Kodo millet

About Kodo millet: 

• Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum) is also known as Kodra and Varagu in India.
• It is one of the “hardiest crops, drought tolerant with high yield potential and excellent storage properties,” It is rich in vitamins and minerals.
• It is a staple food for many tribal and economically weaker sections in India.
• Required climatic condition:
  • The tropical and subtropical regions are best suited for Kodo millet cultivation.
  • It is grown on poor soils, and widely distributed in arid and semi-arid regions.
• The millet is believed to have originated in India and Madhya Pradesh is one of the largest producers of the crop, according to a 2020 research paper.
• Apart from MP, the millet is cultivated in Gujarat, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and parts of Tamil Nadu.
• The crop is grown in India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and West Africa.
• According to the research paper, “CPA (Cyclopiazonic acid) is one of the major mycotoxins associated with the kodo millet seeds causing kodo poisoning which was first recognised during the mid-eighties”.
  • Kodo poisoning occurs mainly due to the consumption of kodo grains, when “maturing and harvesting if the grains had encountered with rainfall, resulting in a fungal infection leading to ‘poisoned kodo’ which is locally known as ‘Matawna Kodoo’ or ‘Matona Kodo’ in northern India.”
  • Kodo poisoning mainly affects the nervous and cardiovascular systems and the chief symptoms include “vomiting, giddiness, and unconsciousness, small and rapid pulse, cold extremities, shaking of limbs and tremors.”

Q1: What are Millets?

Millets are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. This crop is favoured due to its productivity and short growing season under dry, high-temperature conditions (hardy and drought-resistant crops).

Source: How consumption of kodo millet led to the death of 10 elephants in MP

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