Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
Millets, a family of coarse grains and popular staple, are having an unprecedented moment in the sun. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated a global conference on millets, extolling them as the “door to prosperity” for India’s marginal farmers, the “cornerstone of nutrition”, and as a potential ally against “climate change”. The United Nations has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in the Budget speech in February, singled them out as ‘Shree Anna’ — roughly translated as the ‘best among grains’ — adding that the Indian Institute of Millets Research in Hyderabad would be supported as a centre of excellence. Millets such as sorghum, bajra and ragi are strongly linked to Indian dietary traditions, which is why the country has for long been the largest producer of millets in the world. It is no surprise that this cereal family is popular because it is energy dense, can be grown with ease in arid soils and, relative to grains such as rice, wheat and maize, is less susceptible to pests. Why such a ‘super food’ got sidelined by the Green Revolution of the 1960s in favour of rice and wheat has little to do with nutrition and more with the development of high yielding varieties of rice and wheat, that produced twice or thrice per acre. Coupled with guaranteed procurement by the government, the rice-wheat combination enabled India to be food secure even in droughts and climate blights. However, this food security came at a cost such as the wanton exploitation of groundwater, a surfeit of pesticide-use, and ossified systems of grain production and procurement that, over the years, is decreasingly remunerative for the average farmer. With average global incomes having risen since the 1960s and rising demand for ‘sustainable agriculture’, India is looking to market millet as a global panacea. However, competing with the global rice-wheat-maize troika, which according to the Food and Agriculture Organization constitutes 89% of global cereal production, means that millet production must be many times more remunerative than now. Hybrid varieties of jowar and bajra exist, and that yields have not dramatically risen in decades despite this means that it would be unrealistic to expect quantum jumps in yield from technological tweaks alone. Dietary shifts are slow processes and promoting certain grains as ‘superior’ or inferior is self-defeating as it ignores the economics of production and promotes cycles of hype — as seen in cash crops. This can have consequences for marginal farmers. Letting all grains grow and helping a wider base of consumers access the cereal they want is a more sustainable enterprise.
1. What is the significance of millets in Indian agriculture and nutrition?
A) They are energy-dense and can be grown in arid soils
B) They are less susceptible to pests than other grains
C) They are popular and have been linked to Indian dietary traditions
D) All of the above
E) None of the above
2. Why did millets get sidelined during the Green Revolution in India in favor of rice and wheat despite their nutritional benefits?
A) They are more susceptible to pests than rice and wheat
B) They are less energy-dense than rice and wheat
C) Wheat and rice high yielding cultivars that generated more per acre were created.
D) They are more difficult to grow than rice and wheat
E) None of the above
3. Why is India looking to market millets as a global panacea?
A) Rising global incomes and demand for sustainable agriculture
B) Millets are more nutritious than other grains
C) Millets are easier to grow than other grains
D) Millets are more resistant to climate change than other grains
E) None of the above
4. What are some of the consequences of promoting certain grains as ‘superior’ or inferior?
A) It ignores the economics of production
B) It can have consequences for marginal farmers
C) It promotes cycles of hype
D) All of the above
E) None of the above
5. How can millet production become more remunerative?
A) Through technological tweaks alone
B) By promoting millets as superior to other grains
C) By increasing the yield of hybrid varieties of jowar and bajra
D) By letting all grains grow and helping a wider base of consumers access the cereal they want
E) None of the above
6. What is the reason for the decline in millet production in India, despite its nutritional benefits and suitability for arid soils?
A) Millet is not as energy dense as rice and wheat.
B) Millet production requires excessive amounts of water.
C) High yielding varieties of rice and wheat were developed in the 1960s, leading to their increased cultivation and pushing millet production to the sidelines.
D) The Indian government did not provide adequate support to farmers growing millets.
E) None of the above
7. What are the benefits of growing millets?
A. Millets require less water than rice and wheat
B. Millets are less susceptible to pests
C. Millets are energy dense
D. All of the above
E. None of the above
8. What is the United Nations’ declaration for 2023?
A. The International Year of Rice
B. The International Year of Wheat
C. The International Year of Millets
D. The International Year of Grains
E. The International Year of Cereals
9. What is the tone of the passage towards promoting millets as a global panacea?
A) Optimistic
B) Cautious
C) Indifferent
D) Pessimistic
E. None of the above
10. What is the Indian Institute of Millets Research in Hyderabad?
A. A government institution supporting the production of millets
B. A centre of excellence for millet research
C. A hybrid variety of millet
D. An international conference on millets
E. A sustainable enterprise promoting millet production
ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS
- Answer: D
Solution :
The passage states that millets are energy-dense, can be grown in arid soils, and are linked to Indian dietary traditions, making them significant in both Indian agriculture and nutrition.
2. Answer: C
Solution :
The passage states that high yielding varieties of rice and wheat produced twice or thrice per acre, which led to the sidelining of millets.
3. Answer: A
Solution :
The passage states that rising global incomes and demand for sustainable agriculture have led India to look to market millets as a global panacea.
4. Answer: D
Solution :
The passage states that promoting certain grains as ‘superior’ or inferior ignores the economics of production, can have consequences for marginal farmers, and promotes cycles of hype.
5. Answer: D
Solution :
The passage states that promoting certain grains as ‘superior’ or inferior is self-defeating and that letting all grains grow and helping a wider base of consumers access the cereal they want is a more sustainable enterprise.
6. Answer: C
Solution :
The passage clearly states that the decline of millet production in India has little to do with nutrition and more to do with the development of high yielding varieties of rice and wheat in the 1960s. The Green Revolution led to the increased cultivation of rice and wheat, which replaced millet as the main staple crops in India.
7. Answer: D
Solution :
The passage mentions that millets are energy dense, can be grown with ease in arid soils, and are less susceptible to pests than other grains. It also states that millets are popular because they require less water than rice and wheat.
8. Answer: C
Solution :
The passage states that the United Nations has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
9. Answer: B
Solution: While the passage does acknowledge the potential benefits of promoting millets as a global panacea, it also highlights the challenges and limitations associated with such a strategy. The passage notes that millet production must be many times more remunerative than now to compete with the dominant rice-wheat-maize troika, and that promoting certain grains as ‘superior’ or inferior is self-defeating. Therefore, the tone of the passage towards promoting millets as a global panacea is cautious.
10. Answer: B
Solution :
The passage states that the Indian Institute of Millets Research in Hyderabad would be supported as a centre of excellence in the Budget speech in February. Therefore, it is a centre of excellence for millet research.
