Millet Production in India: States, MSP, and the Shree Anna Push

Millets are small-grained cereals. The Government now calls them Shree Anna. In April 2018 it also notified them as nutri-cereals. PIB says they are a rich source of protein, fibre, minerals, iron and calcium. They have a low glycemic index, which means they raise blood sugar slowly.

Three crops give almost all of India’s millet grain. They are jowar, bajra and ragi. The rest are called small millets.

1.1 What do the local names mean?

Do not swap the pairs. Jowar is sorghum. Bajra is pearl millet. Ragi is finger millet.

India is the world’s largest millet producer. Its share is 38.4 percent of world production, by the FAO figure for 2023.

2.1 What was the output in 2024-25?

Two official estimates exist for 2024-25. They come from different dates.

• The 3rd Advance Estimate was 180.15 lakh tonnes. That was 4.43 lakh tonnes above the year before.
• The reply of 9 December 2025 gave 185.92 lakh tonnes. That was 10.2 lakh tonnes above the year before.
• APEDA calls 18.59 million tonnes the final estimate of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW).

A lakh is one hundred thousand. So 185.92 lakh tonnes is 18.59 million tonnes. Use the later estimate when you need the latest figure. Name the estimate when you quote either one.

The 38.4 percent share is for 2023. It is not a share of the 2024-25 output.

2.2 Which crop gives the most grain?

Bajra gives the most grain by a wide margin. These are the crop totals in the 3rd Advance Estimate for 2024-25, in thousand tonnes.

• Bajra: 10,863.06
• Jowar: 4,879.92
• Ragi: 1,833.68
• Small millets: 437.98

2.3 Has the world share always looked the same?

No. PIB said on 27 July 2022 that India made 20 percent of global millet output. That statement names no data year. The Lok Sabha reply of 12 August 2025 gives 38.4 percent for 2023. The two figures come from different documents. They are not reconciled here, so quote each with its source and date.

2.4 How did millets become Shree Anna?

India proposed the International Year of Millets. The proposal was supported by 72 countries. The UN General Assembly declared 2023 the International Year in March 2021.

The Union Budget speech of 1 February 2023 used the name Shree Anna. It also said ICAR-IIMR, Hyderabad would be supported as the Centre of Excellence. The full story of the mission is in the article on the Nutri-Cereals Mission.

Rajasthan leads by a wide margin. Maharashtra is second. Karnataka is third.

3.1 How do the states rank in 2024-25?

The table in the reply of 9 December 2025 gives output in lakh tonnes. Rajasthan alone made 55.51 of the national 185.92.

• Rajasthan: 55.51
• Maharashtra: 25.32
• Karnataka: 24.01
• Uttar Pradesh: 23.55
• Gujarat: 13.47
• Haryana: 12.86

The 3rd Advance Estimate gives the same top three. Rajasthan had 5,395.64 thousand tonnes. Maharashtra had 2,558.03. Karnataka had 2,278.59.

3.2 Which state leads each crop?

Each of the three main crops has its own home state. The totals below are from the 3rd Advance Estimate for 2024-25, in thousand tonnes.

• Bajra: Rajasthan, 4,848.87 of 10,863.06.
• Jowar: Maharashtra, 1,870.92 of 4,879.92.
• Ragi: Karnataka, 1,234.42 of 1,833.68.

The area shares tell the same story. CACP uses a three-year average, called TE2024-25, which means the triennium ending 2024-25. In it, Rajasthan has nearly 60 percent of the bajra area. Maharashtra has 42.3 percent of the jowar area. Karnataka has 69.4 percent of the ragi area.

3.3 Why does Rajasthan lead even though its yield is low?

Rajasthan plants the most millet area. It had 50.27 lakh hectares of the national 130.56. Its yield was 1,104 kg per hectare, against 1,424 for India.

FAO notes that millets can grow in dryland conditions. Rajasthan leads because of area, not yield. CACP says bajra yield in Rajasthan is well below the all-India average. It sees scope to raise output by raising yield.

Millet area has shrunk since 2010-11. Yield has risen. That lifted output back up from its low.

4.1 What do the three lines show?

The DA&FW figures in the CACP report show these values.

• Output: 20.0 million tonnes in 2010-11, a low of 13.7 in 2018-19, and 18.6 in 2024-25.
• Area: 19.1 million hectares in 2010-11, 12.5 in 2018-19, and 13.1 in 2024-25.
• Yield: 10.5 quintals per hectare in 2010-11, 10.9 in 2018-19, and 14.2 in 2024-25.

CACP calls 18.6 million tonnes a decadal high. A quintal is 100 kilograms.

4.2 What is holding yield back?

CACP finds large gaps between potential and actual yield. For jowar the gap between potential and realised yield is 26.5 percent. The gap between the state average and potential yield is 53.1 percent.

Ragi yield in Karnataka fell from 15.9 quintals per hectare in TE2017-18 to 14.0 in TE2024-25. Jowar yield for India rose 41.2 percent between the same two periods.

Support comes through a national scheme, with room for states to add their own projects.

5.1 What is the Sub-Mission on Nutri-Cereals?

The Sub-Mission runs under the National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM). It covers 28 States and two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Farmers get cluster demonstrations and seeds of high-yielding varieties and hybrids. They also get modern farm machinery, water-use tools, plant protection and soil health inputs. In Rajasthan, Rs 127.53 crore was spent under this programme in FY 2025-26.

