تاريخ الدخن

الهند هي أكبر منتج للدخن في العالم، حيث تمثل نحو 20% من الإنتاج العالمي وحوالي 80% من إنتاج آسيا من الدخن. أعادت الحكومة الهندية تسمية الدخن رسمياً بـ"الحبوب المغذية" في أبريل 2018 من خلال إخطار رسمي صادر عن وزارة الزراعة، اعترافاً بقيمتها الغذائية المتفوقة مقارنةً بالحبوب الأساسية كالأرز والقمح.

تشمل الولايات الرئيسية المنتجة للدخن: راجستان، ماهاراشترا، كارناتاكا، أندرا براديش، تاميل نادو، ماديا براديش، غوجارات، وأوتاراخاند. لكل منطقة أصنافها التقليدية الخاصة من الدخن وتراثها الطهوي المميز.

The Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s transformed Indian agriculture. Led by Dr. M.S. Swaminathan and built upon Norman Borlaug's high-yield wheat and rice varieties, the initiative successfully averted widespread famine and dramatically increased food grain production. However, its singular focus on rice and wheat came at a steep cost to millet cultivation.

Government policies systematically favored rice and wheat through minimum support prices (MSP), public procurement systems, and subsidized distribution through the Public Distribution System (PDS). Irrigation infrastructure was built primarily for water-intensive paddy cultivation. Agricultural research funding flowed disproportionately toward rice and wheat improvement, while millet research was neglected.

The consequences were dramatic. Millets went from covering roughly 37% of India's cereal crop area in the 1960s to under 20% by the early 2000s. Perhaps most damagingly, millets became stigmatized as “coarse grains” and “poor people's food,” while polished white rice and refined wheat flour were seen as markers of prosperity. An entire generation grew up without millets on their plates, and traditional knowledge about millet cultivation, processing, and cooking began to fade.

The 21st century has witnessed a remarkable millet renaissance, driven by growing awareness of nutrition, sustainability, and the limitations of monoculture agriculture.

In 2018, the Government of India took a landmark step by officially reclassifying millets as “Nutri-Cereals” through a gazette notification, recognizing their superior nutritional profile. India declared 2018 as the National Year of Millets, launching awareness campaigns and including millets in mid-day meal schemes and the Public Distribution System for the first time.

In 2021, India proposed a resolution to the United Nations General Assembly to declare 2023 as the International Year of Millets. The resolution was adopted with support from 72 countries.

The International Year of Millets (2023) was a watershed moment. India led global campaigns promoting millet consumption, research, and trade. Events were held across 100+ countries, millet-based menus appeared at UN cafeterias, and awareness of millets as climate-smart, nutritious grains reached an unprecedented global audience. Research institutions like ICRISAT intensified work on improved varieties, and startups began offering millet-based products ranging from breakfast cereals to pasta to cookies.

Today, millets stand at the intersection of some of the most pressing global challenges -- food security, malnutrition, climate change, and sustainable agriculture. Their ancient resilience has become profoundly relevant to the modern world.