ICRISAT continue to raise consumer awareness on traditional grains

THE International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has said it continues to raise consumer awareness on traditional grains such as sorghum and millet as highly nutritious and climate-resilient superfoods, pushing to change outdated perceptions of the ancient crops and drive demand for thier health-conscious benefits.

This also comes at a time global weather patterns continues to shift towards an adverse climatic cycle, with a predicted Super El Nino phenomenon set to impact the 2026/27 summer cropping season.

An El Nino phenomenon is a climate pattern characterised by the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

For southern Africa, it is a notorious agent of drought. Typically, the phenomenon disrupts normal rainfall patterns, leading to delayed onset of rains, prolonged mid-season dry spells, and extreme heatwaves.

ICRISAT Zimbabwe country representative who is also the farming and systems analysis principal scientist, Dr Martin Moyo said traditional grains were vital and climate-resilient crops.

“As ICRISAT, we view targeted value addition, stronger processing capacity and better market positioning as essential for traditional grains such as pearl millet and sorghum to become commercially viable export commodities.

“These crops already have clear agronomic advantages in semi-arid or dry environments, but ICRISAT’s message is that production alone is not enough: they must be transformed into convenient, high-quality, and marketable products such as flour, blends, and other processed foods to capture consumer demand and price premiums,” he said.

He said ICRISAT was currently promoting traditional grains in Zimbabwe through a mix of crop improvement, seed system strengthening, market development, and nutrition-focused awareness.

Dr Moyo said a major recent milestone was the co-release of Zimbabwe’s first pearl millet and sorghum hybrids with the Crop Breeding Institute (CBI), which is meant to boost yields, climate resilience, and farmer adoption in drylands.

“Zimbabwe’s first two Pearl Millet Hybrid varieties (PMH 1 and PMH 2) and two new Sorghum Hybrid varieties (SH1 and SH2) are breakthrough varieties that mark a significant step towards enhancing food security and climate resilience, particularly for smallholder farmers in the country’s drylands.

“The hybrids are specifically developed to excel in Zimbabwe’s semi-arid conditions, offering substantially higher yields compared to the older open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) traditionally used by farmers. In addition to their drought tolerance, these hybrids present opportunities to boost farmer incomes through diverse applications, including food production, animal feed, and industrial uses such as brewing,” he added.

He said they were also supporting biofortified pearl millet work to improve iron and zinc intake, alongside training in climate-smart practices, stronger seed access, and market development for nutrient-rich grains and products.

Dr Moyo said beyond crop improvement, ICRISAT was promoting value-added products, recipes, and consumer awareness so sorghum and millet are seen as modern, nutritious foods with real commercial potential, not just subsistence crops

On export potential of traditional grains, he said: “For pearl millet and sorghum it depends on building the whole value chain, not just growing the grain. That means improving quality standards, processing infrastructure and branding while also shifting perceptions, so these grains are seen as modern, nutritious, climate-resilient foods rather than only subsistence crops.”

Dr Moyo said in his view, Zimbabwe should position its traditional grains as a climate-resilient, nutrition-forward, and market-ready export category, not just as subsistence crops.

He said the country can position itself by turning its traditional grains into a branded, quality-assured climate-smart export story rather than selling them only as raw commodities.