Nutritional Importance of Millets

The rural and tribal population in developing countries depends heavily on cereals and millets for their protein requirements. Millet is a name applied to a number of cereals characterized by their small seed. These are known as “pettit mais” or tropical crops. India is the largest producer of many kinds of millets which are often referred to as coarse cereals. These millets are categorized into major millets (Jowar and Bajra) and minor / small millets which includes several food crops namely finger millet (ragi, Eleusine coracana ), little millet ( kutki, Panicum milliare), Foxtail millet (kangni, Setaria italica) Barnyard millet (sanwan, Echinochloa frumentacea) kodo (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.) and proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L). During the very early ages millets are thought to have been one of the staple foods in Central and Eastern Asia (mainly in China, India and Russia), Eurpoe and some parts of Africa.