Decisive action needed to manage maize cultivation in Punjab
Punjab must manage maize cultivation effectively to benefit from India’s ethanol blending program while conserving water. The government supports maize at ₹2,225 per quintal, promoting diversification from paddy. However, unregulated maize farming, especially summer maize, threatens groundwater. Experts urge water-efficient practices and strict sowing windows to sustain agriculture and maximize economic gains.
Punjab has long valued maize as a cornerstone of its agricultural heritage, epitomised by the iconic “makki di roti and sarson da saag”. However, the state’s agricultural future faces significant threats unless decisive actions are taken to manage maize cultivation practices effectively.
In the current scenario, the Government of India’s ambitious ethanol blended with petrol (EBP) programme presents a game-changing opportunity to the farmers. Maize, as a prime candidate for bioethanol production, is now supported by the Union Government’s decision to procure it at the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 2,225 per quintal.
This policy will prevent distress sale by farmers, encourage maize cultivation on fertile lands and enable high-yielding hybrids to reach their productivity potential. Farmers now need to adopt sustainable cultivation practices for maize so that they can draw maximum benefits and at the same time do not cause stress to water resources.
“Punjab, a traditionally maize-growing state, has the potential to seize this opportunity and thereby replace paddy and move towards the much-needed crop diversification. During pre-Green revolution era, maize and cotton were the major kharif crops in the state,” said Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director Research at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).
If Punjab fails to produce the required quantity and quality of maize grain locally for its distilleries, it risks losing this emerging opportunity, as distilleries may relocate or source maize from other states, undermining the state’s economic and agricultural prospects.
There are two main growing seasons for maize: spring maize and kharif maize. In recent years, spring maize has gained prominence among farmers, particularly potato and pea growers. The favourable climatic conditions, characterised by lower temperatures during February- March resulting in prolonged vegetative phase, reduced weed pressure and effective pest management, have resulted in higher yields and profitability for spring maize. This has led to the rise of a new cropping system – potato/pea-spring maize-paddy.
“Spring maize, while offering economic benefits, requires 15–18 irrigations if not cultivated under efficient practices. This places an unsustainable burden on the state’s groundwater resources. However, if not regulated, this pattern can exacerbate the already alarming groundwater crisis in Punjab,” said Dr Surinder Sandhu, principal maize breeder.
The situation necessitates a targeted approach to regulate its cultivation. Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) recommends strict adherence to the sowing window from January 20 to February 15 and promotes the adoption of water-efficient practices such as raised-bed planting with mandatory drip irrigation. Without these measures, spring maize risks undermining Punjab’s broader agricultural sustainability, added Dr Sandhu.
The concerning emergence of Summer (kharif) maize cultivation, sown in mid-April after the wheat harvest, is even more devastating than spring maize due to its excessive water requirements (105 -120 cm as compared to 40 cm in Kharif maize). Summer maize demands frequent irrigation — practically every alternate day during the peak heat of May and June — exacerbating the already critical groundwater depletion.
The situation is compounded by providing green bridge to pests like fall armyworm, pink stem borer and delay in transplanting of paddy and consequently its harvesting and thereby disrupting the whole cropping sustainability.
“Promoting summer (kharif) maize as a replacement for a significant portion of paddy cultivation is a transformative strategy to address our state’s underground water situation, with over 75% of Punjab’s area categorised as a ‘red zone’, signifying critical shortages of groundwater,” said Dr Sandhu.
Maize requires nearly one third of the water needed for rice and less than one-fourth of the water required for sugarcane, with a shorter cropping duration (95-100 days compared to rice’s 120 days). Producing 1kg of maize grain requires 800-1,000 litres of water, while rice demands 3,000-3,500 litres per kg.
Punjab needs to expand maize cultivation to approximately 6 lakh hectares. Despite the potential of the PAU-recommended maize hybrids to yield 6-7 tonnes per hectare, the state’s average productivity remains at 4.39 tonnes per hectare (2022-23), indicating a significant yield gap of about 2 tonnes per hectare.
Laser-levelled fields with efficient drainage systems, high-fertility soils, adherence to the recommended sowing window (May 20 to end June), sowing on raised beds to avoid losses due to water-logging stress and effective pest and disease control are critical steps to achieving this goal, failing which other states will draw benefit from the EBP programme of the Government of India and Punjab will be left behind.
To read more about Maize News continue reading Agriinsite.com
Source : The Tribune
