Indian Farming 73 (01): 84-87; January 2023

Biofortified millets
to alleviate micronutrient malnourishment
K Hariprasanna*
ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Telangana 500 030

In the 2022 Global Hunger Index, India ranks 107 out of the 121 countries and the severity
of hunger is classified as ‘serious’. The proportion of undernourished in the country is 16.3%
(2019–21), which amounts to about 224 million people; majority of whom are women and children.
Malnutrition and the resultant stunting, wasting, and nutritional deficiencies are prevalent among
women and children. The bane of child and maternal malnutrition is responsible for 15% of India’s
total disease burden. The Government of India’s POSHAN Abhiyaan or National Nutrition
Mission is a flagship programme to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women
and lactating mothers, and to ensure a malnutrition free India. In this regard, development of
biofortified millet seems to be a convincing solution which has been discussed in this article.

Keywords: Hidden hunger, Iron, Malnourishment, Micronutrient, Millets, Zinc

M OST widespread micronutrient deficiencies

are that of iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and vitamin A.
Micronutrient malnutrition, also known as ‘hidden
agricultural interventions. It is a food based approach to
reduce the micronutrient malnutrition among the poor
population.
hunger’ affects more than one-half of the developing
Need
world’s population, especially the women and pre-
• It provides a long-term strategy of delivering more
school children. It is also a food related public health
micronutrients, and is a powerful intervention tool
concern in India where almost 40% pre-school children,
to alleviate micronutrient malnourishment.
24% school going children and 40% female adolescents
• Micronutrient enriched staple plant foods can
are anemic. More than 50% pregnant women are anemic.
significantly improve the amount of these nutrients
More than half of anemia cases are due to iron
consumed by the target populations.
deficiency alone. About 80% of pregnant women, 52%
• Biofortified crop varieties can be developed through
of non-pregnant women, and 74% of children in the
conventional breeding programmes.
6–35 months age group suffer from iron deficiency.
• Once biofortified varieties are developed, there is
About 52% of children below 5 years of age are zinc
no additional expense involved in getting higher
deficient, while in adults it is 17–32%. The intake of
nutrition.
micronutrients in daily diet is less than 50% RDA in
over 70% of Indian population, which represents the Advantages
severity of micronutrient deficiency in India. • It targets low-income people and rural communities,
and remote areas like tribal regions.
Biofortification • Its recurrent costs are low, therefore biofortified
Biofortification is the development of staple crop varieties can be grown by farmers without extra cost
cultivars with higher levels of micronutrients. It differs and seeds can be shared.
from fortification (addition of an ingredient in food • It is sustainable as its varieties will continue to be
to increase the concentration of a particular element grown and consumed year after year.
like iodized salt) or supplementation (addition of an
element to the diet to make up for an insufficiency like Millets are nutri-cereals
vitamin capsules). In biofortification, micronutrient- • Millets are highly nutritious compared to fine
dense grains are produced by the crop itself through cereals like rice.

