Millet (graminaceous)

See also: Millet

Millet is a generic term which indicates several species of Plante S of the family of the Poacées (Graminée S). They are Céréale S food, with very small Graine S, cultivated mainly in the dry zones, in particular in Africa and Asia. They are often called also millet. Millet without another precision often indicates the ''' common millet ''', but the millet more cultivated is the “''' millet ''' pearl”.

Less demanding and more rustic than the Sorghum, these species are well adapted to the moderate or tropical zones dry where the rain season is short.

The Sorghum, Graminaceous cereal and fodder, is also called “large millet” or “Indian millet”.

Étymologiquement, millet is a diminutive of millet , term which derives from the Latin millium , name of these plants in Latin.

Economic aspects

In general, the statistics include all the cultures of millet in only one heading.

The worldwide production is estimated at 28 million ton S (either approximately 1,5% of the cereal total), from which 95% come from the Africa and the Asia.

In the countries of the the Sahel, in Africa of the West, the millet, important food crop for the food safety of these countries, represents often more than 30% of the total cereal production. It is generally about a extensive farming, practiced without irrigation, nor Engrais. The outputs under these conditions very low, lie between 200 and 500 kg per hectare.

In the developed countries, the millet occupies a very marginal place, like food of the Oiseau X of birdcage.

There are few exchanges on the level of the international business, the production being generally autoconsommée.

Productions

Class. Product Production (MT) Note 1 India 8,000,000 * 2 Nigeria 6,100,000 F 3 Niger 2,500,000 F 4 China 2,200,000 * 5 Burkina Faso 1,250,000 F 6 Federation of Russia 1,050,000 * 7 Mali 815,000 F 8 Sudan 784,000 F 9 Senegal 628,426 F 10 Uganda 584,000 F 11 Ukraine 551,000 12 Chad 430,000 F 13 Ethiopia 350,000 F 14 Nepal 285,000 F 15 Republic-Plain of Tanzania 270,000 F The 16 United States of America 250,000 F 17 Ghana 189,900 18 Pakistan 180,000 * 19 Myanmar 162,000 F 20 Angola 96,000 F F = Estimate of FAO | * = semi-official Information

Source: Economic and social department, the division of the statistics of FAO

Food interest

The millet is an energy food, nutritive, recommended for the children and the elderly or in convalescence.

It is consumed especially in the form of Bouillie S and of Galette S. the flour of millet quickly becomes rancid and cannot be preserved a long time. Traditionally, the Grain is crushed in a mortar. More and more, this preparation is mechanized: the grain then passed in a decorticator and a Moulin to Farine, which avoids a hard work and improves quality of the flour. Content of Protein S of different the millet S, and their quality, is compared with that of the Blé or the Maïs. The Eleusine with a content relatively high of Methionine, Amino-acid which is often lacking in the tropical Céréale S.

Towards 5000 before J.C. take place of the " Neolithic revolutions " in China. The culture of the millet appears thus in the basins of the rivers Yangtsé and Huang He. One found besides in 2005 of the Nouilles containing millet going back to -2000 before J.C with Lajia, in the upstream part of Huang He.

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