Marketing
Millet is used in wild birdseed mixtures, with several thousands of tonnes being imported to the UK to supply this expanding market.
The majority of Millet comes from the USA, France and the Ukraine, but there is increasing demand from UK birdseed packers for products to be sourced from the UK - hence there is an opportunity for UK growers to benefit from this shift.
The wild birdseed market is now believed to be worth upwards of £130 m/year in the UK - a figure that has increased significantly over the last 3 or 4 years. So whilst in global terms the Millet market is small (certainly compared to most other arable crops) there is certainly scope for additional UK production.
One of the potential problems of "niche" crops like Millet is movement and marketing.
To ensure grower peace of mind, all production is contract grown. Premium Crops has established links direct to the major birdseed packers and can offer cleaning and drying facilities.
For added security all contracts are on the basis of the "produce of the hectarage", so there is no way growers can be in a default situation - very important with a crop that they could be unfamiliar with.
