Maize in India: Production Systems, Constraints - AgEcon Search

5
This is a clear indication that maize is gradually
spreading to new areas and, to some extent, also
replacing barley, sorghum, and pearl millet as a feed
and fodder crop.
During 2001-02, as much as 70% of the maize grown in
India was cultivated in six states (Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar
Pradesh). In 1999/2000, the national average maize
yield (1.8 t/ha) was far behind the world average of
4.86 t/ha. During this period, the average maize yield
on about 45% of the total maize area in India was less
than 1.5 t/ha, and on only 15% was it slightly more
than 3 t/ha. Lower yields and higher production costs in
India, as compared to other countries, made maize
non-competitive on the international market. In a
globally competitive environment, maize yields in India
need to increase to protect the maize producer.
In 1999/2000, maize yield levels across states ranged
from less than 1.5 t/ha in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan,
and Uttar Pradesh to more than 3 t/ha in Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, and West Bengal (Figure 4). In
Bihar, where a sizable area of maize was cultivated
under irrigation, yield levels were still low, approaching
2 t/ha. These four traditional maize growing states
(Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh)
have huge potential to raise maize production through
increasing yield levels and intensifying cultivation in
upland areas, provided that existing constraints are
alleviated. In 1998/99, these states accounted for
nearly 60% of the total maize area and about 40% of
total production in India. An increase in average maize
yields of about 25% in these states would result in
additional maize production equal to more than 1
million tons throughout the country. In contrast, the
non-traditional maize growing states of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Karnataka
West Bengal
Punjab
Himachal Pradesh
Bihar
Maharashtra
Jammu & Kashmir
Gujarat
Madhya Pradesh
Orissa
Rajasthan
Uttar Pradesh
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500
Yield (kg/ha)
Figure 4. Maize yields in different states of India, 1999.
and Karnataka account for 26% of total maize
production and cover only 15% of the area, mainly due
to high productivity. The study covered both of these
contrasting production environments.
Maize area, production, and yield levels in the
surveyed states are given in Table 5, and their
periodical growth rates in Table 6. Maize in the nontraditional
states performed impressively during the
1990s. Maize production increased annually at a rate of
9.25% in Andhra Pradesh and 11.66% in Karnataka,
primarily due to area expansion and higher yields
(Table 6). Maize pr oduction in Karnataka increased from
392,000 tons in TE 1981 to 1.643 million tons in TE
1999. This state ranked first in maize production in TE
1999, although it had ranked sixth in TE 1981 and fifth
in TE 1991. Similarly, maize production in Andhra
Pradesh jumped substantially, from 584,000 tons in TE
1981 to 1.216 million tons in TE 1999. In both these
non-traditional maize growing states, maize yields
were significantly higher than in traditional maize
growing areas. Egg and maize production followed
similar trends in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (Figures
5 and 6), showing close linkages between maize
production and the poultry sector.
Table 6. Annual compound growth rates (%) of maize in
selected states of India.
Annual compound growth rate
State Period Production Area Yield
Bihar 1971-80 -1.26 -0.50 -0.77
1981-90 2.67 -3.02 5.86
1990-99 2.10 0.57 1.52
1971-99 1.79 -1.11 2.93
Madhya Pradesh 1971-80 1.06 2.51 -1.43
1981-90 5.07 1.28 3.73
1990-99 -0.71 -0.78 0.11
1971-99 3.24 1.44 1.77
Uttar Pradesh 1971-80 -4.71 -3.25 -1.51
1981-90 4.95 -0.10 5.05
1990-99 -1.19 -1.24 -0.06
1971-99 1.29 -1.29 2.63
Rajasthan 1971-80 -1.93 0.61 -2.52
1981-90 0.99 0.02 1.01
1990-99 0.55 -0.29 0.80
1971-99 2.00 0.90 1.10
Andhra Pradesh 1971-80 5.54 1.35 4.14
1981-90 -0.07 -1.28 1.23
1990-99 9.25 3.50 5.56
1971-99 4.31 0.76 3.52
Karnataka 1971-80 0.12 3.98 -3.72
1981-90 7.25 6.39 0.81
1990-99 11.66 9.85 1.65
1971-99 5.36 5.46 -0.10
India 1971-80 -0.63 -0.13 -0.47
1981-90 1.89 -0.20 2.09
1991-99 2.55 0.84 1.69
1971-99 2.22 0.17 2.06
Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture, GOI (various issues).