UP looking to double maize output in 5 years
To boost the rural economy, the UP government is targeting almost double the maize production from the current 1.47 MT to 2.73 MT by 2027. In UP, maize was cultivated over 691,000 hectares in 2021-22, while the yield stood at nearly 1.47 MT. However, the per hectare yield of maize in UP at 21.63 quintals is much lower than the national average of 26 quintals.
Virendra Singh Rawat
Lucknow
To boost the rural economy, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government is targeting to almost double maize production from the current 1.47 million tonnes (MT) to 2.73 MT by 2027.
Maize is considered the second most important cereal in the world in terms of acreage, and is fondly referred to as the ‘Queen of Cereals’.
To augment production, the state government is now encouraging farmers to plant maize to increase their income from unconventional crops, while an equal emphasis is being laid on increasing per hectare maize output.
According to a state government official, the farm income could rise with greater cultivation of maize, which is used as food, poultry feed and fuel (grain-based ethanol). Maize is also used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, textile, paper and alcohol industries.
Maize is consumed in the form of value-added food items such as flour, dhokla, baby corn and popcorn. The demand for maize has been rising persistently in the global market due to its multiple uses.
Apart from educating farmers about the improved methods of farming, the state government will stoke the rate of seed replacement. The government has already brought the crop under the ambit of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) to ensure remunerative prices to farmers.
Maize is popular due to its nutritional value. It contains macronutrients like starch, fibre, protein, fat, vitamin B complex, carotene and essential minerals, viz. magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, copper, etc. It is pitched as a viable solution to fight malnutrition.
In UP, maize was cultivated over 691,000 hectares in 2021-22, while the yield stood at nearly 1.47 MT.
However, the per hectare yield of maize in UP at 21.63 quintals is much lower than the national average of 26 quintals. The average yield in Tamil Nadu at 59.39 quintals is the highest in India.
According to agri experts, the average yield per hectare is possible up to 100 quintals. The production per hectare in the US is about 96 quintals. This shows that there is a large untapped potential in UP for maize cultivation.
