The U.S. is pressuring India to import maize.
18-Sep-2025 03:33 PM
The U.S. is pressuring India to import maize.
★ The U.S. argues that India’s population is very large (1.4 billion people) and that it could be a major market for American corn.
U.S. farmers currently have record corn production and are looking for new buyers, as demand from markets like China has declined.
★ In India, imports within the quota limit (TRQ) attract around a 15% duty, but beyond that, the duty jumps to nearly 50%.
★ This makes U.S. corn very expensive and uncompetitive compared to domestic corn or imports from other countries.
★ Moreover, most U.S. corn is genetically modified (GM).
★ India does not allow the import of GM corn for food or animal feed.
★ At one point, NITI Aayog proposed allowing GM corn imports only for ethanol (fuel) production, but this proposal was later withdrawn.
★ India is promoting domestic corn production to meet food, feed, and industrial requirements.
★ The country is also pushing its Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) program, which increases ethanol demand and diverts a large share of corn for that purpose.
★ Politically, the agriculture sector in India is very sensitive.
★ Allowing cheap foreign corn (especially GM) could put pressure on farmers and domestic prices, so the government is cautious.