Status of Pearl Millet in dry land agriculture of India

Agriculture is basically a water based production activity but India still has about 108 million hectares of rainfed area. Pearl millet has emerged as an important cereal crap of dry land agriculture due to its adaptability to prevalent climate and good yield potential as compared to competitive crops. Area under this crop has declined over time due to dominance of superior cereals but its production and productivity has increased. This growth can be attributed to improved varieties and increased demand potential of this crop. It is mainly a crop of arid climate of Rajasthan, being a leading producer followed by Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Pearl millet is mainly considered as the poor man's staple diet, so major part of its production is used for self consumption by the producers, shawing a fluctuating trend in marketed surplus ratio among the states. An overall declining trend has been observed in food grain consumption in India since 1993–94, both in rural as well as urban areas. But the share of pearl millet in the consumption of coarse cereals has shown an increase over time, indicating its preference for consumption among the coarse grains. Its increasing popularity among the consumers is sure to create a demand led growth for this crop.