There is a dire need to increase maize production to meet the rapidly growing demand

03-Jul-2024 12:29 PM

New Delhi. Speaking at the 9th India Mage Summit organized by industry body FICCI, Union Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja has said that India will need to increase maize production by about 100 lakh tonnes compared to the current level during the next five years as its demand is likely to increase rapidly in ethanol production and consumption is also expected to increase in poultry feed industry and starch manufacturing industry. In the 2022-23 season, 346 lakh tonnes of maize was produced while last year it was stuck at 337 lakh tonnes.

The Agriculture Secretary has emphasized the need to reduce the losses in the entire value chain of maize in a systematic manner and said that there is a huge potential in the country to improve and organize the value chain of maize and at the same time there is ample scope for increasing its production.

It needs to be used properly. For this, the availability of improved and better quality seeds should be ensured. There should be proper storage facilities and linkages with the bar. It is important to focus on all these things in view of the increasing threat of climate change.

Addressing the conference, the Agriculture Minister of Maharashtra said that the state government is ready to provide support to private companies who are interested in investing in the maize value chain and especially in the ethanol production sector in Maharashtra. This will help in empowering the farmers.

Maharashtra has the second highest number of sugar mills after Uttar Pradesh and maize can be used on a large scale for ethanol production there.

This will increase the income of farmers and will give them a good incentive to increase maize production. Private companies should set up warehouses in Maharashtra so that maize producers can easily store their produce there.