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About Millets
Buck wheat ( Fagopyrum escalantum)
The pseudocereals is supposed to be born in China/ India. The crop is sown in India in temperate region.

It is said to be potential food for cold desert. It can be grown in poor infertile acidic soil. Local community has been raising this crop both for grain and fodder. It is good green manure. It is estimated that in India it is grown roughly on 60,000 hac. land having a production of 35,000/ton.

The crop is suitable to local condition and match to local ecology. It does not have importance merely as local crop but is related to honey production also. One hac. of buckwheat can produce 60 kg/ acre. It is interrelated mechanisms that exist between crop and bee. In high altitude insect activities are poor adversely affecting cross pollination. Apple orchard and buckwheat has also been promoted by villagers.

High food energy value (335 mg / 100 gm) buckwheat has 13 proteins, 79 fats, 114 Cal. And 132 iron per 100 gm grain making crops valuable for rural areas where nutritionally rich food is not entailed due to economical region.

In this temperate pseudo cereals contain rut in content in its flowers and leaves making it important for temperate zone. The chemical prevents hazards caused due to high radiation in higher zone. It also help in bringing plasticity in arteries reducing blood pressure. The plant is rich in Vit B, and B2 making it important crop for children.

This crop needs attention as it is soil blinder suitable for poor quality soil. Awareness towards nutritive food has been on demand in recent times and Buckwheat suits well to it. The grain offers several recipes. The noodles are high in demand in Japan. Cookies made up are tasty and rich in minerals and others.

The crops presently face constraints like lack of varietals inputs post harvesting technologies and public awareness towards its ecological richness.

Millets occupy lower position in food crops but are important ecological food security crops for different agro climatic level. They are known for their nutritional quality and can be an immediate subsistence for nutritivescarce community. For the last 5000 years millets have been grown in the world. Since agriculture came very late, millets, were the only dryland crops. India is a major millet producing country in the world, millets are also called coarser grain and because of higher nutritive values are also called nutricereals. India grow mainly jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Kodo (Finger millet) Foxtail millet, Proso millet Etc.

Our agriculture planning now must look into the interest of marginal and small farmers who are more in number and broadly represent the rural farmers of the country. They are having small land holdings and their inputs in agriculture are meager. They are dependent on locally produced seeds and produce such crops which are life support crop for self consumption suiting to their own chemistry in view of the peculiar geographic and climatic conditions. Can there be grains/cereals to cover food scarcity over the globe? Why should not there be regional specific food millets initiative to cover the national food security. It is because a couple of countries or farmers produce a particular group of grain and their surplus get outlet in food security initiatives.

HESCO'S ECOLOGICAL FOOD INITIATIVE

Fifteen hundred families of thirty eight villages of district Chamoli Rudraprayag and Tehri of Uttarakhand are back on millet production. Seven species with 40 varieties are grown by these communities. They have revived their age old agriculture. The new S&T has been equally respected in the venture. Eco- friendly science has been the major introduction. The varietals inputs, appropriate agriculture practices and organic manure have been the major intervention. This is done by HESCO under its Ecological Food Initiatives Mission for nutritional and ecological security.

There are two major steps that warrants immediate attention. Every agro climatic zones have its specific agro produce which also suits the local human needs and taste. The agro produce here has age old bearing with climate, soil and micro environment. The distortion in agri patterns in many places have ruptured ecological sustainability. The local agriculture pattern otherwise has strong environmental relation both with nature and human. The local produce has every thing to do with local human metabolism. Buck wheat and amaranthus in higher altitude meets higher energy requirements of the body in cold desert. Pulses in un irrigated land (environmentally stress areas like hilly terrain and Rajasthan) meets the protein requirements as other source of protein are not available. Change in staple diet in past decades has developed several nutrient and energy deficiencies in local environment is the ultimate governing factor.And since local agriculture and consumption needs are also governed by this single factor, the under-standing of these intricacies must be reflected.

Finger millet

The major millet grain in India after paddy & wheat has also been neglected grossly by the country. The poor land pseucocerea Finger millet has the oldest history. The millet can be grown in all possible land type which have been abandoned due to one or other reason.

