Foxtail millet (kaun): a forgotten grain worth growing again

Stand at the edge of a sandbank in northern Bangladesh on a late afternoon in Agrahayan and you may still see small plots where green shoots push up through sandy soil. In a few months those shoots will carry long, silky heads packed with pale yellow grains smaller than mustard seed. The crop is kaun, the foxtail millet. For generations villagers called it the poor man's food; when there was no rice in the house, families filled up on kaun cooked like rice, as a porridge or in khichuri. Times have changed. Health-conscious shoppers in the cities now look for packets of kaun in supermarkets, and nutritionists remind people with diabetes about this little grain. A crop the country had nearly forgotten is returning as a nutritious and profitable one.

Kaun is one of the oldest grains people have cultivated. Botanists know it as Setaria italica; in English it is called foxtail millet because its drooping head looks rather like a fox's tail. It is a grass, a distant relative of rice and wheat. Farmers across Asia have trusted it for centuries because it survives on little water, little fertiliser and poor land. In Bangladesh too it is an old crop, grown above all in the north and on the river chars, where sandy soil defeats most other crops.

Interest in these small-grained cereals has revived around the world. On a proposal from India, backed by more than 70 countries, the United Nations General Assembly in March 2021 declared 2023 the International Year of Millets, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) led the year's work. Its message was that millets are nutritious and can be grown in harsh and changing climates. Foxtail millet belongs to that family. For a Bangladeshi farmer, then, kaun is not just a return to an old habit; it is a practical option in an age of drought, erratic rain and rising input costs.

Kaun may have been called poor people's food, but in nutritional terms it is anything but poor. The small grain carries protein, which the body uses to build and repair muscle. It is rich in fibre, which helps digestion and keeps the stomach full for longer. Among minerals it supplies magnesium, potassium and iron. Magnesium is needed for the normal working of nerves and muscles, potassium helps keep blood pressure in balance, and iron is essential against anaemia. It also offers B-complex vitamins, which take part in turning food into energy.

Another point in its favour is that kaun is comparatively low in calories, which is why it is finding a place in the diets of people trying to control their weight. The measure nutritionists stress most is the glycaemic index, a scale that tells how quickly a food raises blood sugar after it is eaten. A food with a low index lets blood sugar rise slowly rather than spike. Because kaun has a low glycaemic index, it is considered a helpful food for people with diabetes.

First, kaun improves digestion. Fibre keeps the bowel moving and relieves constipation. Second, its low glycaemic index helps control blood sugar. Many people therefore suggest replacing part of a plate of white rice with kaun, although anyone with diabetes should talk to a doctor before changing their diet.

Third, because kaun contains little fat, it is regarded as good for the heart and helpful in preventing heart disease. Fourth, it keeps the stomach full and curbs hunger, which helps those who want to lose weight. Fifth, because it is cheap, it can help rural families make up gaps in nutrition. For a household that cannot buy fish or meat every day, a kaun dish alongside rice adds protein and minerals to the plate.

In the kitchen kaun is versatile. Kaun payesh, a milk pudding made with the grain, is an old village favourite across Bengal. Some cook it like rice, some mix it into khichuri, others grind it into flour for pitha, the traditional rice cakes. In the cities, kaun upma or pulao for breakfast is becoming more common. There is also a large market for kaun as bird feed; much of the seed sold in pet-bird shops is this grain.

Kaun's great advantage is that it is not fussy about soil. It can be grown on almost any kind. Yields are best, however, on sandy loam that does not hold standing water; ordinary loam also suits it. Loam is a fairly even mix of sand, silt and clay, while sandy loam has a larger share of sand, so water drains quickly. Kaun roots cannot stand waterlogging, so high or medium-high land is a better choice than low ground.

Soil acidity is measured on the pH scale. A pH of 7 is neutral, below 7 is acidic and above 7 alkaline. For kaun the pH should lie between 5.5 and 7.5, which means it grows comfortably on soil ranging from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. A soil test at the upazila agriculture office or at a mobile laboratory of the Soil Resource Development Institute will show what a field needs.

Preparing the land is straightforward. Plough and harrow two or three times until the soil is fine and crumbly. Kaun seed is tiny, and if clods remain the seed does not make proper contact with the soil and fewer seeds germinate. Weeds should be cleared at the time of ploughing, because young kaun plants lose out in competition with weeds.

