The Story of Jowar..

Jowar is the most important food and fodder crop of dryland agriculture. 

With current management practices, the jowar monsoon crop is projected to decline by 16 percent in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka by 2020. 

Jowar is eaten by poor people and its ability to withstand even low rainfall and considerable drought has made it an important crop. It is preferably grown on lighter and poorer soils where other food crops like wheat and gram cannot be grown. 

Jowar also serves as an important source of animal feed and industrial raw material. Green and dried fodder is the most important roughage for feeding cattle throughout the country. Millet fodder sells for the same price as millets because they raise milk yield.

Jowar uses 70 % less water than other crops. Millets can do without chemical fertilisers and even if a farmer were inclined to apply them, the crops will not respond well in situations of water scarcity. Pest attacks can be warded off with natural concoctions.

Millets have low glycaemic value, which means they release energy slowly and therefore keep blood sugar levels stable. Besides, they are nutritious. According to the National Institute of Nutrition's food composition tables, 100 grams of ragi have 364 milligrams of calcium, three times as much as the 121 mg found in buffalo milk. They are also rich in fibre.

Jowar is high in proteins, dietary fibres, b-complex, amino acids, folic acid, vitamin e, iron, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, zinc, potassium, calcium.