11th Maize Summit

Why in News?

• Recently, the 11th India Maize Summit was organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Indian Institute of Maize Research (ICAR-IIMR) in New Delhi.
• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan participated in it and presented a plan to double maize production in India.

Key Objectives

• India's maize production is ~42.3 million tonnes in 2025.
• The target is to reach 86 million tonnes by the year 2047.
• Objective: To meet the demand for nutrition, bio-fuel (ethanol), industrial use and animal feed.

Key Points

• Scientific and Research Initiatives
• 11,000+ scientists deployed in villages under Lab-to-Land Abhiyaan.
• High-yielding maize varieties are being developed.
  • Rabi/Spring yield: 10–11 tonnes per hectare
  • Kharif yield: 7–8 tonnes per hectare
• Emphasis on use of organic and GM-free technologies.
• Technological improvements and infrastructure
• Use of technologies like digital agriculture, drones, sensors, AI.
• Starch content enhancement:
  • Current level ~38% → Target: 42% (required for ethanol)
  • Plan to develop varieties with 64–65% starch content through research.

State level model – Uttar Pradesh

• Maize cultivation promoted in 5.4 lakh hectares.
• Satellite monitoring of yield in 24 districts.
• Current yield: 34 quintals/hectare → Target: 40 quintals/hectare.
• ~15 companies engaged in biodegradable products and processing.

Market and Demand–Supply Analysis

• Maize cultivation area increased by 31% in the last decade.
• Production increased by 75% to over 40 million tonnes.
• Current demand:
  • Poultry feed: 51%
  • Ethanol industry: 18%
• Annual growth rate of demand: ~6.7%
• Annual growth rate of supply: ~5.8%

Policy initiatives

• Increasing yield through traditional and scientific techniques instead of GM crops.
• Efforts to ensure procurement at MSP (minimum support price) for maize.
• Work towards strengthening quality control and marketing structure.