Ms. Priyanshi Sharma will present her MTP2 as per the details:

Date: 26th June 2026

Time: 1200 - 1300 hrs.

Venue: C-TARA Conference Room No.1

Title: Minor Millets: Assessing their Rise as Future Superfoods

Guide: Prof. Amit Y. Arora

Examiners: Prof. Sarthak Gaurav, Prof. G. N. Hariharan

Abstract: 

India's agricultural shift during the green revolution pushed minor millets such as Kodo, Little millet, Foxtail millet, Barnyard millet, Browntop millet and Proso millet, to the margins of the food system. Cultivated mainly by tribal and smallholder communities on rainfed uplands across central and southern India, these crops grow with minimal water and inputs, demonstrate strong tolerance to drought and heat, and carry a lower carbon footprint than major irrigated cereals. Despite this ecological advantage, they received limited attention in terms of procurement, research, and market support for several decades. The 2023 International Year of Millets and growing interest in nutritious foods, climate-resilient crops have brought renewed attention to them. This study examines what that revival looks like on the ground.

Building on MTP-1, which established the nutritional and ecological advantages of minor millets through secondary data analysis, this thesis conducts field-based research across three districts: Koraput (Odisha), Kanker (Chhattisgarh), and Dindori (Madhya Pradesh). These sites were selected to represent distinct policy models for millet promotion. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, group discussions, direct observation, and review of district-level government documents.

The study finds that the yield gap in minor millet cultivation is primarily institutional, not agronomic. Where improved practices, quality seed, and procurement support are available together productivity and farmer income improve significantly. Where one or more of these elements are missing, the crop remains confined to subsistence. The policy analysis identifies five conditions required for effective millet promotion, and highlights a significant policy asymmetry, while Finger millet benefits from a well-established procurement system linked to a central Minimum Support Price, all minor millets continue to depend primarily on state-level initiatives. The value chain analysis shows that although millet products generate large price increases from farm gate to retail, inadequate processing machinery and thin margins at the FPO level keep most of that gain away from producers. On the demand side, the study finds that the risk of elite capture is emerging but not yet dominant, and its future trajectory will depend on how quickly institutional safeguards develop alongside commercial market growth.

The study concludes that the future viability of minor millets depends more on institutional support than on agronomic potential alone. The crops have the nutritional profile, ecological resilience, and market potential to justify the "superfood" label. Whether the communities who grow them benefit from it depends on procurement infrastructure, price support, and farmer-centred institutions being built before commercial demand matures.

Keywords: Minor Millets, Kodo-Kutki, Odisha Millet Mission, Millet Value Chain, MSP, Superfood, Tribal Agriculture, Food Systems, India, Chhattisgarh Millet Mission, ODOP, Climate Resilience.