India Maize Summit 2024 Urges Use of Better Seeds and New Technology
The 10th India Maize Summit 2024 in Delhi addressed the rising demand for maize and strategies to enhance production. Bihar’s Agriculture Minister announced plans to expand maize cultivation to 10 lakh hectares. A report highlighted India as the fifth-largest maize producer but facing challenges with hybrid seed use and exports. The summit concluded with a call for collaborative efforts to boost production.
The 10th India Maize Summit 2024, held in Delhi on Friday, was a forum on the increasing demand for maize and how this demand can be increased. It was organized by the Federation of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, bringing together leaders from farming, research, and government to deliberate on the future of maize in India.
A report from FICCI and YES BANK was released, showing that India is the fifth-largest maize producer in the world. However, problems like not using enough good-quality hybrid seeds and uneven exports are slowing growth. The report called for more investment, better technology, and improved storage to help the maize sector.
Bihar Government’s Focus on Maize
Bihar’s Agriculture Minister, Mangal Pandey, shared how important maize is for food, animal feed, and industry. He said Bihar plans to increase maize farming to 10 lakh hectares this year. The state’s current maize storage can hold 5 lakh metric tons (MT), but Bihar is working to expand it. Pandey also asked seed companies to make high-quality maize seeds and set up operations in Bihar.
Dr Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, said India needs a long-term plan to meet the growing demand for maize over the next 10 years. He said growing maize in the summer will increase production and help farmers switch from traditional crops like rice.
Collaboration is Key
Leaders at the summit said it’s important for the government, private companies, and researchers to work together to solve problems in the maize sector. Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, Bihar’s Agriculture Secretary, explained that the government is helping farmers by giving out subsidized seeds and offering training programs.
Subroto Geed from Corteva Agriscience discussed the potential for maize to support sustainable farming in India. Sunjay Vuppuluri from YES BANK shared insights from the report and called for more action to help the maize sector meet future needs.
The summit ended with a call for everyone to work together to make sure maize production grows to meet future demand.
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