Millets are a group of small-seeded grains cultivated for thousands of years in many parts of the world. They are a great source of nutrition, high in fibre and rich in vitamins, minerals and proteins. Since their production is low, so my question is, can it feed the increasing population.
I don't see why not. Millet is just another type of grain, and since the majority of the world subsists on grains, you could swap some wheat or rice production for millet. However, I think you would achieve little by doing so, there is nothing particularly special about millet. Moreover, the top grains (wheat, rice, and corn) have been selectively bred to have high-yields. Millet would have gone through this selective breeding as well, but I believe less so than the aforementioned grains.
Millet is a drought-resistant grain that is easy to maintain. People often use millet to feed livestock. This seed has various health benefits as well as numerous uses in cooking. For thousands of years, people have benefited from the nutritional properties of millet. Millet seeds grow fast and are ready to harvest in almost half the time required for rice and wheat to grow. For this reason, this grain quickly spread in Asia and reached Europe. Currently, millet is one of the 10 most important grains in the world.
Millet contains many vital nutrients, but it also contains other compounds that interfere with the absorption of nutrients in the body. Types of millet have different amounts of these types of compounds, for example, pearl millet contains a compound called phytate, which makes it difficult for the body to absorb nutrients. Also, goitrogenic polyphenol compounds present in millet cause goiter in people who have a diet rich in millet. Finger millet also contains compounds such as tannins, protease inhibitors, oxalates and phytates. Of course, researchers reduce the amount of these millet compounds with various techniques such as grinding, half-boiling, half-cooking, peeling, fermentation, and sprouting.
Yes, millet is an excellent source of nutrients and having a low glycemic index than other common grains. However, in case of feeding the growing population, we need to consider highly on the food security. Under this circumstance, millet shows some drawbacks compared to other common grains such as rice, wheat and corn. Unlike rice, gram and corn, millet shows a lower yield in the field. Further, certain millet varieties cannot be consumed as it is, but needs to be subjected to some processing (i.e. milling). Further, it shows a lower affinity for diversification in product development.
Certainly, millets are rich is good nutritional, eco-friendly crops. But these are very low yielder.