India grows nearly four in every ten tonnes of the world’s millet. No other country comes close. Niger, China, Nigeria, Mali, and Sudan round out the next five producers, mostly across Africa’s semi-arid Sahel belt. This article covers who grows the world’s millet, who eats it, who exports it, and why the United Nations gave it a whole year of its own in 2023.
MCQ QuestionsMust Know.
✊ India Grows More Millet Than Anyone Else.
1. The World's Top Six Producers.
- World Total. Global millet production was 30.9 million tonnes in 2022, per FAOSTAT.
- India, By Far #1. India produced 11.8 million tonnes, or 38.19% of the world total. That is more than the next five producers put together.
- Niger, #2. Niger produced 3.7 million tonnes (11.97%), mostly pearl millet grown across its Sahelian farmland.
- China, #3. China produced 2.7 million tonnes (8.74%), chiefly foxtail millet and proso millet in its northern provinces.
- Nigeria and Mali, #4 and #5. Nigeria produced 1.9 million tonnes (6.15%) and Mali 1.8 million tonnes (5.83%).
- Sudan, #6. Sudan produced 1.7 million tonnes (5.5%), mostly pearl millet in its drier western and central regions.
2. Why India's Own Figure Looks Different.
- A Wider Indian Definition. India's government reports a much bigger number: 18.59 million tonnes for 2024-25, a final estimate from the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- Not a Contradiction. India's official "Shree Anna" or Nutri-Cereals basket bundles in jowar (sorghum) alongside bajra, ragi, and minor millets. FAO's international "millet" category counts sorghum separately.
- Top Growing States. Rajasthan leads with 29.86% of India's output, followed by Maharashtra (13.62%), Karnataka (12.91%), and Uttar Pradesh (12.67%).
Good to Know.
🌍 Who Eats This Grain, and Why It Matters.
1. A Staple of the Sahel and Semi-Arid India.
- 90 Million People. Around 90 million people across Africa's Sahel belt and north-western India eat pearl millet grain as a daily staple.
- Global Footprint. Pearl millet alone is grown on more than 30 million hectares worldwide. Africa accounts for over 18 million of those hectares, Asia for over 10 million.
- Developing-World Crop. Developing countries grow about 97% of the world's millet, almost none of it in wealthy, temperate nations.
2. Why Millets Suit Harsh Land.
- Drought Tolerance. Millets need very little water and few chemical inputs. They tolerate poor, sandy soils that wheat and rice cannot.
- Climate Resilience. This makes millets a reliable crop as rainfall grows more erratic under climate change, especially across arid and semi-arid farming belts.
- Nutrition Security. Millets carry high fibre, protein, iron, and calcium relative to rice and wheat, which matters most where diets are otherwise cereal-heavy and nutrient-poor.
3. The International Year of Millets, 2023.
- India's Proposal. India proposed declaring 2023 the International Year of Millets. Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia, and Senegal co-sponsored the proposal.
- UN Resolution. The UN General Assembly adopted the resolution at its 75th session in March 2021, with backing from over 70 countries.
- FAO's Role. The Food and Agriculture Organization led the year's global implementation, aiming to raise awareness of millets' nutrition and climate benefits and to draw investment into millet research and trade.
Test Yourself.
Great to Know.
📦 A Huge Producer, a Small Exporter.
1. India Eats Almost All of What It Grows.
- Low Export Share. India's millet export orientation is estimated at only about 0.9% of its production. The overwhelming majority is consumed domestically.
- Sorghum Stays Home. Roughly three-fourths of India's sorghum (jowar) output alone goes to direct human consumption inside the country, per ICAR-IIMR.
- Contrast With Rice and Wheat. Unlike India's globally significant rice exports, millets have historically stayed a domestic food-security crop, not a major cash export crop.
2. Where Indian Millet Exports Go.
- Top Markets. The UAE takes the largest share of India's millet exports (about 22.4%), followed by Saudi Arabia (12.7%), Nepal (7.8%), the USA (6.7%), and Morocco (3.8%).
- Regional Pull. The Middle East and South Asia together buy most of what India exports, driven largely by diaspora demand and regional trade links.
- Export Promotion. APEDA, under India's Department of Commerce, runs the government's millet export-promotion push, branded under the "Shree Anna" name.
Current Affairs.
📰 The Export Push, Post-2023.
1. 2025-26: India's Millet Exports Keep Climbing.
- [Data] As of 2025-26, India exported 138.69 thousand tonnes of millets worth ₹543.40 crore (about $61.57 million). So what: this continues a rising trend from $75.5 million in overall millet exports in 2022-23, showing the post-International-Year-of-Millets export push is gaining real traction, even from a small base. (Source: APEDA, Indian Millets)
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