Empowering Health & Sustainability: Urvara Krsi’s Initiative in the International Year of Millets 2023

In our social media posts earlier this year, we wrote about millets in general. We are now posting an update on Urvara Krsi’s small contribution towards generating awareness of minor millets from Madhya Pradesh.

The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the United Nations (UN) have recognized 2023 as the International Year of Millets, or IYM2023, to raise awareness about the health and nutritional benefits of millets for everyone. The Indian Government has proposed to celebrate 2023 as the “International Year of Millets.”

A lot of mass awareness-related activities have been initiated in the last six months, both at the national and international levels. Examples of promoting millets include conferences, exhibitions, mobile teaching kitchens, and distribution to people through various schemes.

To reiterate from our earlier posts:

There are two types of millets: major and minor. Major millets include sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), and finger millet (ragi/mandua). Minor millets include foxtail millet (kangani/kakun), proso millet (cheena), kodo millet (kodo), barnyard millet (sawa/sanwa/jhangora), little millet (kutki), and two pseudo millets – buckwheat (kuttu) and amaranthus (chaulai).

The most focused work on reviving millet cultivation has been observed in the southern provinces of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. This is a very positive step towards sustainable cropping practices that respect biodiversity in nature.

True to our commitment to sustainability, Urvara Krsi works with farmers in Madhya Pradesh where some of the minor millets are grown. The Gond tribals in Madhya Pradesh have been cultivating and promoting millets for generations. However, many families have now stopped or reduced cultivation and consumption due to the commercialization of crops like rice and groundnut.

Under the current program, Urvara Krsi is also invested in promoting millets, especially kodo and little millets, as their water-efficient cultivation will support farmers in adapting to climate change and improving soil in low-productive rain-irrigated areas.

The nutritional composition of these minor millets compared to rice and wheat is given below. It can be seen that they are much superior for health in all the listed parameters. This recognition is now happening at various levels, and it is important that we include these millets in our daily food diet.

S.No.	Type of Millet/ cereal	Nutritional Composition per 100 grams								Glycemic Index (GI)	GI Food Category	Carbohydrates to Fibre Ratio (C/F)
		Protein (g)	Fat (g)	Ash (g)	Crude Fibre (g)	Carbohydrate (g)	Energy (Kcal)	Thiamin (mg)	Riboflavin (mg)
1	Kodo Millet	9.8	3.6	3.3	5.2	66.6	353.0	0.15	0.09	65.4	Intermediate	12.8
2	Kutki Millet (Little Millet)	9.7	5.2	5.4	7.6	60.9	329.0	0.30	0.09	64.2	Intermediate	8.0
3	Sanwa Millet (Barnyard Millet)	11.0	3.9	4.5	13.6	55.0	300.0	0.33	0.10	42.3	Low	4.0
4	Rice	7.9	2.7	1.3	1.0	76.0	362.0	0.41	0.04	71.7	High	76.0
5	Wheat	11.6	2.0	1.6	2.0	71.0	348.0	0.41	0.04	74.2	High	35.5
Note: # Thiamin (thiamine), or vitamin B1, is a water-soluble vitamin found naturally in some foods. # Riboflavin (also known as vitamin B2) is one of the B vitamins, which are all water-soluble.

Urvara Krsi has started a drive to promote minor millets with the objective of creating a niche demand for them. As a first step, we have sent samples to various individuals and establishments in the food industry to create recipes, products, and promote them through their channels to raise awareness and generate commercial volumes. Once market interest is captured, we can begin the commercial cultivation program for these millets.

Urvara Krsi

Urvara Krsi promotes sustainable and environment-conscious cultivation of niche agricultural crops and agroforestry. We engage in the production & supply of high-quality planting stock and technology to farmers, and are a leading agricultural raw material provider to agro-based industries.

Incorporated in 2019, Urvara Krsi currently operates in four states of India: Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. We have three (3) main Business verticals, viz. Commercial Agroforestry, Cultivation of Agricultural crops in contract farming models, and Agricultural Consultancy.

Through our B2B consultancy services, we cater to companies looking to enhance their farmer network, strengthen their R&D, and experiment with new crops and geographies by enabling clients to collaborate closely with local communities to identify new crops, launch pilot projects, and set up dedicated, cost-effective cultivation programs.

Urvara Krsi acts as the opportunity bridge between small-holder farmers and industrial buyers exploring new geographies with backward linkages through farmers’ networks.

To partner with Urvara Krsi, or to learn more about what we do, please Contact Us.