Why are more people in India eating millet? Is the ancient grain the flavour of the month?

For years, Thalin Raj ignored his parents’ advice to eat millet at breakfast because of its bland taste. But the 12-year-old student’s interest in the grain was piqued after he took part in a millet planting campaign in the Indian city of Chennai in January with thousands of other children.

Raj brought some pearl millet seedlings home after the event and began to nurture the grain. These days, he insists that his parents serve him several varieties of millet at breakfast and with his evening snacks.

“I love eating finger, foxtail and sorghum millets in my dosa, paniyaram [dumplings made with lentils and rice] and puttu [steamed rice cake],” Raj told This Week In Asia. “Now I understand its health benefits.”

In the past few years, more food and drink companies in India have launched millet-based cereals, biscuits, and flour. Vegetarian and vegan restaurants across Indian cities have also been offering millet-based meals.

While India is the world’s largest producer of millets – with an output of 13,506 tonnes over the 2022-23 market year – the grain has limited domestic appeal for years with its consumption limited mostly to rural areas. But a recent surge in demand, coupled with poor weather, led to prices of certain millet varieties surging by 40 to 100 per cent late last year, with millet-based companies reportedly struggling to ramp up production.

Millet was once commonplace in India until it was displaced by wheat and rice as the most popular basic food items several decades ago.

Mysore-based holistic scientist Khadar Vali, who has been raising awareness about millets in India for the past 30 years, said that many Indians are beset with health problems because of their poor diet and lack of nutrition knowledge.

“Indians