Most farmers in Bangladesh still grow local kaun. Alongside them there is an improved variety called Titas, developed by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), and its history is worth telling. In 1980 a local kaun known as Shibnagar was collected in Cumilla district. It was then evaluated for years against local and foreign varieties, and in 1989 it was approved under the name Titas. A crop from Bengal's own fields, in other words, became an improved variety through careful selection and testing.

Titas is a high-yielding variety with good resistance to disease and pests, and it matures early. The plant is of medium height with green leaves and a strong stem, so it rarely falls over in a gusty wind; in farmers' language, the crop does not lodge. The heads are long, thick and silky. The seed is of medium size and the colour of ghee. A thousand seeds weigh only 2.3 to 2.5 grams, which shows how small the grain is.

Titas yields roughly 30 to 35 per cent more than local varieties. In the rabi season, the cool dry winter, it takes 105 to 115 days to mature; in the kharif season, the summer and monsoon, 85 to 95 days. In rabi it yields 2.0 to 2.5 tonnes per hectare, somewhat less in kharif. Another important quality is that it resists foot rot, a disease in which the lower part of the stem softens and rots and the plant dies; it strikes most often in wet soil.

Since Titas, BARI has released further varieties. According to published research, BARI Kaon-2, BARI Kaon-3 and BARI Kaon-4 have reached the field. Before choosing seed it is wise to ask the nearest upazila agriculture office or a BARI regional station which variety is doing well in the area. Good seed is the first condition of a good harvest, and every agricultural adviser recommends starting with an improved variety.

Kaun can be grown in both the rabi and the kharif season, and that is one of its strengths. In the north of the country seed can be sown from Agrahayan to Magh, that is, from mid-November to mid-February. In the south it is usually sown in Agrahayan. This is the rabi crop, sown when much land lies idle after the aman rice harvest, or when sandbanks rise fresh from the rivers.

Kaun is also sown in the monsoon, in June and July. In many areas this is considered the ideal time, because rain meets the crop's needs and no separate irrigation is required. In kharif, however, there is a risk of water collecting in the field, so high land with good drainage should be chosen. It is worth remembering that kaun, Titas included, yields more in rabi.

Kaun can be broadcast or sown in rows. Broadcast, it needs 10 kilograms of seed per hectare; in rows, 8 kilograms. As a rule of thumb, 8 to 10 kilograms per hectare is enough. A hectare is about two and a half acres, or roughly 247 decimals. So little seed covers so much land because the grain is extremely small and a single plant sends up several tillers, the side shoots that carry their own heads.

Specialists recommend sowing in rows, because weeding, fertilising and general care become much more convenient. In rows, keep 25 to 30 centimetres between rows. Within two to three weeks of germination, thin the seedlings so that 6 to 8 centimetres remain between plants in the row, and pull out the rest. It may look wasteful, but each remaining plant then gets enough light, water and food, and the heads grow larger. Some guides suggest wider spacing, such as 30 centimetres between rows and 20 to 25 centimetres between plants; it is best to settle the spacing with the local agriculture officer according to the soil and the variety.

Because the seed is so small, many farmers use a trick when sowing: they mix it with dry sand or fine soil so that it spreads evenly when broadcast by hand. Seed buried too deep cannot push through the soil, so a light covering is enough.

Chemical fertiliser is usually not applied to kaun at all. For many farmers this is the crop's attraction; when fertiliser prices rise, a low-cost crop becomes more valuable. On poor land, though, a measured dose raises the yield considerably. The research recommendation for such land is given below, with the per-decimal figures included for smallholders.

• Urea: 385 to 425 grams per decimal, or 95 to 105 kilograms per hectare.
• TSP (triple superphosphate): 283 to 304 grams per decimal, or 70 to 75 kilograms per hectare.
• MoP (muriate of potash): 121 to 162 grams per decimal, or 30 to 40 kilograms per hectare.

Urea supplies nitrogen, which builds leaf and stem. TSP supplies phosphorus, which helps roots and grain form. MoP supplies potassium, which strengthens the plant and improves its tolerance of disease and drought. Field experience, too, says that potassium and phosphorus fertilisers give kaun a better yield.

How the fertiliser goes on depends on whether the field can be irrigated. Without irrigation, all of it should be worked into the soil at the final ploughing. With irrigation, apply half the urea and all of the TSP and MoP at the final ploughing, and top-dress the remaining urea 35 to 40 days after sowing, scattering it between the rows of the standing crop. A light irrigation after top-dressing helps the urea into the soil and cuts losses.