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• Millet grains contain high protein, fibre, micro and
macronutrients and are gluten free.
• Millet protein has well balanced amino acid profile
and good source of methionine, cystine and lycine.
• Pearl millet has the highest content of fat and
micronutrients.
• Sorghum is a cheap source of energy, protein, iron
and zinc next only to bajra.
• Finger millet is the richest source of calcium and
potassium (400–420 mg/100 g).
• Other small millets are good source of phosphorous
and iron.
• Phytochemicals in many of the millets act as
antioxidants.
Dhanshakti (first biofortified variety of Pearl millet HHB 311
Millets as agents for biofortification pearl millet)
• The base level of micronutrients is high in millets
providing advantage in further enrichment (Table reduce the micronutrient deficiency among the people
1). consuming pearl millet as staple food, HarvestPlus in
• They possess added advantage of other nutritional association with ICRISAT started working on pearl
benefits like rich in antioxidants. millet biofortification in the early 2000s.
• Millets are readily acceptable to poor people By exploiting variability available within population
requiring nutritional intervention. of a germplasm line ICTP 8203 for iron content, an
• They are mostly grown in marginal lands and tribal improved version, ICTP 8203 Fe-10-2 was developed.
regions where poor people live. It was released as ‘Dhanshakti’ in collaboration
• They are consumed in the form of various traditional with MPKV, Rahuri first in 2012 in Maharashtra and
foods like porridge, roti, sargatti, etc. later across India in 2014. The variety is adapted to
• Millet is drought resistant crop having short- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,
duration and less incidence of diseases and pests. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh,
• It requires less external inputs and hence, is most Haryana and Punjab.
suitable for arid and semi-arid regions. Three independent studies showed that consumption
• It is helpful in the treatment of diabetes, obesity, of 200 g of ‘Dhanshakti’ can meet 100% of recommended
blood pressure, heart diseases, cancer, etc. daily allowance (RDA) of iron in adult men and children
• Millets act as immune boosters due to presence of in India and 60% of the RDA in non-pregnant and non-
vitamins and essential minerals. lactating women. Studies also indicated that feeding iron
• Different value-added products can be prepared rich pearl millet is an efficacious approach to improve
from millets to target urban population suffering iron status in school-age children. The food products
from lifestyle diseases. made out of Dhanshakti were readily accepted by both
mothers and children.
Dhanshakti-first biofortified pearl millet variety
Pearl millet has the highest content of iron in its grains. ICAR’s initiative to develop biofortified varieties
Large variability for both iron and zinc has been reported In order to accelerate the development of biofortified
in pearl millet varieties and hybrids. In order to enhance varieties and enhance the nutritional value of commonly
the content of iron and zinc further and with an aim to consumed staples, ICAR launched a Consortia Research
Table 1. Nutritional composition of millets vs other cereals (per 100 g)
Grain Carbo- Protein Fat Energy Dietary Ca P (mg) Mg (mg) Zn (mg) Fe (mg)
hydrates (g) (g) (g) (KCal) fibre (g) (mg)
Sorghum 67.7 09.97 1.73 334 10.22 28 274 133 2.96 3.95
Pearl millet 61.8 10.96 5.43 348 11.49 27 289 124 2.76 6.42
Finger millet 66.8 07.16 1.92 321 11.18 364 210 146 2.53 4.62
Kodo millet 66.2 08.92 2.55 332 6.39 15 101 122 1.65 2.34
Little millet 65.6 10.13 3.89 346 7.72 16 130 91 1.82 1.26
Proso millet# 70.4 12.50 1.10 341 2.20* 14 206 153 1.40 0.80
Foxtail millet# 60.1 12.30 4.30 331 8.00* 31 188 81 2.40 2.80
Barnyard millet #
65.6 06.20 2.20 307 9.80* 20 280 82 3.00 5.00
Wheat 64.7 10.59 1.47 322 11.23 39 315 125 2.85 3.97
Rice 78.2 07.94 0.52 356 2.81 7 96 19 1.21 0.65
Source: Indian food composition tables, NIN–2017; *Crude fibre; # Based on nutritive value of Indian Foods, NIN–2007

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Platform (CRP) on Biofortification addressing rice,
wheat, maize, sorghum, pearl millet and small millets
since 2014. The programme has resulted in development
of about 17 biofortified varieties of rice, wheat, maize
and pearl millet. Further research efforts in all the crops
are still ongoing.

Biofortified pearl millet cultivars

The All India Coordinated Research Project on Pearl
Millet (AICRP-Pearl Millet) is working on development
of biofortified pearl millet cultivars. Separate
biofortification trials were conducted to evaluate pearl
Finger millet CFMV 1 (Indravathi) Finger millet CFMV 2 (Gira)
millet varieties and hybrids with high iron and zinc
content. A few biofortified cultivars with higher iron Sorghum
and zinc content along with high grain yield were Sorghum is the second cheapest source of energy
released for farmers. Since 2018, AICRP-Pearl Millet and micronutrients after pearl millet. Sorghum
has set a minimum 42 mg/kg of iron and 32 mg/kg of consumption, especially by low and middle-income
zinc for promoting entries in the trials and cultivar rural consumers, is high in the major production regions
release. Presently, many high yielding cultivars having of inland central and eastern regions of Maharashtra
moderate to high iron and zinc content are available to and inland northern region of Karnataka. In terms of
the farmers for cultivation (Table 2). nutrient intake, sorghum accounts for about 35% of the
Table 2. Latest biofortified hybrids/varieties of pearl millet

Hybrid/Variety GY (kg/ha) Duration Year Fe Zn Developer Area of adoption

(days) (mg/kg) (mg/kg)
Dhanshakti 2199 76 2014 81 43 MPKV, Dhule Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra
(ICTP 8203 Fe Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan,
10-2) Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat,
Uttar Pradesh, Punjab
Mahabeej 1005 2994 81 2017 62 37 MSSCL, Akola Maharashtra
(MH 1852)

