Tamil Nadu’s cities may be embracing millet dosas, cookies, and health mixes, but on the ground, farmers are increasingly moving away from the grain. Agricultural scientists and cultivators attribute this trend to the lack of guaranteed procurement for millets, unlike rice and maize, which have assured buyers and stable prices.
Farmers Abandon Millets for More Profitable Crops
K Mohan, a farmer from the Nilgiris, stopped cultivating millet varieties like ragi and samai more than two decades ago. “We once alternated between potatoes and millets every season on our five acres,” he says. “But selling the crop was problematic, so we gradually stopped.” Mohan switched to tea cultivation, finding it more profitable.
Despite years of government campaigns promoting traditional grains as climate-resilient and healthy, minor millets occupy only about 1.34 lakh hectares in the state (less than 7% of total cropped area), compared to paddy’s 21.57 lakh hectares, according to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) data for 2024-25.
Some Farmers Persist with Millet Cultivation
I Packiaraj from Kathalampatti village in Virudhunagar district is among the few still cultivating millets. He grows varieties like thinai, kuthiraivali, naattu cumbu, and red maize on 40 acres under a joint family farming model, even as neighboring farmers have shifted to crops with assured buyers. Packiaraj began millet cultivation in 2001, before it became an urban trend, as it suited arid conditions. “Initially, we faced marketing challenges but never incurred losses,” he says.
A major turning point came in 2019 when TNAU provided seed assistance and technical guidance, improving production. “Since 2019, about 80% of our produce is procured by the agriculture department as seeds due to consistent quality from a single land,” Packiaraj notes.
Challenges in Processing and Market Access
“Public interest in traditional foods exists, but farmers are discouraged by insufficient processing units and institutional buyers,” says R Ravikesavan, director of the Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics at TNAU. “With guaranteed pricing, market access, and institutional support for processing, millet production could double in three years.”
Packiaraj highlights that millet cultivation requires lower investment than paddy and grows even with erratic rainfall. His family harvests an average of 700 kg per acre using about 2 kg of seeds, earning around 6 lakh rupees annually from the 40-acre farm. “Millets survive where many other crops fail, but farmers need confidence that someone will buy the produce.”
Policy Gaps: No MSP for Minor Millets
Recently, the Supreme Court urged the Centre to shift focus from rice and wheat to promote other grains, emphasizing an incentivized minimum support price (MSP) for small-scale farmers to encourage pulse production. With agriculture largely state-administered, scientists say the state government needs to support millets. Minor millets like samai, thinai, and varagu are currently excluded from MSP, leaving farmers reliant on fluctuating market prices. Ragi and cumbu are included in MSP but lack significant production representation.
Scientists point to maize as an example of how assured buyers can transform cultivation. Tamil Nadu’s maize acreage has expanded from 3.5 lakh to 4.5 lakh hectares in recent years, driven by demand from poultry industries. “Millets do not yet have that ecosystem,” says Ravikesavan. Millets are primarily grown in rainfed areas; for instance, samai was once cultivated on 25,000 hectares, much of it in Tiruvannamalai, but this has drastically declined. “When rainfall is favorable, farmers shift to cash crops because millet prices are not profitable.”
Declining Cultivation in Traditional Areas
Nilgiris, known for samai and ragi cultivation two decades ago, now sees no millet farming. Researchers say Tamil Nadu’s millet cultivation survives only in pockets. Ragi is cultivated in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri, where ragi muddah is still consumed regularly, while farmers in parts of Villupuram and Cuddalore grow varagu.
“In more than 10 districts of Tamil Nadu, paddy is not the dominant crop,” says R Gopinath, principal scientist at the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF). “If the state wants to improve millet cultivation and consumption, these regions should be targeted first.” Gopinath emphasizes the need for support from farm to plate, including quality seeds, proper agronomic practices, fair prices, and region-specific revival with marketing support and crop insurance.
International Year of Millets Boosted Awareness
Experts say the International Year of Millets in 2023 increased awareness and local consumption, while value-added products and certified organic varieties improved price realization in some markets. However, marketing alone will not revive cultivation unless the state creates a procurement ecosystem comparable to rice. “Rice receives guaranteed procurement through the public distribution system, giving farmers confidence,” says a former agriculture commissioner. “Millets still lack that support. No farmer wants to grow a crop without knowing who will buy it.”
Success Story: Millet Comeback in Pudukottai
In drought-prone Pudukottai, millets have become a survival crop. From 2008 to 2010, drought forced many farmers to migrate due to dependence on paddy, says Akila Bharathi, CEO of Pudukottai Organic Farmers Producers’ Company. The FPO began encouraging millet cultivation while guaranteeing procurement at higher-than-market prices. Starting with 100 members, the FPO now has 1,364 farmer shareholders, 78% of them women. Pudukottai has 15 FPOs working with small and marginal farmers in tank-irrigated regions.
The FPO produces millet-based bakery goods for Tamil Nadu and nine other states, as well as international markets like the USA, Germany, and Singapore. They source 600 tonnes of raw millet from farmers annually. “Millet procurement has risen by 30% over the past five years,” says Akila.
