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Millet is seemingly assuming the role of a wonder crop world over, particularly for some of the Zimbabwean farmers, who have witnessed failures of other crops like maize and corn, leaving them in great despair and revenue loss
Millet is seemingly assuming the role of a wonder crop world over, particularly for some of the Zimbabwean farmers, who have witnessed failures of other crops like maize and corn, leaving them in great despair and revenue loss. Growing maize or corn needs a lot of water and other ingredients like fertilizers, which becomes difficult when drought conditions persist in regions devastated by drought conditions like in most parts of the African continent.
Millets, including sorghum, are making a return to the southern African country. Farmers used to cultivate millet. But years ago, they abandoned the crop and switched over to maize and cotton, which hardly shield them from frequent failures. Farmers are getting good returns from millet farming as WFP is buying the millet. This has helped farmers to stand by the crop since it can have the potential not only to feed millions of people but also ensures a reasonably good return.
Importantly, 2023 is declared the “Year of Millets” by the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), a project proposed by India, where large-scale millet cultivation is underway at the initiative of the Government of India. The idea of millets did not come from the blue. It has been cultivated for millennia because of its suitability to withstand the vagaries of nature. But in the African soil, the crop became less important and attractive since the European colonizers favoured corn, wheat, and other grains.
As the world is staring at a heavy food deficit mainly on account of the ongoing Russian -Ukraine war and population growth which disrupted the supply of wheat, and raising other foodstuffs involve a lot of expenditure including fertilizers, millets come as the most favoured option since it can withstand the vagaries of the nature and still can give a good return. All that has given a new impetus to locally grown and alternative grains and other staples like millet.
Also, millet is a healthy option since it is rich in proteins, potassium, and vitamin B. Added to that, most varieties of millet are gluten-free. It’s a grain that grows in poor soil; restores the soil and is often termed a nutrition powerhouse. Millets are more tolerant of poor soils, drought, and harsh growing conditions, and can easily adapt to different environments without high levels of fertilizer and pesticide.
Millet growing does not need nearly as much water as other grains. It makes them ideal for places like Africa’s arid Sahel region, where poverty is prominent. They also have environmental benefits. The deep roots of varieties like fonio (millet) can help mitigate desertification, the process that transforms fertile soil into the desert, caused due to drought or deforestation. They’re versatile: useful in everything from bread, cereal, and salads to pudding and even beer.
Read Also:
https://trendsnafrica.com/belarus-president-on-an-official-visit-to-zimbabwe/
https://trendsnafrica.com/zimbabwe-registers-record-wheat-harvest/
Importantly, millets come in multiple varieties, such as finger millet, fonio, sorghum, and teff, which are used in the spongy injera bread familiar to fans of Ethiopian cuisine. Millets have been cultivated around the world — in places like Japan, Europe, the Americas, and Australia. Traditionally, the crop has been grown in India, China, and sub-Saharan Africa. However, millets traded globally are still low globally at less than 3% of the global grain trade, according to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation).
