scholarly journals Breeding Biofortified Pearl Millet Varieties and Hybrids to Enhance Millet Markets for Human Nutrition

Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahalingam Govindaraj ◽  
Kedar Nath Rai ◽  
Binu Cherian ◽  
Wolfgang Helmut Pfeiffer ◽  
Anand Kanatti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pearl Millet ◽  
Distribution System ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Nutritional Intervention ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Distribution System ◽  
Iron And Zinc ◽  
Micronutrient Malnutrition

Pearl millet is an important food crop in the arid and semi-arid tropical regions of Africa and Asia. Iron and zinc deficiencies are widespread and serious public health problems worldwide, including in India and Africa. Biofortification is a cost-effective and sustainable agricultural strategy to address this problem. The aim of this review is to provide the current biofortification breeding status and future directions of the pearl millet for growing nutrition markets. Research on the pearl millet has shown that a large genetic variability (30–140 mg kg−1 Fe and 20–90 mg kg−1 Zn) available in this crop can be effectively utilized to develop high-yielding cultivars with high iron and zinc densities. Open-pollinated varieties (Dhanashakti) and hybrids (ICMH 1202, ICMH 1203 and ICMH 1301) of pearl millet with a high grain yield and high levels of iron (70–75 mg kg−1) and zinc (35–40 mg kg−1) densities have been developed and released first in India. Currently, India is growing > 70,000 ha of biofortified pearl millet, and furthermore more pipeline cultivars are under various stages of testing at the national (India) and international (west Africa) trials for a possible release. Until today, no special markets existed to promote biofortified varieties and hybrids as no incentive price to products existed to address food and nutritional insecurity simultaneously. The market demand is likely to increase only after an investment in crop breeding and the integration into the public distribution system, nutritional intervention schemes, private seed and food companies with strong mainstreaming nutritional policies. The following sections describe various aspects of breeding and market opportunity for addressing micronutrient malnutrition.

scholarly journals Breeding Biofortified Pearl Millet Varieties and Hybrids to Enhance Millet Markets for Human Nutrition

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahalingam Govindaraj ◽  
Kedarnath Rai ◽  
Binu Cherian ◽  
Wolfgang Pfeiffer ◽  
Anand Kanatti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pearl Millet ◽  
Distribution System ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Poultry Feed ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
Nutritional Security ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Iron And Zinc ◽  
Food And Nutritional Security

Pearl millet is an important food crop in the arid and semi-arid tropical regions of Africa and Asia. These regions are home to millions of poor smallholder’s households living in harsh agro ecology and reported higher prevalence of malnutrition. Such poor households have few options in terms of food crops, besides the limited markets. Indeed, pearl millet is one of the food crops they continue to grow for their food and nutritional security. Pearl millet is important sources of dietary carbohydrates, energy, protein, and important minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc. Considering inherent high nutritional values and climate resilient nature (drought and heat), demand for pearl millet as food, beside valued for its Stover as a source of livestock fodder, is projected to grow strongly in Asia (India) and Africa (West and Central Africa). Iron (cause anemia) and zinc (cause stunting) deficiencies are widespread and serious public health problems worldwide, including India and Africa. Biofortification is a cost-effective and sustainable agricultural strategy to address this problem. Research on pearl millet has shown that large genetic variability (30-140 mg/kg Fe and 20-90 mg/kg Zn) available in this crop can be effectively utilized to develop high-yielding cultivars with high iron and zinc densities. Both Open –pollinated varieties (Dhanshakti and Chakti) and hybrids (ICMH 1202, ICMH 1203 and ICMH 1301) of pearl millet with high grain yield (>3.5 tons/ha in hybrids) and high levels of iron (70-75 mg/kg) and zinc (35-40 mg/kg) densities have been developed and released. Currently, India growing >70,000 ha of biofortified pearl millet, besides more pipeline hybrids and varieties are under various stage of testing at the national (India) and international (west Africa) trials for possible release. Genomic tools will be an integral part of breeding program particularly for nutritional traits to use diagnostic markers and genomic selection. Clinical studies showed that 200g grains from biofortified cultivar would provide bioavailable Fe to meet full recommended daily allowance (RDA) in children, adult men and 80% of the RDA in women. Till today, no markets to promote biofortified cultivars/grains/products as no incentive price and such products aims to address food and nutritional security challenges simultaneously. The demand is likely to increase only after investment and integration into modern public distribution system, nutritional intervention schemes, private seed and food companies with strong mainstreaming nutritional policies. In the non-traditional regions, this will contribute to livestock and poultry feed industry as spill-over benefits to improve nutrition.