Alongside chemical fertiliser it is good to add organic manure, such as compost or well-rotted cow dung, before sowing. Organic matter improves soil structure, helps sandy soil hold water and protects fertility over the long term. Compost can be made cheaply from straw, leaves and dung found around the homestead.

Kaun is a drought-tolerant crop. Its roots draw water from deep in the soil and its leaves waste little moisture, so in the monsoon it needs no separate irrigation. In the rabi season, though, if a long dry spell sets in, one or two light irrigations raise the yield. In dry weather it is especially important for the soil to hold moisture when the heads are emerging, because a shortage of water then leaves the grain shrivelled. Irrigation should be light; water must not be left standing in the field.

Weeds are kaun's great enemy, especially in the first month. When weeds appear they should be removed with a hand weeder. Usually one weeding at the time of thinning and another a few weeks later is enough. Weeding a row-sown field takes far less labour, another reason to sow in rows.

Kaun generally suffers from few pests and diseases, another reason it is cheap to grow. Problems can still arise. The main ones are leaf spot and leaf blight. These are mostly fungal diseases: in humid weather brown or grey spots appear on the leaves, grow larger and dry the leaf out. When they appear, an approved fungicide should be applied on the advice of an agriculture officer.

Insect attacks can be controlled with an approved insecticide. Before spraying, however, it is worth checking whether the damage is really large enough to matter economically, because unnecessary pesticide raises costs and kills useful insects too. Choosing a resistant variety such as Titas, using healthy seed and never letting water stand in the field are the most effective and cheapest ways to keep disease away.

Another familiar problem at ripening is birds. Munias, sparrows and other birds strip grain from the heads. Many farmers guard their fields at this time, hanging rattles or shiny ribbons to scare the birds away. When neighbouring farmers sow and harvest at the same time, the bird damage is shared and no single field bears the brunt.

Depending on the variety and season, kaun matures 80 to 100 days after sowing; Titas takes 85 to 95 days in kharif and 105 to 115 days in rabi. When the heads change from green to yellowish or golden, it is time to harvest. Leave it too long and the grain shatters and the birds take more. The heads are usually cut with a sickle together with the top of the stem.

After cutting, the heads are dried in the sun and threshed. The threshed grain must then be dried thoroughly again, because grain that holds moisture grows mould and attracts insects in storage. Grain that cracks cleanly between the teeth is dry enough. Stored in airtight containers, drums or thick sealed polythene in a dry place, kaun keeps for a long time. The healthiest, fullest heads should be kept aside as seed for the next season.

The economic outlook for kaun is bright for several reasons. First, demand is rising. It comes from three directions: health-conscious city shoppers, people living with diabetes and the bird-feed trade. Internationally, too, millets have gained ground, particularly since the International Year of Millets. As kaun becomes known as a healthy grain, export prospects are opening up as well.

Second, production costs are low. Little seed is needed, fertiliser is needed hardly at all or only in small amounts, irrigation is minimal and disease is rare. Returns on the investment are therefore good, and prices are reasonable. Third, kaun grows where other crops struggle: on sandy chars, high infertile land and areas without irrigation. Such land often lies idle, and kaun opens a path to extra income there. Fourth, the crop comes in quickly, so it fits into a cropping pattern, the sequence of crops a field carries through the year, without much difficulty.

Alongside the promise, the realities should be kept in mind. The kaun market is not yet as organised as the markets for rice or wheat. Farmers are often forced to sell cheaply to local middlemen, and machines to hull the grain are not available everywhere. Before growing on a large scale, it is important to find out where the crop will be sold and who will buy it. When several farmers produce and sell together as a group, their bargaining power grows.

The history of kaun is really a chapter in the history of our food. After the green revolution, as high-yielding rice and wheat spread, many native grains left the fields. Kaun, proso millet and other small grains became marginal crops. Yet these are the grains that show how to survive on little water, little fertiliser and hard weather. As climate change brings more drought and more erratic rain, their value is being understood afresh.

Kaun can therefore become an important crop for Bangladeshi farmers. Few grains are so nutritious, so cheap and undemanding to grow, and so willing to yield on poor land. With the right variety, timely sowing, measured fertiliser and a careful harvest, kaun can bring extra income to the farm and extra nourishment to the family table. The grain once dismissed as food for the poor may yet take its place near the top of the list of tomorrow's healthy foods.

Photo: Kaun, foxtail millet (Setaria italica), Chattogram / Moheen Reeyad / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)