. Mr. G. Nammalwar & Mr. Murali, Tamilnadu
53. Mr. Robert Leo, Keystone Foundation, Tamilnadu
54. Mr. V. S. Yuvaraj, SCINDA, Tamilnadu
55. Mr. P. Senthil Kumar, Journalist, Tamilnadu
56. Mr. Jayachandran, OFAI, Tamilnadu
57. dr. DD Bharmagowdru, Dharitri, Karnataka
58. Mr. Arifulla, VGKK, Karnataka
59. Prof. T.N. Prakash, University of Agriculture Sciences, Karnataka
60. Mr. Ningappa, Green Foundation, Karnataka
61. Mr. Rajan Nair, Sathia Darsana Shylam, Kerala
62. Mr. C. P Kova, Prayaga, Kerala
63. Mr. I. S. Khairwal, AICRP, Rajasthan
64. Dr. Ardhendu Chatterjee, DRCSC, West Bengal