The millet is most rich in calcium and said to be poor’s milk. It is rich in protein and carbohydrates and contains high phosphorous content. High content of leucine and other amino acids makes species important above others. The species can produce 15-20 quin/hac with in better inputs or least 6-10 quin/ hac in poor conditions. This millet is grown from Andhra Pradesh to Uttarakhand from sea level to 8000 ft. above msl.

The Finger millet contains important amino acids, vitamins and mineral making it nutritious pseudocereals.

Biotechnology has been able to offer choice on species. There are various high yielding variety available for finger millet now for different agroclimatic region.

This particular crop is also well respected because of its ability to grow in variety of agroclimatic zones also in areas where soil management and other environmental constraints are limiting factor.

Millets are also called Ecological crops as They can bear large Environmental stress. Thery are grown in Diverse soil, varying Rainfall regimes and In areas where thermo Photo periods vary. These can be grown In different ecological niches and whenever crop substitution is difficult one can grow millets. These group of plants secure food and nutritional security. Of course these millets Are grown for human Consumption but their Straw is also an important fodder. The diseases like pest and other rarely occur in them.

All mountain systems are fragile, vulnerable and marginal, only eco friendly crops are important for such ecosystem. Encouraging such crops meaning by sustaining the ecological functioning. Nutritionally these millets are not less than any crop but are more rich in certain aspects.

Nutra Cereals
Small millets are highly nutritious and even superior to rice wheat in certain constituents (Table No. 1). Finger millet is the richest source of calcium (300-350 mg/ 100 gm grain) and other.





Table No.1. Nutrient composition of millets and cereals (per 100 g)
Food grain Protein (g) Carbhohydrates (g) Fat (g) Crude Fibre Mineral Matter (g) Calcium (mg) Phosphorous (mg) Fe (mg)
Millets  
Finger Millet 7.3 72.0 1.3 3.6 2.7 344 283 3.9
Foxtail millet 12.3 60.9 4.3 8.0 3.3 31 290 5.0
Barnyard millet 6.2 65.5 2.2 9.8 4.4 11 280 15.0
 
 
Ecological Food: Nutritional and Ecological Security

Food grain Protein (g) Carbhohydrates (g) Fat (g) Crude Fibre Mineral Matter (g) Calcium (mg) Phosphorous (mg) Fe (mg)
Cereals  
Wheat 11.8 71.2 1.5 1.2 1.5 41 306 5.3
Rice 6.8 78.2 0.5 0.2 0.6 45 160 --


Source:
1. FAO, Nutritional studies, 1970, Rome, Italy
2. Nutritive value of Indian Foods, 1998, NIN, Hyderabad, India

The Small millets are good source of phosphorous and iron too. The protein content range from 7-12% and fat content range from 1.12 to 5.0%. The millet protein has well balanced amino acid profile and good source of methionine, cystine and lysine (Table-2) These essential amino acids are of special benefit to those who look upon plant food for their protein nourishmen specially vegetarians.

Table No. 2: Essential amino acids contents of millets and cereals (g/100 g of protein)

Amino acids Finger Millet Kodo Millet Proso Millet Foxtail Millet Barnyard Millet Wheat Rice
Isoleucin 4.4 3.0 8.1 7.6 8.8 3.3 3.8
Leucine 9.5 6.7 12.2 16.7 16.6 6.7 8.2
Lysine 2.9 3.0 3.0 2.2 2.9 2.8 3.8
Methionine 3.1 1.5 2.6 2.8 1.9 1.5 2.3
Cystine 2.2 2.6 1.0 1.6 2.8 2.2 1.4
Phenyl 5.2 6.0 4.9 6.7 2.2 4.5 5.2
alanine 3.6 3.5 4.0 2.2 2.4 3.0 3.9
Tyrosine 3.8 3.2 3.2 2.7 2.2 2.8 4.1
Threonine 1.6 0.8 0.8 1.0 1.0 1.5 1.4
Tryptophan 6.6 3.8 6.5 6.9 6.4 4.4 5.5
Valine 2.2 1.5 1.9 2.1 1.9 2.3 2.4
Histidine              


Source:
1. FAO, Nutrition studies, 1970, Rome, Italy
2. Nutritive value of Indian Foods, 1998, NIN, Hyderabad, India

Millets are Preventive The millets do have a relationship with both local soil and human ecology. In higher altitude, radiation hazard is prevented by the chemical rutin found in Buckwheat. High mineral requirement in tropical country is met out by Finger millet and so the other cases.

