Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Radha Mohan Singh Friday said that maize agribusiness companies should make special efforts to explore various opportunities in agri-marketing.

Speaking at the inaugural event of the 5th India Maize Summit 2018 at FICCI, New Delhi, the minister suggested that Maize agribusiness companies should make special efforts to explore various opportunities in agri-marketing.

Currently, India is among the top five exporters of Maize worldwide.

Singh said that during 1950-51, India produced only 1.73 MT, which has reached 25.89 MT in 2016-17 and is expected to cross 27 MT in 2017-18. This The average productivity in India is 2.43 ton/ha.

The Agriculture Minister said that after looking at the foodgrain demand and consumer choice in the global arena, it is well-known that Maize is highly preferred in most countries, including developing countries like India. In India, Maize is the third most important foodgrain after wheat and rice.

The four states, namely Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan account for more than half of the total maize production.

The Minister said only 15% of cultivated area of Maize in India is irrigated and therefore it is necessary to have adequate irrigation facilities for its cultivation so that the production, productivity and quality of Maize improves.

He informed that the ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research (IIMR), Ludhiana has been mandated to carry out basic, strategic and applied research aimed at enhancing production, productivity and sustainability of Maize.