New Delhi: As health consciousness rises around the world, Indians are re-examining traditional food knowledge. In the clean eating movement, ancient grains are having a strong resurgence. One emerging headline from India’s culinary traditions is ragi, aka finger millet, forgotten by urban diets and relegated to the rural pantry and labelled a poor man’s grain, is now coming to the front, being marketed as India’s version of quinoa.
Dr. Pratayksha Bhardwaj, Dietitian and Weight Management Expert, spoke about how ragi might be the new quinoa.
While quinoa has been loved for its protein, gluten-free qualities among urban Indians, ragi is proving to be a local, sustainable, and more nutritionally valued alternative. Statistics tell the story. An IMARC Group report states that the Indian millet market reached INR 310 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2024 to 2032. According to the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), consumption has increased by over 30% in urban areas in the last five years, more than any of the other millets.
This has all happened largely with support from the government. This past year, 2023, is the International Year of Millets as approved by the UN, and India is leading the charge, reestablishing ragi for climate-resilient farming, and packed with nutrition. There is also the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), promoting ragi in public distribution systems and mid-day meals, establishing it as an affordable tool against malnutrition.
From Villages to Vegan Cafes: Ragi’s Urban Makeover
Ragi’s usage has typically been limited to Karnataka’s ragi mudde, Tamil Nadu’s ragi dosa, or Andhra’s ragi sangati. Now we are seeing ragi being molded into breakfast cereals, energy bars, and pasta, as well as cookies, baby food, and plant-based milk. According to the retail data from BigBasket and Amazon India, ragi products sold out at a year-on-year growth rate of 62% as of 2024. The greatest demand for ragi is coming from millennials and Gen Zers who want health and heritage-based foods in their diets.
A Grain for the Future: Ragi’s Role in Food Security
Ragi is not only nutritious, but also a climate hero. It can grow in arid and semi-arid regions with little to no irrigation, and it is resistant to pests, therefore, ragi could be a beneficial grain for India’s multi-agro-climatic regions. With relentless waves of climate change and food security issues, ragi’s unique feature of being able to improve the soils using poor soils without synthetic fertilizers makes it as sweet as honey. The Institutions are developing bio-fortified varieties of ragi (like IIMR), and fortifying it with micronutrients can help in combating anemia and osteoporosis in women and children. The economic and health implications of this CAGR value chain will be enormous.
India is at a unique crossroads, where ancient traditions meet an age of innovation and local dishes that receive international status. While consumers increasingly desire healthier and more sustainable choices, ragi has become a superfood of the future. Thanks to nutritionists, chefs, policy makers, and celebrities advocating for ragi, ragi’s ascent also highlights a larger trend in the Indian food narrative: a return to our roots, with innovation.
As India champions the global millet movement, we must also remember that all the most significant answers to global health trends do not come from the imported shelf in the supermarket, but rather from the ground we stand on! Ragi isn’t the new quinoa; it’s better, bolder, and, most importantly, it’s ours.
Ragi is not only nutritious, but also a climate hero. It can grow in arid and semi-arid regions with little to no irrigation, and it is resistant to pests, therefore, ragi could be a beneficial grain for India’s multi-agro-climatic regions. Health Conditions Health News: Latest News from Health Care, Mental Health, Weight Loss, Disease, Nutrition, Healthcare
