Ragi is another coarse grain which has high nutrition value (carbohydrate 73%, protein 9.2%) and is used as staple food by poor people in south India. Its plant is considered as indigenous of India. In Babarnama there is a mention of using this crop for making wine.

Conditions of Growth

Ragi is a Kharif crop, sown between May and August and harvested between September and Janu­ary. In many parts of South India it is cultivated throughout the year by means of irrigation. The seeds are sown broadcast or with the help of drills and even transplanted on well-prepared friable beds ploughed several times. The crop requires 3 to 5 months to mature.

Yield

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The average per hectare yield of Ragi in the country is 1553 kg (2000-01) which has increased in recent years due to the use of HYV seeds (cf. 1107 kg/ha in 1983-84 and 1410 kg/ha in 1995-96). On state-level Tamil Nadu records the highest per hec­tare yield of 1972 kg followed by Andhra Pradesh (1191 kg), West Bengal (1143 kg), and Karnataka (1005 kg). Orissa is characterised by the lowest per hectare yield of 468 kg. Over 60 per cent of the ragi cropped area is under HYV. The per hectare yield of ragi is higher than other millet crops like jowar and bajra.