Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh Aims to Increase Maize Production
- 01 Apr 2024
- 3 min read
Why in News?
The Uttar Pradesh government is targeting to increase the production of Maize to more than 3.2 million tonnes (mt) by 2027-28.
Key Points
- Currently, the state’s maize production across different cropping seasons (kharif, rabi, and zaid) is estimated at 2.12 mt across 830,000 hectares.
- The yield is at nearly 25.49 quintals (100 kg) per hectare, which is lower than the national average.
- The state plans to increase maize acreage by 200,000 hectares and boost production by an additional 1.1 mt.
- This will hike the state’s maize area and production to about 1.03 million hectares (MH) and 3.2 mt, respectively.
- The state will invest almost Rs 150 crore on various maize publicity programs and give incentives to food processing units.
- Maize crop has multifarious uses as food, poultry feed, and fuel (grain based ethanol).
- It is also used in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, textile, paper, and alcohol industries.
- Maize is the third most important cereal crop in India, after paddy and wheat, and accounts for nearly 10% of total food grain production.
- Globally, maize is referred to as the ‘queen of cereals’ owing to its high genetic yield potential among the cereal crops.
- Industry has estimated that India needs to ramp up maize production by 10 mt over the next four-five years to cater to the demand from the ethanol and poultry sectors.
- The demand for maize is rising due to growing health awareness. People prefer maize for its high nutritional value, macronutrients like starch, fiber, protein, fat, vitamin B complex, carotene and essential minerals like magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and copper.
Maize
- Temperature: Between 21-27°C
- Rainfall: High rainfall.
- Soil Type: Old alluvial soil.
- Top Maize Producing States: Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
- As per the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) data, India was the fifth largest producer of Maize in 2020.
- It is used both as food and fodder.
- Use of modern inputs such as High-Yielding Variety seeds, fertilisers and irrigation have contributed to the increasing production of maize.
- Technology Mission on Maize is one of the government’s initiatives for maize.
