Bajra is pearl millet, a small, round, grey to greenish grain that grows in hot, dry areas with poor soil. India is the world's largest producer, with Rajasthan the biggest growing state and Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana also important.
Overseas buyers include food importers in the Gulf and Africa, ethnic grocery distributors, millet flour and health food brands, and bird seed and feed companies.
The crop
Bajra is mainly a monsoon (kharif) crop, sown around June to July and harvested roughly September to October. In Gujarat a summer crop is also grown in some irrigated areas. Because it is rain-fed in much of the country, the monsoon has a large effect on volume and price, as explained in how weather and monsoon affect crop prices.
The grain is high in energy and fibre and is naturally gluten-free. In India it is eaten as flatbread (bajra rotla), porridge and snacks, especially in winter.
Who buys bajra abroad
- Food importers in the Gulf, Yemen and parts of Africa, where pearl millet is a familiar food grain.
- South Asian grocery distributors in the UK, US, Canada and Gulf, buying whole grain and flour for home cooking.
- Health food and gluten-free brands buying grain, flour, flakes or puffs.
- Bird seed blenders, who want clean, bold, uniform grain.
- Feed and pet food makers, usually for lower grades in larger volumes.
Quality points to specify
- Colour and size: grey, greenish or yellowish types are traded, and many buyers want bold, uniform grain.
- Moisture: low enough for safe storage and shipping. The figure depends on your use and transit time.
- Foreign matter, dust and stones: bajra is threshed on open ground, so machine cleaning and de-stoning matter.
- Damaged, immature and other grains: set limits for each.
- Aflatoxin and other mycotoxins: rain at harvest raises the risk, so test each lot.
- Pesticide residues: tested against the limits in your own market.
Bajra flour needs care
Whole bajra grain stores well when dry. Bajra flour does not. The grain is rich in fat and active enzymes, so the flour can turn rancid and bitter within weeks at warm temperatures. Buyers of flour should agree on milling date, packing, storage and a realistic shelf life, or consider shipping grain and milling locally.
Some processors treat the grain or flour with heat to slow rancidity. Ask what process is used and test a sample at the end of its stated shelf life. Other forms are compared in what forms of millets are exported.
How we help
We find bajra cleaners and millers in Gujarat and Rajasthan, check their cleaning lines and storage, and test samples at NABL-accredited labs for moisture, aflatoxin and residues. We then inspect the lot and supervise loading. Ask for a free sourcing review.