Milletonomics: Toward an Eclectic Theory of Consumer Demand for Millets

Millets, the coarse cereals, are on a comeback trail. They are being hailed as super food on account of their favorable nutritional, climate resilient, smaller sowing-to-harvesting, crop diversifying and socio-ecological footprints. The paper notes that like a startup, even the revival or comeback is fraught with a host of challenges despite the a priori, promising opportunities. An important difference between a greenfield start up and a revival of an ancestral staple, however, is that the latter is rooted and prevalent in some extant practices, geographies and historical traditions. India presents a similar tale. Whilst it is the world's largest producer of millets and ranks among top five exporters, the domestic popularity of millets generally pales despite the policy and institutional push. However, there are distinguishable differences in consumption patterns across different segments. There are a few households, largely rural, where millets comprise staple; a few households, largely urban, where millets are in experiment & adoption stage; and a large household- both rural and urban- who consider millets an inferior good. Moreover, the preferred form of consumption of millets varies across different market segments. The paper seeks to develop an eclectic theory of consumer demand for a highly fragmented market for millets and emphasizes differentiated strategy for different market segments. Recognising the dynamic nature of market segments, the paper also proposes a possible integration of comparative static and dynamic aspects of demand. Government initiatives at national and international level such as promoting millets as “Shree Anna” integrating them into public programs, declaring 2023 as international year of millets are reshaping perceptions boosting demand. It also helps in meeting the SDGs like Zero Hunger, Good Health and Climate Action by enhancing food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture.