Minor millets are a group of annual grasses found mainly in arid and semi-arid regions. They are cultivated on 29.1 million hectares in India, accounting for nearly 25 percent of the total acreage under cereal crops. In India’s drylands, they play a significant role in meeting food and fodder requirements of farming communities. Three species of minor millets—finger, foxtail, and proso, or little, millet—are widely cultivated. These crops are often classified as “minor or coarse grains” in agricultural statistics. “Minor” refers not only to the smaller size of the grains, but also to their lesser importance in trade. The scientific knowledge about them is limited. Despite national efforts to collect minor millet germplasm from farmers, research to improve these crops has been negligible. Liberalization of the Indian seed sector in the 1990s favored dryland cereals and legumes, with little impact on research and formal distribution channels for minor millets. Currently, the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu lead in crop improvement research on minor millets. However, the range of improved varieties is narrow. Private companies show little interest in developing new varieties, due to their lack of commercial importance and the limited scope for developing new hybrids.