The millets do have a relationship with both local soil and human ecology. In higher altitude, radiation hazard is prevented by the chemical Rutin found in Buckwheat. High mineral requirement in tropical country is met out by Finger millet and so the other cases.

The different kind of millets occurring in the mountain also have quality of prevention of cure of the diseases. For example, for choleric dearrhoea, colic pain and other abdominal patients, ogal is used. Phaphar (Buck wheat) is said to be useful for liver, diabetic patients and is good source of protein. Horse gram is used locally for steady removal of stones from kidney. Hog millet (China) is used for jaundice in villages. For typhoid and pneumonia problems Foxtail Millet are used locally. Husk of Barnyard millet is used for jaundice. Bang jeera (Perilla) oil is mainly are used for massage of newly borne child.

The millet grain contains about 65% carbohydrate, a high proportion of which is in the form of non starchy polysaccharides and dietary fibre which help in prevention of constipation, lowering of blood cholesterol and slow release of glucose to the blood stream during digestion. Millet grains are also rich in important vitamins viz. Thiamine, riboflavin, folin and niacin. It is of interest to note that lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases, duodenal ulcer and hyperglycemia (diabetes) are reported among regular millet consumers. Millet grains are known for good shelf life.

The grains dried to 10-12% moisture can be stored for many years in farm homes. The millet flour and their products also show good shelf life. Besides India, in many countries of Eurasia including China and Japan, Foxtail millet, Proso millet and Barnyard millet have been popular food grains.

Value Addition
The coarser grains have fair scope for different utilization and value addition in our food items. From Foxtail millet with proper processing,Milling, popping and other modern technologies some items can be prepared. Malting of ragi for food uses is in practice from time memorial in southern India. In rural areas of Uttarakhand foxtail millet is taken as staple diet. Tribals (Bhotia) of Uttarakhand make chappati, halwa and delicious sweets. During fair and festivals they prepare sweets and non vegetarian food items. Bajra is eaten in major districts of Rajasthan and many delicious food items are prepared like Dhokla, khicri, halwa etc. Among tribal communities in Jharkhand fermented beverage from finger millet "Hadia" is very popular.

Snacks, supplementary foods, malt based products, weaning foods and health foods can be made. Finger millet flour can be mixed with wheat flour for the preparation of bread and cookies.

Name of crop No. of village Production local (q/hac) High Yield variety (q/y) Variety
Buck wheat 05 8.00 19.4 Himapriya
Foxtail millet 12 8.00 11.8 PRK-1
Finger millet 11 14.0 21.03 VL-204
Rice bean 10 6.0 9.03 RBL-1
Amarnathus 09 12.5 22.00 Annapurna
Horse gram 11 7.0 9.7 VL-Gahat


The higher production has brought revolutionary impact in village and the biotechnology to retrive balance in ecological crops have been well established.

The nutritions food prepared matches the local nutritional need also, particularly women and children. This also offer chance of new market avenues for urban areas as health food, Ecological food etc.

THE TASK
Millets are less known for technology development due to less importance accorded by the development agencies. The technologies have been limited and there is a vast untapped potential or productivity potential in these crops. The know how behind cultivation of millets consist of no cost inputs, timely and efficient farm practices, low cost inputs (seed) and organic compost.

The technologies to be adopted for these crops will be different from those in majority cereals and commercial crops, particularly in hilly, tribal and remote areas. Strategies are required in case of plenty, scanty or delayed rains. Millets are a better choice under such situations. They area photo insensitive, early maturing and drought in the agricultural policy and food security initiatives and should not be limited to couple of grains only.

Increasing irrigation needs has also threatened the water status globally. Presently, about 70% of total water is used in agri-commerce depriving other water applications. Besides other measures, traditional, pro poor, pro people, pro environment agriculture will have to be initiated essentially in the light of new S&T. and there stand coarser grain as an answer which is less water intensive agriculture.
 
 
  About Dr. Joshi
Dr. Anil Prakash Joshi is well known in India for being an innovator in both ...
  
 
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