Mr Viral
Yellowfield was previously a traditional grains company with a focus on rice and palm oil, but in recent years the firm opted to expand its portfolio to include a focus on millets as well.
“Due to its dependence on weather conditions and rainfall, rice is much more sensitive and less stable in terms of crop supply, and we are seeing many consumers and traders looking to replace rice as well as wheat with millets,” Yellowfield Managing Director Garvit Raj Patodia told FoodNavigator-Asia.
“India has one of the most advanced millet markets, we have both major millets like bhajra, ragi and sorghum, as well as minor millets like little millets and foxtail millets, so there is also a great deal of potential for innovation.
“Major millets generally do not need any processing and just need to be cleaned and put into food; whereas minor millets are the ones which can be rice, couscous or quinoa substitutes and are also much healthier and easier on the pocket.
“The affordability of millets is very important to ensure consumer accessibility [especially during difficult economic times], and millets are also low-gluten, low-GI and high-fibre which makes them very good for diabetic consumers, or those with fatty liver or obesity which is important in terms of public health.”
Local government data has also validated the importance of millets particularly in a market like India with a large yet also largely socio-economically-challenged population.
“The Government of India has prioritised millets as a food source and rebranded these as Nutri Cereals to reflect their strong nutritional value,” The India Science, Technology and Innovation Portal run by the Indian Department of Science and Technology said via a formal statement.
“We know that ragi (finger millet) is an excellent source of calcium and is suitable for bone health, muscles and nerve function; Kodo millet is rich in iron and regulates the immune system; foxtail millet keeps neurons healthy; little millet is good for the thyroid and so on..
“These millets should all be part of a daily diet to ensure all round good health, and each millet should be consumed weekly on a rotational basis.
“At present, many traditional millet recipes like millet roti and millet khichdi already exist on a regional level and there are also many innovations being supported like millet dosa, millet idli, pancakes, millet bread, waffles, croutons, and cookies.
“All of these are being developed via professional expertise both in foodservice settings like hotels and bakeries, as well as by the food industry and at home.”
Patodia added that a lot of this innovation is relatively new, motivated by the government’s National Year of Millets declaration in 2018 and further enhanced by the International Year of Millets in 2023.
“Before this, people were using millets only as a flour substitute but now there is a lot more going on in terms of processing millets into whole grains, rice dishes and even as a whole salad substitute,” he said.
“Quinoa salads and couscous salads are the most commonly consumed salads in terms of western-style cuisine here, and many consumers are now using little millets and foxtail millets as a substitute for these in salads, eating them as is.”
Challenges still in storeUnfortunately, a new 2025 study from the University of Delhi has found that the commercial prospects of the millet sector are still greatly limited by consumer awareness and farmer economics.
“Millet cultivation and its promotion face numerous challenges despite having various health benefits and cultural importance,” the University of Delhi researchers said, writing in the Journal of Ethnic Foods.
One of the major problems is that customers lack awareness of millets’ nutritional and health value of millet [and also that] farmers cultivating millets usually experience limited market access, a situation that reduces their profits and discourages them from further selling their products.
“Government incentives and support for millet cultivation are crucial to promote millet farming and integrate this into the public food distribution system, so as to help millet farmers increase their market access and secure better prices.”
