FSSAI Millet Standards

February 25, 2023

The Government of India has been working hard to push millet production in the country. Upon India’s insistence, the United Nations declared 2023 as the International Millet Year. Following this, India introduced an international brand name for millet “SHREE ANNA during the budget. Now, taking a step further, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has issued standards for millets. These standards are to be implemented from September 2023.

Why the new standards for millet?

So far, India had only individual standards for millet. There are standards for sorghum, bajra, and ragi. Now, FSSAI has issued standards for 15 types of millets.

Background

Millets are climate-resilient crops. They require very low fertilizers and chemicals. They are tolerant of drought. In 2018, GoI rebranded millets as Nutri Cereals. And now again rebranded as SHREE ANNA. Millets are being promoted for their nutritious value. Millet crops are native to India.

Millet Production in India

India is currently growing three major millets namely Ragi, Bajra, and Jowar. The major millet-producing states are AP, Rajasthan, TN, Gujarat, Karnataka, Haryana, and Telangana. The production of millets was 14.52 million tonnes in 2015-16. It increased to 17.96 million tonnes in 2020-21.

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