Top 10 Bajra Producing States in India 2024

Table of Contents

• Overview of Bajra Production in India
• Top 10 Bajra Producing States in India
  • Rajasthan
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Gujarat
  • Haryana
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Maharashtra
  • Karnataka
  • Tamil Nadu
  • Andhra Pradesh
  • Telangana

Agriculture has long played a significant role in India's food security and economic growth. While India is the largest producer of various vegetables and fruits, the country is also among the leading millet producers. Different states cultivate different types of millet in India based on climatic conditions and nutritional value, and bajra is one of them, making a significant part of all the cultivated millet. This blog discusses the top 10 bajra producing states in India.

Overview of Bajra Production in India

Bajra is also called the Pearl millet or Pennisetum glaucoma crop. The edible seed present in the pearl millet plant is specifically referred to as bajra. It is one of the major crops in India and grows in different colours, such as grey, yellow and white. It is a coarse grain widely consumed in India, specifically as roti.

Bajra is rich in iron, fibre and protein, making it a highly beneficial grain with health benefits. The consumption of bajra helps alleviate cardiovascular, diabetes and digestive problems. Farmers are increasingly looking for a guide on Bajra Farming in India to benefit from this versatile crop. Year 2023 has been the International Year of Millets to increase awareness and promote the crop.

In India, various bajra varieties are cultivated, varying from region to region. Some of the varieties of bajra cultivated are hirwa bajra, brown and white bajra, sirohi, chironji and kali khand. Among these, hirwa bajra is the one majorly cultivated for consumption purposes.

Top 10 Bajra Producing States in India

When the question arises of where is bajra grown in India, the answer is no specific region but the whole country. India has diverse landscapes and climatic settings, which means that the bajra cultivation is widespread, and the bajra yield per acre is also different in these regions. Bajra crop cultivation in India for 2022-23 was in a 75.72 lakh hectare area. The total production was 114.31 lakh tonnes, yielding 1510 kg per hectare. Rajasthan is among the leading producer of bajra in India followed by other states. It is grown in the summer season in some states and the rainy season in others, depending on the suitable conditions. 

Rajasthan

Rajasthan ranks as the top player in the country in terms of bajra cultivation and produced 51.05 lakh tonnes of bajra. This high yield accounts for almost 45 per cent of the total national bajra production. The climatic conditions and the state's soil are most suitable for cultivating bajra varieties like ICMH-356 and HHB-67-2, thus making it the leader in bajra cultivation.

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh is second in pearl millet production in India after Rajasthan. The state produced 20.46 lakh tonnes, making 17.90 per cent of the nation's total bajra production. The crop is among the top in terms of cultivation area after wheat, rice and corn. The cultivation in the regions with less rainfall suits the crop. Bajra varieties like Nandi-32 and Nandi-52 are cultivated majorly in the regions of Kanpur, Bareilly and Agra during the Rabi season and Jawahar Bajra Variety-2 and Pusa composite-383 during the Kharif season.

Gujarat

The state is third in bajra production in the country, with a production of 12.94 lakh tonnes, accounting for 11.32 per cent. Bajra is the primarily grown millet in the state, and the soft and sandy soil of the state offers a suitable environment. It is cultivated in three different seasons in the state: summer, kharif and semi-rabi, which is late Kharif. Ahmedabad, Banaskantha, Gandhinagar, Anand, and Bhavnagar are a few regions where the crop is majorly cultivated using GHB-526, GHB-538 and GHB-558 varieties, among others.

Haryana

With 12 lakh tonnes of bajra production, Haryana is among the leading producer in the country. The state contributed 10.50 per cent of the bajra production. The major contributing regions in the state are Hisar, Mahendragarh, Rohtak, Gurgaon, Jhajjar, Rewari, and Bhiwani. Among the various bajra varieties, HHB-67-2 and HHB-94 are popular varieties cultivated in the state during the kharif season.

Madhya Pradesh

The state's contribution to the bajra production is 8.25 per cent, with a production of 9.43 lakh tonnes. Sheopur, Gwalior, Bhind, and Morena are some of the regions where the majority of the state's bajra cultivation is executed. Among many varieties, some commonly cultivated bajra varieties are Nandi-52, RHB-58 and Pusa-444.

Maharashtra

With its bajra production of 4.68 lakh tonnes in 2022-23, Maharashtra ranks sixth. The state is significantly involved in bajra cultivation, making around 4.09 per cent of the nation's total production. Bajra varieties like Pratibha, ICTP-8203, Sharadha, and Saburi are cultivated during Kharif and Rabi seasons in the regions of Ahmednagar, Sangli, Nashik, Solapur, Dhule, Pune, Aurangabad, Satara and Jalgaon.

Karnataka

Karnataka contributed 1.55 per cent by producing 1.77 lakh tonnes of bajra. The state cultivates several varieties of bajra for different seasons, like Pusa composite – 612, RHB-58 in the Kharif season, GHB-526 in the Rabi season, GK-1004 and Nandi-35 during the summer season.

Tamil Nadu

The state produced 1.13 lakh tonnes, yielding 2515 kg per hectare, which resulted in 0.99 per cent of the national bajra production. The state also cultivates several bajra varieties, among which the popular ones are Co Cu-9 and ICMV-221 during the Kharif and the Rabi season.

Andhra Pradesh

Bajra production in the state is performed in different seasons with different varieties, such as WCC-75 and ICMH-451 during the Kharif, the Rabi, and the summer season. This wide variety of bajra cultivation helped the state produce 0.99 per cent of the total bajra production, yielding 0.45 lakh tonnes.

Telangana

Telangana is the last entry to the list of the top ten bajra producing states, and it produced 0.12 lakh tonnes of bajra, making 0.10 per cent. Different hybrid bajra varieties, such as NBH 4903, PBH 306 and AHB 1200, are cultivated in the state.

The list of India's top ten bajra producing states shows how bajra plays a crucial role in the Indian agricultural sector. With different states involved in cultivating and producing diverse varieties, the nation's food security is ensured. In addition to this, the health benefits associated with bajra cannot be ignored, and they can only be enhanced by developing and using hybrid varieties.