Successful Region 9 millet trial leads to expanded cultivation plan

Following a successful millet trial, undertaken through a collaboration between the Region Nine Agriculture Department and farmer Alaric Abraham of Nappi Village, plans are now in place to expand cultivation by one acre. In time, the initiative is expected to be extended and adopted across all sub-districts within the region.

The pilot project featured two varieties: Barnyard millet and Ragi (commonly known as finger millet), according to the regional agriculture department. The seeds were provided free of charge by the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), based at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
According to the department, millet, a climate-smart crop, proved ideal for areas like the Rupununi due to its ability to grow well in dry poor soils and its short growing cycle, which makes it suitable between major crop seasons.

Millet also provides high-protein fodder for livestock, and helps improve overall herd nutrition and resilience, thereby reducing dependency on imported or commercial feeds, it said. Millet is noted as superior to corn and rice bran in protein and fibre, making it valuable feed for cattle, goats, sheep and poultry, especially during the dry season when forage quality declines, the agriculture department added.
Staff of the department visited the farm Thursday, and noted that the crop will be ready for harvest in a week’s time.
The Region Nine agriculture department thanks Farmer Abraham for his willingness to “embrace millet cultivation”. His decision, they said, “shows courage and foresight”.
“We continue to encourage farmers to diversify away from traditional crops and explore high-value, climate-resilient options like millet, to improve food security and year-round productivity,” the department stated.
Considered an ancient grain, millet is used both for human consumption, livestock and bird feed. According to an article in Science Direct, millets are cultivated grasses (cereals) that have small kernels and that are grouped together solely on this basis.
There are many different millets, such as pearl millet, proso millet, foxtail millet, finger millet and tef, although they all have their common names that vary worldwide.
The grasses are a set of highly variable small-seeded cereal species indigenous to different areas of the world. Millet grains can contain significant amounts of phenolic compounds, which give them antioxidant activity. Although millets have huge potential for wider use, these grains remain virtually unresearched and their potential untapped.
Millets are mainly adapted to semi-desert, tropical, and subtropical areas of the world, but they are usually planted on barren and low-moisture soils and under hot environmental conditions. These cereals are of special value in semiarid regions because of their short growing cycle. Most millets are viewed as either subsistence or cash crops in developing and developed countries, respectively.
Barnyard Millet is a multi-purpose crop cultivated for both Food and Fodder. There are two varieties of barnyard millet – Japanese variety cultivated in Japan and Korea while the Indian variety is cultivated only in India. This millet is rich in protein (> 10 per cent); crude fibre (6.7–13.6 per cent) and in iron (9.3–18.6 mg per 100 g), says ICRISAT (International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics).
Already widely consumed in developing countries throughout Africa and Asia, millets have reportedly gained popularity in the West because they are gluten-free and boasts high protein, fibre, and antioxidant contents.