The Department of Millets of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University is the oldest millet research station of the state. Established in the year 1923, this department has developed several millet production technologies with sharp focus on field problems and inter disciplinary approaches. The major objectives of the department of millets are :

• Development of hybrids/varieties suited for rainfed/irrigated situations in millet crops.
• Breeding for shoot fly and grain mould resistance in sorghum
• Development of hybrids resistant to downy mildew in pearl millet
• Diversification of male sterile sources in pearl millet.
• Development of location specific varieties to suit the different agro-climatic  regions in small millets.
• Evaluation of IPM for millets.
• Management of diseases through chemical and bio-control agents.
• Technologies for yield maximization, rainfed system, intercropping and physiological disorders.
• Conducting training programs for transfer of technologies on hybrid seed production and cultivation of varieties.
• Popularization of new varieties and technologies developed.
• Breeder seed production of released varieties.
• Collection, maintenance and evaluation of germplasm in millet crops.

Crop improvement research has resulted in release of five high yielding hybrids and 43 varieties in sorghum, nine high yielding hybrids and eight varieties in cumbu, 17 varieties in ragi and 26 varieties in other small millets.