Millets may be the flavor of the year on Indian tables, but on ground they face challenges, losing out to commercial crops. Suryakala, a 45-year old farmer from Metlakunta village in Sangareddy district, articulates this paradox well. “Many small farmers in our villages want to grow millets, pulses and the old crops as they are the best suitable crops on those lands. But they are shifting to commercial crops because of subsidies and MSP,” she says.

Out of the nine millet that are grown in the country, only three - jowar, Bajara, Ragi - get MSP (minimum support price).

Suryakala is part of a group – All India Millet Sisters Network – that has gathered over the weekend at Pastapur, the headquarters of Deccan Development Society (DDS), 120 km away from Hyderabad, to discuss the status of millet farming.

The DDS is driving millet cultivation through community participation, which is solely led by small women farmers, for over 40 years.

“As of now we are making sure that we grow millets for household consumption but government should fix an MSP for all the millets and buy the surplus from us. They should distribute these grains in our anganwadis, schools and PDS so that people will eat them,” she says.

Swaroopa, a farmer from Yadadri village, elaborates. “Our crops (millets) are good for people, environment and livestock. However, government is giving insurance, subsidy and procurement only to commercial crops which consume too much water and rely on harmful pesticides.”

Heritage crop

At the end of the daylong gathering, Telangana Millet Sisters, who are part of the national network, put out a charter of demands. They want the State and Central Governments to recognise millet as a ‘heritage crop’ and take measures to push for its revival.

They also demand revival of local landraces instead of pushing for hybrid seeds. “We need to set up a chain of community seed banks which ensure that the control of seeds remains with the farmer,” they said.

“The ecosystem services offered by millet and mixed-cropping farms that follow traditional organic practices must be recognised and rewarded with an incentive bonus of ₹10,000 per crop season to encourage such cultivation,” they said.’ “The governments must extend insurance cover to millet crops as they are vulnerable to non-climatic risks from birds and animals,” they argue. Will their demands be met?

Published on December 24, 2023