NEW DELHI, 7 July 2025: India can more than double its maize production to 86 million tonnes by 2047, up from the current 42.3 million tonnes, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday, urging the sector to develop high-yielding seed varieties with higher starch content.
Speaking at the 11th Maize Summit organised by industry body FICCI, Chouhan emphasised that boosting productivity must be achieved without using genetically modified (GM) seeds.
“We do not use GM seeds, but we can still raise productivity levels,” he said. India’s average maize productivity stands at 3.7 tonnes per hectare, with some states such as West Bengal and Bihar exceeding the national average, though overall yields require improvement.
According to the minister, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed 265 maize varieties so far, including 77 hybrids and 35 bio-fortified varieties. However, he stressed that more innovation is needed to increase starch content in maize, raising it from the current 65–70% to about 72% to enable wider industrial uses.
India’s maize production has witnessed a consistent climb from around 10 million tonnes in the early 1900s to the present 42.3 million tonnes. To scale up output, Chouhan suggested that states heavily dependent on paddy cultivation, such as Punjab and Haryana, diversify towards maize to ensure sustainable water use and balanced cropping.
Highlighting price trends, Chouhan noted that maize prices had stayed below the minimum support price (MSP) of ₹2,400 per quintal until recently but had strengthened after the government’s announcement of a 20% ethanol blending target by 2025–26.
The minister also raised concerns over the sale of substandard seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides in the market, urging a stronger regulatory policy to clamp down on unscrupulous suppliers.
When poultry industry representatives flagged rising maize feed prices, Chouhan responded that farmers must be supported to receive better prices for their produce and promised to address poultry concerns separately.
Subroto Geed, President-South Asia at Corteva Agriscience and Co-Chairman of FICCI’s Committee on Agriculture, observed that bridging the demand-supply gap for maize will require collaboration and innovation at multiple levels.
Maize is among India’s most important food, feed, and industrial crops, with applications ranging from poultry feed to starch manufacturing and biofuel blending. As India looks to transform its agricultural landscape by 2047, experts say increasing maize productivity while ensuring farmer incomes will be critical to a sustainable and secure food system.
Image credit: sesitechnologies.com
