Maize Cultivation in India

Most maize in India never reaches a human plate. It goes to chickens, and increasingly, to fuel tanks.

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Indian Economy · IndEco0101

Maize Cultivation in India

Where India’s maize actually goes

47% — Poultry feed

13% — Human food / livestock feed

14% — Starch industry

12% — Other industrial uses

The new ethanol driver

In ethanol supply year 2023-24, maize overtook sugarcane and rice to become India’s top ethanol feedstock (42.74% share). By 2024-25, about 7 million tonnes a year were diverted to fuel — pushing sown area up 10.5% in Kharif 2025-26, and raising food-versus-fuel concerns.

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Must Know

• Maize is grown in both the Kharif and Rabi seasons in India.
• About 83% of the total maize area is sown in the Kharif season, during the June-July monsoon.
• Some states, such as Bihar, also grow it as an irrigated Rabi crop.
• Karnataka is India’s top maize-producing state, contributing about 16.45% of national output.
• Madhya Pradesh follows, contributing about 11.37%.

Good to Know

• India’s maize production has grown enormously over the decades.
• It rose from just 1.73 million tonnes in 1950-51 to about 43.41 million tonnes by 2024-25.
• Most maize does not go directly to human food.
• About 47% is used as poultry feed, making it the single largest use.
• Only about 13% is consumed as human food or general livestock feed.
• The rest goes to industrial uses and the starch industry.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. Which state is India’s top maize-producing state, contributing about 16.45% of national output?

Bihar

Karnataka

Uttar Pradesh

Punjab

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Great to Know

• Karnataka’s rise to the top spot is due to high-yield varieties, better irrigation, and mechanisation.
• It now leads production in both the Kharif and Rabi seasons.
• Maize is increasingly linked to India’s biofuel policy, not just food and feed.
• This growing ethanol demand is now reshaping how much maize India actually grows, and where.

Current Affairs

• India’s Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme targets 20% ethanol blending by 2025-26.
• In ethanol supply year 2023-24, maize became India’s single largest ethanol feedstock, supplying about 42.74% of total ethanol production, ahead of both sugarcane and rice.
• This demand has pulled more land into maize farming. In the 2025-26 Kharif season, the sown area rose to about 91.89 lakh hectares, up 10.5% from the same period a year earlier.
• By 2024-25, about 7 million tonnes of maize were being diverted to ethanol production each year.
• This has raised food-versus-fuel concerns, since it competes with maize’s traditional uses in food and animal feed, and has pushed India closer to needing maize imports.