2023, Vol. 8, Special Issue 6

India with its diversified agricultural assets in terms of soil, rainfall and climate has abundant crop diversity. Owing to their several drought tolerance characteristics, their cultivation in drought prone areas for providing food for human consumption, feed & fodder for animal and poultry, use as fuel and industrial uses are in common. During drought condition, it helps in generating employment in low rainfall areas where other alternative crops are limited and these crops are used as a contingent crop. As an assured source of income, these coarse cereals offer a better role during distress environment. A variety of coarse cereals are grown throughout the country in different ecology, agro-climatic condition, but mostly as rainfed crop. Sorghum, pearl millet, maize, barley, finger millet and several small millets such as kodo millet, little millet, foxtail millet, proso millet and barnyard millet together called coarse cereals.