A review on botanical, phytochemical, nutritional and pharmacological properties of M major millets in India

A review on botanical, phytochemical, nutritional and pharmacological properties of M major millets in India

Millets are a group of highly variable small seeded annual grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. The United Nations General Assembly has declared the year 2023 as International Year of Millets with the aim of spreading awareness on the contribution of millets to food security and nutrition while also scaling up the sustainable production and quality of millets. India is the largest producer of millets in the world. India’s two varieties of millets namely Pearl millet (baajra) and Sorghum (jowar) together contribute approx 19 per cent in world production in 2020. Finger millet, Proso millet, and Foxtail millet are also important crop species. The major millets producing states in India are Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Currently, together these ten states accounts for around 98 per cent in millets production in India during the period 2020-21. Present review aims at evaluating the botanical, chemical, nutritional and pharmacological properties of major millets being cultivated in India.