Niger seed decline in Mandla challenges India’s millet push

In central India, a paradox unfolds. While the government promotes millet cultivation, including niger seed (Ramtil), Mandla's farmers are abandoning this once-golden crop. This story examines Ramtil's changing fortunes in Mandla and its broader Indian context.

Understanding Ramtil, The Golden Grain

Ramtil, scientifically known as Guizotia abyssinica, is more than just a millet. It's a versatile crop with applications ranging from food to industry. Its oil is used in cooking, medicinal treatments, and even as an alternative to olive oil. The seeds are roasted for consumption or used as a spice, while the oil cake serves as animal feed.

Talking about the quality of Ramtil oil, its unsaturated fatty acids are free from toxins, which is also considered beneficial for health. Ramtil has 32-40% quality oil content and 18-24% protein.

In addition to all these benefits, Ramtil is also known as a 'bee plant' due to its ability to attract bees and provide them with nectar. Other benefits of ramtil crops include soil quality improvement.

Beni Prasad Jharia, an elderly farmer from Jangaliya village in Mandla's Niwas Tehsil, reminisces,

Earlier, this land used to look completely yellow due to the crop of Ramtila. But now people have stopped cultivating Ramatila (Niger) here.

Ramtil's cultivation is relatively straightforward, thriving even in low management conditions. It's typically sown between September and October in Mandla, just after the rainy season when soil moisture is optimal. 

These characteristics, combined with its resistance to diseases and insects, make Ramtil an advantageous crop for farmers. Despite such simple farming and a quality crop, the withdrawal of Mandla farmers from Ramtil farming raises concerns.

Production Trends of Ramtil Shows Astonishing Rise and Fall

India's Ramtil production has seen significant fluctuations over the years. In 2023, the country produced 44 thousand metric tons, up from 33 thousand metric tons in 2022. However, the story in Madhya Pradesh, particularly in Mandla, tells a different tale.

Find more statistics at Statista

In 2000-2001, Madhya Pradesh had 107,157 hectares under Ramtil cultivation. By 2022–23, this area had shrunk dramatically to just 10,080 hectares. The production in the state has also seen ups and downs, peaking at 23,236 metric tons in 2004-2005 before declining in subsequent years.

Furthermore, the analysis of niger seed production in Madhya Pradesh from 2000 to 2019-20 reveals variations in the area and level of Ramtil production across different districts. Chhindwara emerges as a major district with an average area of about 24,956 hectares and an average production of about 4,104 metric tons, indicating the strong potential of Ramtil cultivation.

In contrast, districts like Hoshangabad, Sagar, and Satna show a catastrophic performance with an average area of only a few hectares and minimal production. Other districts of the state, such as Jabalpur, also show moderate performance, but they do not reach the level of Chhindwara. This disparity in production capacities underscores the need for targeted agricultural strategies to increase Ramtil cultivation in low-producing districts.

If we consider Ramtil in the context of the Mandla district, we observe a sudden decline in both its area and production. In 2016-17, the area of Ramtil in Mandla was 14000 hectares, which was reduced to 4250 hectares in 2017-18, and in 2018-19, only 207 hectares of Ramtil were sown. At the same time, the production of Ramtil in Mandla has also decreased by 1920, 75, and 55 metric tons, respectively, in these years.

Why Farmers Are Abandoning Ramtil

There are several factors contributing to the declining interest in Ramtil cultivation among Mandla's farmers. When we asked Beni Prasad ji about the reason behind this, he said that in the last few years, weeds like Amarbel (Cuscuta Weed) used to spread in the Ramtil crop, which used to destroy the entire crop. Shanti Devi of Janglia, sitting close to Beni Prasad, supports Beni Prasad's point and says,

Once this Amarbel had spread in our Jagni field also. Due to this, our entire crop was ruined. Now we also do not cultivate Jagni (Here Jagani means Niger Seed. Which in Hindi is called Ramtil and Jagani by the local people of Mandla).

A study conducted in 2017 by the Directorate of Pulses Development of Madhya Pradesh also identified Amarbel (Cuscuta Weed) as a threat to Ramatil in the Mandla district. Beni Prasad attributes this to the seeds brought from the market that were planted in the fields over the years. Thus, the Amarbel (Cuscuta Weed) has become a significant threat to Ramtil crops in recent years.

Changes in weather patterns also play a significant role in the dip in niger seed cultivation in Mandla. Shashi Kali, sitting in the hallway of her house in Janglia village, looking at the drizzling rain, says,

I wonder if this is the season of Ramtil cultivation. It has been almost 25 years since I got married here, but earlier there used to be no such rain and lightning at this time as there is now. In the last 2-3 years, 6-7 people in our village have died due to lightning. This time of rain is ruining our maize crop. We have given up cultivating Ramatil anyway.

Excessive rainfall, particularly in September, has made conditions unfavourable for Ramtil cultivation. The Ramtil crop cannot tolerate heavy rainfall and excessive moisture. This year, Mandla has received more rainfall than normal, even in the month of September. This excessive rainfall negatively affects the Ramtil crop, which is forcing the farmers of Mandla to abandon Ramtil cultivation.

Apart from all this, the tribal community of Mandala is experiencing a change in food habits. Mandla's youth have now moved away from the millet-based diet and are attracted to the city lifestyle and are turning to rice, wheat, and rye. Shanti Devi notes a shift in dietary preferences,

Now no one likes to eat Ramtil in our place. Everyone has started eating rice and wheat in imitation of outside. Whereas the real nutrition and strength lie in grains like Kodo, Kutki, and Ramtil. Now what do we do when no one wants to eat? That is why we do not sow Ramtila. Now we have also started sowing paddy.

Dr Sant Kumar Sharma, Technical Officer of Chhindwara Agricultural Research Center, also underlines other aspects behind this problem. Dr. Sharma further explains,

The main reason for the abandonment of Ramtil cultivation in Mandla is that the yield potential is not fully realized because its technical cultivation is not done there. Apart from this, changing seasonal conditions also force farmers to adopt other crop options. These are the main reasons for the decline in Ramtil cultivation in Mandla.

Government Initiatives and Future Prospects

Despite the decline, the Indian government has launched several initiatives to promote millet cultivation, including Ramtil. The year 2023 was declared the "International Year of Millets," and schemes like the Integrated Certificate of Millets Programme and the National Millets Mission have been introduced.

However, these efforts seem to fall short in Mandla. The lack of technology, incentives, and an adequate market continue to push farmers towards other crops like paddy and rye (black mustard). The consequences of this shift extend beyond agriculture, affecting the traditional diet and nutrition of the local population.

Ramtil is not the only millet that is disappearing from Mandla villages. Apart from this, the cultivation of millets like Bhadela, Sama (barnyard millet), and Jowar (sorghum) has also decreased. As nutritious grains like Kodo, Kutki, and Ramtil disappear from the plates of Mandla's people, the need for serious conservation and promotion efforts becomes increasingly apparent. The story of Ramtil in Mandla serves as a microcosm of the challenges facing traditional crop cultivation in the face of changing climates, markets, and societal preferences.

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