Millets cultivation in Mizoram: Status and future prospects

Abstract

Millets are small seeded cereals, rich in nutrients and possess great adaptability to biotic stresses, making them important source of human and animal foods, under changing climate scenario. Keeping in view the importance of millets, the year 2023 has been declared as the International Year of Millets (IYM) by FAO to spread awareness on millets, their cultivation practices and explore their vast potentiality. Climatic condition of India is very much suitable for production of millets, including the state of Mizoram. However, the cultivation of millets in Mizoram has been declining at present. Hence, to improve the millet productivity in the state, germplasm screening in terms of yield, quality, biotic and abiotic stresses need to be taken up along with identifying best-performing genotypes for mass cultivation. Moreover, Mizoram soils have huge potential to capture national and international markets through large-scale cultivation of organic millets.