Maize

Better prices above MSP, coupled with demand from ethanol producers for their fuel-blending programme, are pushing the popularity of maize

India can more than double its maize production to 86 million tonne by 2047 from the current 42.3 million tonne, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday, calling for development of high-yielding seed varieties with higher starch content. Speaking at the 11th maize summit organised by industry body FICCI, Chouhan said the world's fifth-largest maize producer needs to boost productivity without using genetically modified seeds. "We don't use genetically modified seeds, but we can still raise the productivity levels," Chouhan said. India's average maize productivity stands at 3.7 tonne per hectare, with some states like West Bengal and Bihar performing above the national average, but overall yields need to increase, he said. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed 265 maize varieties, including 77 hybrids and 35 bio-fortified varieties, but more work is needed, according to the minister. "There is a need to increase starch level in maize. We

Any decision on granting access to maize from the US may send the ruling JD(U)-BJP-led coalition back to the drawing board in poll-bound Bihar, writes Sanjeeb Mukherjee

Irregular rainfall and moisture evaporation have raised concerns for the maize crop cultivation in various parts of Marathwada region in Maharashtra this month, an agriculture official said on Monday. Nearly 2,56,650.38 hectares of land is estimated to come under maize (corn) cultivation this year in the Marathwada districts of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Hingoli, Dharashiv, Latur, Parbhani and Nanded. Till June 19, sowing was completed on 98,891.20 hectares, as per a report from the agriculture department. "The evaporation has raised concern for the maize crop in the region," district superintending agriculture officer Prakash Deshmukh told PTI. "A crop like maize is sensitive to moisture and water. The area under maize cultivation has gone up in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and other parts of Marathwada, replacing the cotton crop in about 50,000 hectares," he said. In some areas of the region, moisture is getting reduced. Therefore, the maize crop is getting water stres

Mexico has amended its Constitution to recognise native corn as part of its national identity and has banned genetically modified (GM) seed cultivation to protect biodiversity and cultural heritage

Easing maize supply woes would also benefit user industries like poultry feed, starch, and ethanol

Some reports say the maize-based industry has demanded immediate imports of 5 million tonnes of duty-free imports to tide over the supply crunch

With robust maize output and downstream value chain, the government is looking to boost the state's rural economy and support its flagship trillion-dollar economy roadmap

The ethanol blending programme is now all set to get delayed by a few years, with the sugar situation not looking very encouraging for the next few years

The procurement of paddy and maize at the support price from farmers will begin in Chhattisgarh from November 1in the ongoing Kharif season, according to officials. Notably, the procurement drive will coincide with the assembly elections due this year-end. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had announced earlier that 20 quintals of paddy per acre and 10 quintals of maize per acre will be procured from farmers. The policy for the 'procurement and custom milling of paddy and maize at the support price' was finalized during the Cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister on Tuesday at his official residence here. While the paddy procurement drive will be carried out from November 1 to January 31, 2024, the maize procurement will continue from November 1 to February 28, said a public relations department official. The cabinet has also decided to extend the validity of the government guarantee (amount of Rs 14, 700 crore) to the Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Marketing Federation for padd

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday demanded that the Punjab government procure maize at the minimum support price of Rs 2,090 per quintal to ensure that farmers do not resort to distress sales. In a statement issued here, Badal accused the government of running away from its responsibility. Due to this, the farmers are being forced to sell their produce at Rs 500 to Rs 600 per quintal to private traders, he claimed. Demanding immediate procurement of the entire maize crop at MSP, the SAD president said, "Failing to do so will deal a severe blow to the (crop) diversification attempts of the Punjab government". Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had announced with much fanfare that maize, sunflower and pulses would be procured at MSP due to which farmers had increased the acreage under these crops, Badal said. "Now, when the time has come to procure the produce, the AAP government has run away from its responsibility," he charged. Besides procuring maize at

Globally, maize is referred to as the "queen of cereals" owing to its high genetic yield potential among the cereal crops

The Centre on Tuesday said the country's maize output needs to be increased to 44-45 million tonnes in the next five years amid growing demand for the grain for ethanol production and poultry industry. Union agriculture secretary Manoj Ahuja, speaking at the 9th India Maize Summit organied by industry body Ficci here, also stressed on the need to cut down the losses in the entire value chain of maize in a systematic manner. "Currently, maize production in the country is in the range of 33-34 million tonnes. We need a quantity jump in the maize to 44-45 million tonnes in the next five years in order to meeting the rising demand for ethanol and the poultry industry," Manoj said. There is vast potential to harness in the maize value chain. Making better seed availability, providing storage and marketing linkages, public and private partnerships, among others, should be focused on amid growing threat of climate change, he added. Addressing the event, Maharasthra agriculture minister Ab

The Indian government could consider reducing taxes on some items such as maize and fuel in response to the central bank's recommendations to help rein in climbing retail inflation

Climate change is predicted to reduce maize and cotton yield in Punjab by 13 per cent and 11 per cent by 2050, according to a new study conducted by agriculture economists and scientists at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). Punjab accounts for around 12 per cent of the total cereals produced in the country. The study published in the Mausam journal of the India Meteorological Department earlier this month used rainfall and temperature data collected between 1986 and 2020 to project the impact of climate change on five major crops -- rice, maize, cotton, wheat, and potato -- in the agrarian state. The researchers collected climate data from five weather observatories of Punjab Agricultural University, ie Ludhiana, Patiala, Faridkot, Bathinda, and SBS Nagar. The researchers -- agricultural economist Sunny Kumar, scientist Baljinder Kaur Sidana and PhD scholar Smily Thakur -- said that long-term changes in climatic variables show that the rise in temperature is driving most of the

CPI-inflation for the month of September surged to a five-month high of 7.4 per cent largely due to a spike in food inflation which jumped to a 22-month high of 8.6 per cent for the same period

Paddy, maize, sugarcane, potato crop impacted; showers to recede now

In Permbalur district, a stream breach has led to destruction of more than 100 acres of cotton and maize cultivation

He said instead of focusing on wheat and rice, cultivation of 3Ms maize, moong and mustard should be promoted as it can help the country attaining self-sufficiency and enhancing income of farmers

The target is 3.8% higher compared to previous year's output