Question

What are coarse grains?

Answer 1

Hint:
Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Maize etc. are examples of coarse grains. These crops are High in calorific & Nutritional value
These are majorly used for feeding the animals and aren’t categorized as premium grains (which excludes wheat and rice).

Complete answer:
Coarse Crops:
The coarse crops are ones which have a hard and rough surface.
They are also less refined as compared to the premium crops like wheat and maize.
They do not need nutrients (even if they need any it’s not too much to be afforded) and water to grow i.e. they can grow in less fertile areas that receive less rain.
The major coarse crops grown in India are Jowar, bajra, and ragi.
Although they have been termed as coarse grains, they possess a very high amount of nutritious content. For example, ragi is very rich in iron, calcium, other nutrients and roughage.
Jowar is an important food crop in terms of location and production. A rain-fed plant is mainly grown in moist areas that do not need much watering. Maharashtra is a major jowar producer closely followed by Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Bajra grows well on sandy soils and shallow dark soils. The largest producer of bajra is Rajasthan which is followed by Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana.
Another important coarse crop is Maize. It is a vegetable that is used as both food and fodder. It needs a temperature between 21°C-27°C and can grow well in old soils. In some provinces such as Bihar maize is also grown during the Rabi era as well. The use of modern inputs such as HYV seeds, fertilizers and irrigation has contributed to the increase in maize production. Maize is majorly produced in areas like Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.

Note:
India is the 4th largest Producer of the Coarse crops with 32,500 thousand metric tons, United States with 277,796 thousand metric tons being the first.
In the northern and north-western plains, the people switch to more of these grains (bajra and maize) to get proper nutrition.
Also, these grains are complex in nature, which means they get digested slowly and thus, keep one’s stomach full for long.