5.2 What can states add on their own?

States can promote millets under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. The project needs approval from the State Level Sanctioning Committee. The Chief Secretary heads that committee.

5.3 What does research add?

ICAR-IIMR, Hyderabad is the nodal agency for millet research. It was recognised as the Global Centre of Excellence on Millets in the International Year of Millets 2023. It trains small and marginal farmers. It works with state missions in Odisha, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Chhattisgarh.

CACP notes a Rs 250 crore allocation for that Centre. The Central Variety Release Committee has released 276 millet varieties.

The Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a price fixed for each crop. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approves it for each marketing season.

6.1 What are the MSPs for Kharif 2026-27?

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the MSPs for 14 Kharif crops on 13 May 2026. These are the three millets, in rupees per quintal.

The government fixes MSP at least 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production. Bajra’s margin of 56 percent is among the highest on the list. Moong is higher at 61 percent.

6.2 Did higher MSP bring more grain?

Not enough, says CACP. Higher MSP and the awareness years raised demand. But supply has not adequately responded. CACP names falling area, low productivity, low and volatile market prices, and weak storage and processing.

CACP recommends a special programme to raise nutri-cereal output. It also says nutri-cereals should be included in NFSA and OWS allocations.

6.3 How much is bought at MSP?

CACP gives the nutri-cereal procurement trend in lakh tonnes.

• KMS 2020-21: 9.8.
• KMS 2021-22: 6.1.
• KMS 2023-24: 12.5.
• KMS 2024-25: 11.1.

KMS means Kharif Marketing Season. In KMS 2025-26, about 2.8 lakh tonnes had been bought by 26 February 2026.

Procurement is concentrated. Karnataka gave 98.5 percent of ragi procurement. In bajra, Uttar Pradesh gave 40.9 percent, Haryana 38.3 percent and Gujarat 20.8 percent.

6.4 What changed in procurement rules?

The Food and Public Distribution reply of 12 August 2026 lists the steps.

• The distribution period for millets rose from 3 months to 6 to 10 months.
• Administrative charges at the buying stage rose from 1 percent to 2 percent of MSP.
• Six minor millets are covered at the ragi MSP up to KMS 2028-29. They are foxtail, proso, kodo, little millet, buckwheat and amaranthus.

States buy these grains at MSP in decentralised mode. They give them out under the Targeted Public Distribution System and other welfare schemes. For KMS 2025-26 the Centre approved 50,000 tonnes of jowar and 1,50,000 tonnes of bajra for Madhya Pradesh.

In Karnataka, 76,450.35 tonnes of ragi worth Rs 356.23 crore were bought in Mysuru and Mandya in 2025-26.

Price support is one pillar. Demand for millet food and export markets are the others.

7.1 How much does India export?

Official replies give different totals for 2024-25. The replies do not explain the gap.

• Lok Sabha Q335 (22 July 2025): 89,164.96 tonnes.
• Lok Sabha Q1504 (9 December 2025): 89,164.96 tonnes, worth 37 million US dollars.
• Lok Sabha Q338 (12 August 2025): 121.37 thousand tonnes.

APEDA gives 138.69 thousand tonnes for 2025-26. That is worth Rs 543.40 crore, or 61.57 million US dollars. Its top destinations were the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, the USA and Morocco.

Quote the source and the date. Do not call one total settled.

7.2 What do the processing schemes do?

The Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Millet-Based Products (PLISMBP) has an outlay of Rs 800 crore for 2022-27. Rs 793.27 crore has been approved for 29 applicants. Of these, 8 are large and 21 are small and medium entities.

Under the PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises scheme, millets are the One District One Product in 21 districts of 11 States. By 31 December 2025, 4,612 loans carrying Rs 91.20 crore of approved subsidy had been sanctioned for millet processing units.

APEDA has run capacity-building programmes, virtual buyer-seller meets and global marketing campaigns. It has also built a millet web portal and e-catalogues for exporters.

Three official UPSC questions test MSP and millets. Each answer below follows the official key.

8.1 What did CDS (II) 2019 ask about MSP?

UPSC CDS (II) 2019, General Knowledge, Q88.
Which one of the following is an example of a price floor?
(a) Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Jowar in India
(b) Subsidy given to farmers to buy fertilizers
(c) Price paid by people to buy goods from ration shops
(d) Maximum Retail Price (MRP) printed on the covers/packets of goods sold in India

Read the UPSC question paper (Series B) and the UPSC answer key. The key gives (a).

UPSC CDS (II) 2019, General Knowledge, Q89.
Which one of the following factors is not considered in determining the Minimum Support Price (MSP) in India?
(a) Cost of production
(b) Price trends in international and domestic markets
(c) Cost of living index
(d) Inter-crop price parity

The same Series B question paper and answer key apply. The key marks (c).

8.2 What did CDS (II) 2023 ask about dryland crops?

UPSC CDS (II) 2023, General Knowledge, Q26.
Which one of the following crops is not cultivated under dryland farming?
(a) Jowar
(b) Ragi
(c) Sugarcane
(d) Groundnut

Read the UPSC question paper and the Series A answer key. The key gives (c).

Jowar and ragi are millets. FAO calls millets small-grained dryland cereals. Sugarcane is not a millet crop.

8.3 Which traps should you watch?

• Match each local name to its English name. Jowar is sorghum, not pearl millet.
• Rajasthan leads on area, not on yield.
• Output can rise while area falls, because yield has risen.