scholarly journals Heterosis Effects on Genetic Biofortification of Grain Iron and Zinc in Pearl Millet (Pennisetumglacum L.).

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Shobha Rani ◽  
G. Anil Kumar ◽  
K. Sravanti ◽  
C.V. Sameer Kumar ◽  
S. Maheswaramma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pearl Millet ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Genetic Enhancement ◽  
Content Ratio ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
Iron And Zinc ◽  
Grain Crop ◽  
Micronutrient Malnutrition ◽  
Breeding Efficiency

Pearl millet is traditionally a small grain crop, adapted to marginal environments. Micronutrient malnutrition arising from deficiency of one or more essential micronutrients. Crop biofortification is a sustainable and cost-effective approach to address micro nutrient malnutrition, especially in the developing world. It refers to the development of micronutrient-dense staple crops using conventional breeding practices. Availability of traits of concern in improved genetic background greatly enhances the breeding efficiency for the target trait combining with other desirable agronomic traits. The main objective of this study was to determine heterosis for Fe and Zn by using line x tester analysis. Low level of heterosis over mid-parent (MP) for grain Fe and Zn and no hybrid with significant heterosis over better-parent (BP) for Fe and Zn, suggested that there would be little opportunity, if any, to exploit heterosis for these traits. This would also mean that to breed high Fe and high Zn hybrids, these traits will have to breed into both parental lines of hybrids.Based on the results, it can be concluded that there are good prospects of genetic enhancement for grain Fe and Zn content ratio interm of hybrid development in pearl millet.

Economic impact of initial period of lockdown in Kolkata and suburbs

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Bandana Sen ◽  
Aloke Kar
Keyword(s):  
Distribution System ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Initial Period ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Free Food ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Distribution System ◽  
Food Grains ◽  
On Line

The present study provides a snapshot of the level of degradation of economic and living conditions of middle-class households of Kolkata and its neighbourhood during ‘lockdown’. It is based on an on-line survey of households of students of five purposively-selected colleges carried out during the second half of May 2020. The survey reveals that inflow of regular normal income had ceased altogether for over 40% of the sample households. About 15% of the households suffered from outright job loss or complete denial or withholding of wages and salaries payments of their members in paid employment and another about 27% reported complete closure of small businesses run by them. The normal-times income had altogether ceased for over a half of the households of the lowest income group. Predictably, the worst hit group was the wage labourers. Over four-fifths households with their prime earning member in wage employment reported job and earnings related problems, with over a fourth reporting job losses. Households with self-employed prime earners too were severely affected, with about three-fourths of them reporting such problems. Even the households with regular-salaried prime earners were badly hit. About a half of them reported job and earnings related problems. The results suggest that food grains distribution through the Public Distribution System (PDS) played a decisive role in averting an imminent famine-like situation. About 60% of the sample households were found to have procured food stuff from the PDS. Among the wage-labourers’ households, well over 80% reported dependence on the PDS, with ostensibly a large proportion of them receiving food altogether free. Despite free food grains distribution, about 5% of the sample households could not arrange three meals a day for all its members.

scholarly journals A Review on E-Ration Card System

2020 ◽  
pp. 51-53
Author(s):  
Snehal S. Golait ◽  
Lutika Kolhe ◽  
Snehal Rahangdale ◽  
Anjali Godghate ◽  
Prajakta Sonkusare ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distributed System ◽  
Smart Card ◽  
Distribution System ◽  
Manual Work ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Distribution System ◽  
The World ◽  
Card System ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Web