AHB 1200 Fe 3170 78 2018 77 39 NARP, Aurangabad Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab,
(MH 2072) Delhi, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
HHB 299 (MH 3274 81 2018 73 41 CCSHAU, Hisar Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab,
2076) Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu
NBH 4903 (MH 4444 85 2018 70 63 Nuziveedu Seeds, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana,
2035) Hyderabad Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
AHB 1269 Fe 3168 82 2019 91 43 NARP, Aurangabad Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Punjab,
(MH 2185) Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu,
RHB 233 (MH 3157 80 2019 83 46 SKNAU, Jobner Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya
2173) Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi, Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu
RHB 234 (MH 3169 81 2019 84 41 SKNAU, Jobner Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya
2174) Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi, Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu
Phule 2581 83 2019 85 37 MPKV, Dhule Maharashtra
Mahasakthi
HHB 311 (MH 3173 80 2020 83 39 CCSHAU, Hisar Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya
2179) Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi, Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu
Moti Shakti 3023 - 2020 76 46 JAU, Jamnagar Gujarat
(GHB 1225)
GHB 1129 (Jam 2957 80 2021 72 43 JAU, Jamnagar Gujarat
Shakti)
VPMH 7 2352 84 2021 67 52 UAS, Dharwad Karnataka
GHB 1231 2760 - 2021 81 41 JAU, Jamnagar Gujarat
(Sawaj Shakti)
HHB 67 Imp 2 2000 - 2021 55 40 CCSHAU, Hisar Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya
Pradesh, Delhi

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Table 3. Biofortified varieties of small millets
Crop Variety GY Ca Fe Zn Developer Area of adoption
(kg/ha) (mg/kg) (mg/kg) (mg/kg)
Finger millet CFMV 1 3110 4280 58 44 ARS, Vizianagaram Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil
(Indravathi) Nadu, Puducherry, Odisha
Finger millet CFMV 1 (Gira) 2950 4740 39 25 HMRS, Waghai Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha
Little millet CLMV 1 (Jaicar 1580 - 59 35 IIMR, Hyderabad Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,
Sama-1) Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry

total intake of calories, protein, iron and zinc in these exist for both iron and zinc content. Finger millet is a
dominant production/consumption regions. Hence, very rich source of calcium (Ca), but grains also contain
biofortification of sorghum is a promising strategy to anti-nutritional factors like tannin (up to 3%) in larger
alleviate iron and zinc deficiency in these rural areas of quantities with strong negative correlations with iron
dryland. Wide variability for grain iron (12–68 mg/kg) and zinc. Processing techniques like soaking, roasting,
and zinc (11–44 mg/kg) has been observed among the boiling, germination, fermentation and malting tend to
cultivars and germplasm lines. Several of the released reduce tannin content and enhance the availability of
and popular sorghum cultivars possess moderate micronutrients. Research efforts are going on to develop
amounts of grain iron and zinc. Regular consumption small millet varieties with high iron and zinc content.
of these would elevate the micronutrient status among On the occasion of World Food day 2020, the Prime
the sorghum consuming population. Currently, efforts Minister, Shri Narendra Modi dedicated two finger
are on to developing biofortified sorghum varieties millet varieties, CFMV 1 and CFMV 2 rich in calcium,
combining high yield and micronutrients. iron and zinc, and one small millet variety CLMV 1 rich
in iron and zinc to the nation (Table 3).

SUMMARY
Millet grains contain higher protein, fibre, calcium
and mineral nutrients, and can ensure better nutrition
to the poor people. Biofortification in millets is a feasible
strategy to alleviate the micronutrient malnutrition
among the rural poor. Several biofortified cultivars have
been released in pearl millet for commercial cultivation
and are being adopted by the farmers. The availability
of high variability for grain micronutrient contents in
sorghum and small millets holds promise to develop
superior cultivars with enhanced nutritional quality.
Wide adoption and consumption of such biofortified
millets by micronutrient malnourished poor people
will enhance the nutritional status and health condition
of rural as well as urban population. Integration
of biofortified cultivars of millets in Government
Little millet CLMV 1 (Jaicar Sama-1) programmes like POSHAN Abhiyaan, PDS and ICDS
can make the nutritional interventions more practical
Small millets and cost-effective to deliver the micronutrients to the
Small millets are highly nutritious and superior to target communities.
rice for mineral content. The protein content ranges
from 7–12% and fat content from 1–5%. Iron and zinc
are relatively in higher concentrations in small millets *Corresponding author’s e-mail: hari@millets.res.in
compared to other major cereal crops. Varietal variations

Plant trees, Conserve water,

Protect environment.

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January 2023