Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets also belong to various other taxa. Millets are important crops in the semiarid tropics of Asia and Africa (especially in South India, Mali, Nigeria, and Niger), with 97% of millet production in developing countries. This crop is favored due to its productivity and short growing season under dry, high-temperature conditions. Millets are indigenous to many parts of the world. The most widely grown millets are sorghum and pearl millets, which are important crops in India and parts of Africa. Finger millet, proso millet, and foxtail millet are also important crop species. Millets may have been consumed by humans for about 7,000 years and potentially had "a pivotal role in the rise of multi-crop agriculture and settled farming societies." Description Generally, millets are small-grained, annual, warm-weather cereals belonging to the grass family. They are highly tolerant of drought and other extreme weather conditions and have a similar nutrient content to other major cereals. Millet species The different species of millets are not necessarily closely related. All are members of the family Poaceae (the grasses) but can belong to different tribes or even subfamilies. The most commonly cultivated millets are in bold italic. Eragrostideae tribe in the subfamily Chloridoideae: Eleusine coracana: Finger millet (also known as नागली or नाचणी in Marathi, ragi in Hindi, Kannada, రాగులు in Telugu and கேழ்வரகு in Tamil) Eragrostis tef: Teff; often not considered to be a millet Paniceae tribe in the subfamily Panicoideae: Genus Panicum: Panicum miliaceum: Proso millet (common millet, broomcorn millet, hog millet, or white millet, also known as baragu in Kannada, panivaragu in Tamil) Panicum sumatrense: Little millet (also known as Saamey in Kannada Samalu in Telugu and Sāmai in Tamil ) Panicum sonorum: Sonoran millet, cultivated in the American Southwest Pennisetum glaucum: Pearl millet (known as Bajra in Hindi, also known as sajjey in Kannada and 'Kambu' in Tamil) Setaria italica: Foxtail millet, Italian millet, panic (also known as navaney in Kannada and 'thinai' in Tamil) Genus Digitaria: of minor importance as crops Digitaria exilis: known as white fonio, fonio millet, and hungry rice or acha rice Digitaria iburua: Black fonio Digitaria compacta: Raishan, cultivated in the Khasi Hills of northeast India Digitaria