As 2023 has been announced as the International Year of Millets, India’s agri export promotion body, APEDA, wants to expand the country’s export footprint in 100 countries from current 50 countries, in the next two years. Besides, it is working on strategies to boost overall agriculture products’ exports in countries other than top buyers.

“Currently, our products are going to about 190 countries from about 150 countries a decade agob The challenge is to improve the volume in other than the top 10 countries while sustaining tgrowth in major buying nations,” said M Angamuthu, chairman of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

The world’s millets market is estimated to grow to over $12 billion by 2025 from the current $9 billion.

Although India’s shares in the production of millets is around 41 per cent with an annual output of about 12 million tonnes (mt), the country’s exports were 87,558 tonnes in 2020-21, up by 16.32 per cent from 75,274 tonnes in the previous year. The bulk of India’s exports – as much as 60 per cent – go to Nepal, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The share of top ten countries in the total volume is 87 per cent.

In the top millets importing countries like Indonesia, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Italy and Brazil, India’s presence is nearly zero, and these markets can be tapped with higher focus, trade sources said. While Millets, both as raw materials and in the form of value-added products, should be exported, the Centre should roll out an export-centric production incentive in partnership with State governments, an exporter said, as it would also help in crop diversification.

According to ITC Trade Map, India dropped to the fifth position in global trade as its export fell to $26.73 million in 2020 from $30.82 million in 2019, while Ukraine moved to fourth position with $29.79 million. But, there is a big gap between India and the US, which is at number two with $ 58.15 million exports. Canada is top exporter with shipments valued at $ 93.16 million.

During the Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “Support will be provided for post-harvest value addition, enhancing domestic consumption, and for branding millet products nationally and internationally.”

Angamuthu said APEDA has already signed an MoU with Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR) for export oriented production of millets and for making a strategy for their promotion in the international market. It has organised many virtual buyer-seller meetings where officials of Indian embassies were also present during this pandemic.

With an increasing demand for gluten-free food products across the globe, particularly after the pandemic, millets have found place in the kitchen as a preferred items because they contain calcium, iron and fibers which help fortify essential nutrients in children.