UP Council of Agriculture Research (UPCAR) has recommended to the Uttar Pradesh government to formulate a comprehensive policy for enhancing the production of maize to increase the income of farmers.
A seminar organised by the UPCAR noted that there exists a clear policy and roadmap for each crop except maize, which is a multipurpose food grain.
The UPCAR said the production of maize could be jacked up as it was a low water intensity crop and could be grown in all the three crop seasons – Rabi, Kharif and Zaid. It said the requirement of water and other agriculture inputs for the cultivation of maize crop was 90 per cent less than that for wheat and paddy crops.
Inaugurating the seminar, UP’s Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said research programme was underway in two agricultural universities of the state for enhancing the productivity of the crop in all the three agricultural seasons.
He said against the minimum support price of Rs 1,760 quintal fixed by the state government for maize, the ruling price in the open market was over Rs 2,000 per quintal.
Shahi said the high price in the open market proved that the demand of maize was higher than its actual production.
He said the farmers, by growing maize as inter crop during cultivation of potato and sugarcane, could earn more.
The minister assured the agricultural scientists that the government would actively consider and implement the measures for increasing agriculture productivity put forward by the UPCAR and state agriculture universities.
UPCAR Director General Brijendra Singh said in certain areas like districts falling under Kanpur division, the productivity of maize crop was higher than national average while in some areas it was far lower than the national average.
He said these areas need to be identified and special programme be launched for increasing productivity.
Against estimated annual demand of 45 million MT in the country, the production of maize is only 24-25 million MT, Singh said and added that the production of maize should be increased by at least 20 million annually.
He said around 13.50 million MT maize was utilised as cattle feed while 1.8 million MT was used for the manufacture of starch.
The UPCAR also pointed out that besides wheat, paddy, sugarcane and potato, the cultivation of maize crop needs to be promoted in the state as the quality of the maize available in UP was not fit for food processing purpose.
The UPCAR said acreage under maize needs to be jacked up as presently UP is net importer of maize.
