India has to increase maize production in the country by 75 per cent to 45 million tonnes (mt) by 2022 to meet the increasing domestic requirement, a report by FICCI and PricewaterhouseCoopers said here on Friday.
By 2022, India would need 30 mt of maize for feed and another 15 mt for food.
For this to happen, the maize production has to grow at a CAGR of 15 per cent, the report released by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said.
Tapping the PPP area
Inaugurating a maize summit organised by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the minister said there was a need for a mix of
“Forging PPP opportunities for establishment of maize-based silage making units, skill development centres and farm machinery banks are the prospective avenues for investment,” he said.
According to him, currently irrigation is available for only 15 per cent of maize cultivation. It was high time farmers tapped different irrigation-related schemes announced by the government to increase the production and productivity and improve the quality of maize produced in the country.
The domestic production of maize stands at 26 mt, but productivity is one of the poorest in the world at 2.54 tonnes/ha as against the global average of 5.82 tonnes/ha.
Promoting maize crop
FICCI Director-General Dilip Chenoy stressed the importance of promoting maize cultivation as it was one of the most climate-friendly crops.
“By cultivating maize, farmers can save 90 per cent of water and 70 per cent of power as compared to paddy and earn far more than what they are earning through paddy and wheat,” he said.
The FICCI-PwC report also called for promotion of maize silos as 5-7 per cent of the yield is lost due to improper storage. It also said that creation of maize skill development centres and farm machinery banks for small amd marginal farmers could be game-changers.
The report also called for incentivising private players to install maize dryers.