The Public Distribution System in India is the largest retail system in the world. Major problem in this system are the inefficiency in the targeting of beneficiaries, improve weighing machines used an illegal selling of goods. Automated public ration distributed system aim to replace the manual work in Public Distribution System there by reducing the corruption an illegal selling of stock. This paper gives the review on the E- Ration card system to distribute the grains automatically. The proposed system is used the conventional ration card which is replaced by smart card by using RIFD card. The RFID card redirect to the web of the shop , the required item are selected and payment is done and then item are collected from the machine. In this system, the government has control overall transaction that occurs in the ration shop and all the stock records are updated to the government databases so as to refill the stock with material thereby reducing the corruption.

Rethinking the Formation of Public Distribution System: A Class-Focused Approach

2021 ◽  
pp. 048661342110349
Author(s):  
Soumik Sarkar ◽  
Anjan Chakrabarti
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Distribution System ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Surplus Labor ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Distribution System ◽  
System A ◽  
Historical Condition ◽  
Indian State ◽  
The 1960S

Using the methodology of overdetermination, class process of surplus labor as the entry point and socially determined need of food security, we deliver an alternative class-focused rendition of the public distribution system (PDS) in India. We first surmise our theoretical framework to infer that the overdetermined and contradictory relation of class and social needs matter for PDS. Beyond the reasoning of being pro-poor, fair, or wasteful, we deploy this framework to reinterpret the formation of Indian PDS in the 1960s. Its demonstration requires revisiting the historical condition that shaped capital’s passive revolution through the post-independence Indian state and its subsequent crisis arising out of the contradictions and conflicts in the class-need space. We argue that PDS signals a case of success and not failure of capitalism.

Contradictory Policies of Neoliberalizing India

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-97
Author(s):  
Waquar Ahmed ◽  
Ipsita Chatterjee
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Distribution System ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Distribution System ◽  
Indian State ◽  
Global North ◽  
Governance Institutions ◽  
The One ◽  
Employment Guarantee

This paper examines the tensions and contradictions within the Indian state in its production of socio-economic policies. Pressure of global governance institutions, multinational corporations, and neoliberal states of the global North that back such corporations, have been instrumental in the production of -friendly economic policy in India. Additionally, in representing the interest of the national bourgeois, the Indian state has been receptive to ideas that favor marketization of the economy. However, public pressure, where the poor constitute the majority of the Indian population, has compelled the Indian state to also strengthen welfare. In examining this contradiction of the simultaneous production of neoliberal and welfare policy, we analyze the case of the public distribution system (which is being marketized) on the one hand, and the employment guarantee scheme (that demonstrates strengthening of welfare) on the other.

Rescaling the public distribution system in India: Mapping the uneven transition from spatialization to territorialization

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Landy
Keyword(s):  
Distribution System ◽  
Policy Innovation ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Central State ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Distribution System ◽  
Food Grains ◽  
Poor Households ◽  
A Minor

The Indian public distribution system operates like a huge machine transferring food grains procured by the federal government from surplus regions at a guaranteed price towards deficit areas where grains are sold at subsidized prices to poor households. The role of India’s regional States has become more significant in recent years with ‘decentralized procurement’. However, the national state has not become a minor actor, sandwiched between the globalization of food flows and decentralization policies. A process of state spatial rescaling is indeed taking place, although limited in scope and uneven across space. Before the 1990s, despite the uncontested power of the central state, sizeable differentiation already existed between States or ‘food zones’, in procurement as well as distribution. Recent rescaling of the policy has given States greater scope for policy innovation, via a ‘territorialization’ process. Nevertheless, despite significant rescaling to the subnational scale and the importance of ‘localization’ and ‘globalization’ trends, the national scale maintains a prominent position in the overall policy framework.

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