Exceeding Expectations: Nutritious Iron Pearl Millet in India
Iron pearl millet can provide adult consumers in India with more than two-thirds of their daily iron requirements. For children, this biofortified crop provides enough iron to meet their full daily needs. In a country where two-thirds of all children aged under five are iron-deficient, iron pearl millet represents hope for better nutrition and health. More than a million Indian farmers have embraced the variety.
When HarvestPlus first set out to develop iron pearl millet, our goal was for the variety to supply up to 70 percent of daily iron needs. Today, biofortified pearl millet can provide up to 80 percent of daily iron requirements. DFID’s generous support facilitates the continuous work of our scientists to make biofortified varieties even more nutritious with successive releases.
Watch one of our scientists explain the iron pearl millet breeding process in the video below.