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Millet wave not a passing trend — It is a structural shift
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Thursday, 02 April, 2026, 13 : 00 PM [IST]
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Dr B Dayakar Rao & Dr Veeresh Walli
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For most of the 20th century, millets were dismissed as “poor man’s grain”—a relic of subsistence farming in the dryland belts of Asia and Africa. Today, the narrative has reversed. Fuelled by a global surge in health-conscious consumption, sustainability mandates, and aggressive policy support from governments—particularly India—millets are staging one of the most remarkable comebacks in food history. What was once a forgotten crop is now at the centre of a multi-billion-dollar market opportunity that stretches from farm to fork.
The numbers tell a compelling story. The global millet market was valued at approximately US$11–12 billion in 2024, according to multiple independent research firms. Mordor Intelligence estimates the market at US$12.60 billion in 2025, projecting growth to US$16.04 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.95 per cent. Straits Research projects a similar trajectory, forecasting US$16.93 billion by 2033 at a CAGR of 4.66 per cent. More expansive estimates from Grand View Research place the broader millet economy at US$36.94 billion in 2023, growing at 6.2 per cent CAGR to reach US$55.71 billion by 2030.
What is particularly noteworthy is the explosion in value-added millet products. The millet-based snacks market alone was estimated at US$2.79 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach US$4.12 billion by 2032. The millet-based packaged food segment, though still nascent, was valued at US$43.52 million in 2023 and is growing at over 10 per cent annually. These figures underscore a fundamental shift: the millet economy is moving decisively from commodity grain trading toward branded, processed, consumer-ready products.
From a food and beverage perspective, the millet opportunity is best understood through the lens of product categories that align with prevailing consumer mega-trends—health and wellness, clean-label ingredients, gluten-free diets, plant-based nutrition, and convenience.
The food application segment accounted for roughly 43.8 per cent of the total millets market in 2024, representing about US$6.7 billion. Within this, several product categories stand out as the most promising for brands and entrepreneurs.
Bakery and breakfast cereals are perhaps the most accessible entry point. Millet flour blends for breads, cookies, and crackers allow manufacturers to offer gluten-free alternatives without dramatic changes to existing production lines. Britannia’s launch of millet bread in 2023—the first in India’s organised sector and ITC’s Sunfeast Farmlite millet cookies demonstrate how major FMCG companies are moving into this space.
Snacks represent the fastest-growing and highest-margin segment. Puffed millet crisps, millet-based namkeen, extruded snacks, and energy bars are resonating with urban consumers seeking better-for-you alternatives. India’s millet snack exports crossed US$148 million in June 2025 alone, reflecting a 26 per cent year-on-year increase. Snacks now account for over 45 per cent of India’s millet-based export value.
Ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products, including instant millet mixes, upma, dosa batters, and porridge mixes, cater to the convenience economy. These products bridge the gap between nutritional aspiration and the time constraints of modern urban lifestyles.
Beverages are an emerging frontier. Millet-based plant milks, smoothies, malted drinks, and fermented beverages are entering health food retail channels. While still a small segment, the alignment with the global plant-based dairy alternative trend positions millet beverages for outsized growth.
Finally, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements using millet extracts for their high fibre, iron, and low-glycemic-index properties are gaining traction in premium wellness markets across North America and Europe.
Asia-Pacific dominates the millet landscape, accounting for over 46 per cent of global market value in 2024. India and China are the twin engines—India as the world’s largest producer (contributing 40 per cent of global output, or roughly 13,200 kilotons in 2023) and China as a major consumer base for functional food and beverage applications.
Africa represents the fastest-growing market, with a projected CAGR of 5.2 per cent through 2030. Niger, Nigeria, and Mali collectively account for approximately one-third of global pearl millet production, and national food-security programmes are driving both acreage expansion and processing investment.
North America and Europe, though smaller by volume, are high-value markets where millets command significant price premiums of 40 to 60 per cent over commodity grains. Health-conscious consumers in these regions are drawn to millets’ gluten-free profile, nutrient density, and sustainability credentials. Organic certification and traceable sourcing further justify premium pricing.
The Middle East, particularly the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman, has emerged as a key export destination for Indian millets, driven by large South Asian diaspora populations and growing interest in functional nutrition.
If there is one country positioned to lead the global mainstreaming of millets, it is India. The country’s influence spans production, policy, innovation, and diplomacy in equal measure.
On the production front, India produced approximately 18 million metric tons of millets in 2024–25, with Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Karnataka as the leading states. The country’s dominance in pearl millet (bajra), sorghum (jowar), and finger millet (ragi) gives it unmatched varietal diversity. In 2024–25, India exported 89,165 tonnes of millets valued at US$37 million a figure that, while modest, is growing rapidly as the emphasis shifts from raw grain to value-added products.
Policy support has been transformative. India championed the UN General Assembly resolution declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets, a proposal backed by 72 countries. Domestically, millets have been branded as “Shree Anna” and classified as “Nutri-Cereals.” The government has integrated millets into the Public Distribution System, mid-day meal programmes, and hospital nutrition services. The Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Millet-Based Products (PLISMBP), with a budget of Rs 800 crore (approximately US$97 million) for 2022–27, incentivises manufacturers to develop branded millet products with at least 15 per cent millet content. APEDA has been allocated Rs 80 crore in 2025–26 specifically for millet export promotion.
Equally important is the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Startups like Slurrp Farm, Millet Amma, and Tata Soull, alongside legacy FMCG giants like ITC, Britannia, and Patanjali, are creating a vibrant product pipeline. The Millet Udyami Bharath 2025 event in Hyderabad trained 140 participants from 25 states in millet entrepreneurship, signalling a deepening of the value chain beyond metropolitan centres.
Nutrihub, ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research serves as a key institutional platform translating India’s millet production strength into globally competitive value chains. As the global millet market expands across food, beverage and snack segments, Nutrihub has established an integrated incubation and technology commercialisation model covering product development, pilot validation and export readiness. With more than 120 technologies transferred and over 350 start-ups supported, it has accelerated the shift from commodity grain trade to value-added, branded products. Its work complements state-level agricultural diversification efforts and leverages cross-border e-commerce and export compliance mechanisms outlined under DGFT guidance, thereby strengthening farm-to-market linkages and positioning millets within global food systems.
Despite the momentum, millets face real obstacles on the path to mainstream adoption. Supply chain inefficiencies, particularly in post-harvest processing and storage, continue to inflate costs and limit scalability. Consumer awareness outside traditional millet-consuming regions remains low, and taste and texture preferences—shaped by decades of rice and wheat dominance take time to shift. The share of millet exports remains barely one per cent of total production, indicating significant unrealised potential in international markets.
Overcoming these challenges will require sustained investment in processing infrastructure, product innovation that prioritises taste alongside nutrition, robust branding that positions millets as aspirational rather than merely healthy, and continued policy support that de-risks the value chain for farmers and processors alike.
Millets sit at the rare intersection of personal health, environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and commercial viability. The global market is expanding steadily, the food and beverage industry is discovering high-value applications across snacks, bakery, beverages, and nutraceuticals, and India is deploying an unprecedented combination of diplomatic influence, policy architecture, and entrepreneurial energy to lead this transformation. For investors, food manufacturers, and brand builders, the millet wave is not a passing trend—it is a structural shift in how the world thinks about grain, nutrition, and agricultural sustainability.
(Dr Rao is former Principal Scientist, ICAR-IIMR, Hyderabad & current director, Nutrihub, ICAR-IIMR, and Dr Walli is chief business manager, Nutrihub, ICAR-IIMR, Hyderabad)
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