Table of Contents Next Page   Sorghum is the world's fifth most
important cereal, in terms of both production and area planted.
Millet, a general category for several species of small-grained
cereal crops, is the world's seventh most important cereal
grain. Roughly 90 percent of the world's sorghum area and 95
percent of the world's millet area lie in the developing
countries, mainly in Africa and Asia. These crops are primarily
grown in agroecologies subject to low rainfall and drought. Most
such areas are unsuitable for the production of other grains
unless irrigation is available. Sorghum is widely grown both for
food and as a feed grain, while millet is produced almost
entirely for food.  The world sorghum economy can be broadly
categorized under two production and utilization systems.
Intensive, commercialized production, mainly for livestock feed,
characterize the developed world and parts of Latin America and
the Caribbean. Hybrid seed, fertilizer and improved water
management technologies are used fai