India Maize Summit 2015 - Kaushal, Zuari

1. India Maize Summit 2015

2. • India is the sixth largest producer of maize in the world contributing 2% of the global
production
• In India maize is the third most important crop after rice and wheat and accounts for 9% of
the total food grain production in country.
• Kharif is the major season accounting for 85% of the crop production.
Maize production (in Mn MT)
Maize Overview in India

3. Current maize utilisation pattern and future demand
• Changing Indian consumption pattern
indicates that in the past it was mainly
confined to food but now it is being used
largely for the feed purpose (60%).
• Owing to burgeoning growth rate of
poultry, livestock, fish, and wet and dry
milling industries, maize demand is
expected to increase from current level of
16.72 to 45 million tons by 2030.
Current maize utilisation pattern in India & World
Projected demand of maize in India Source :DMR, New Delhi

4. Current maize productivity and consumption pattern
Constraints for low productivity includes:
• Climatic conditions resulting in drought/excess water associated with increased
pressure of diseases/pests
• Imbalance /inefficient use of nutrients
• Limited adoption of improved production-protection technology
• Deficiencies in the production and distribution system of quality seed
Source : USDA
Yield-Tonns/ha

5. Current nutrient use status
• Maize account for around 15% of the global fertiliser use.
• Per hectare/capita consumption of fertiliser in India is very
low compared countries having higher productivity.
Country
per hectare (Kg)
Yield (Kg)
Fertiliser
consumption
USA 7744 127.6
Canada 9211 72.3
Brazil 5006 158.3
China 5870 438.7
India 2556 151.1
Ukraine 4795 49.8
World 4888 114.5
Asian Country
per hectare (Kg)
Yield (Kg)
Fertiliser
consumption
Bangladesh 6584 230.7
Indonesia 4899 116.7
Malaysia 5535 293.4
Pakistan 4268 164.3
India 2556 151.1
Thailand 4322 102.2
Source: Fertiliser stattistics 2013-14
Source: FAOWorld Asia

6. Nutrient Management Issues:
I. Increasing secondary and micro-
nutrient deficiencies
I. N and P with 89 and 80 percent soil samples
in low to medium category
II. K with 50 percent samples only in low to
medium
III. S, Zn, B, Mo, Fe, Mn and Cu deficient to the
tune of 41, 49, 33, 22, 12, 5 and 4 %
respectively
II. Low and imbalanced fertilizer use
III. Low nutrient use efficiency
IV. Unsatisfactory soil testing facilities
V. Un availability of fertilizers to farmers
Nutrient management issues in Indian agriculture
 Imbalance/improper nutrient application accounts for around 20-50 reduction in NUE

7. Nutrient management way forward……..
• Soil Test Crop Response (STCR)based nutrient
recommendation for targeted yields
• Split application of N
• Crop growth stage based Fertigation/foliar
schedules i.e. promoting use of WSFs.
• Use of potent growth promoter at critical stages
• Use of INM
Fertilizer efficiency affecting factors
Affected fertiliser
efficiency(%)
Poor seed bed preperation 10-25
Delay in sowing 20-40
Inappropriate variety 20-40
Inadequate plant population 10-25
Inadequate irrigation 10-20
Weed infestation 15-50
Insect attack 5-50
Imbalance/improper fertiliser application 20-50
Fertiliser efficiency affecting factors:

8. Soil, Tillage and Sowing method
Soil:
• Maize performs well in well drained , fertile, loams and silty loam soils
• Being a sensitive crop to moisture stress and salinity avoid low lying
field
Tillage:
• For desired tilth land should be ploughed with soil turning plough and
subsequently with harrow 3-4 times
• Each ploughing should be followed by planking to ensure fine tilth and
conservation of moisture.
Sowing method:
• Raised bed planting is considered to be best for all season crop
• Saves irrigation water around 20-30% with higher productivity

9. Irrigation Management
Critical stage based
• The critical stages of growth are the early vegetative period (30-40 days after sowing) and
tasselling (45-50 days).
Drip/sprinkler Irrigation :
• Irrigation once in 2 days
• Irrigation scheduling based on climatological approach

10. • Globally maize is the 3rd largest consumer of
pesticides and accounts for 13 % of the total
consumption
• In India Maize along with other cereals,
millets and oilseeds accounts for only 7% of
the pesticide consumption.
Source: Industry reports Tata strategic
• Per capita consumption in India is 0.6 Kg/ha compared to
13 & 7 Kg/ha in China & USA respectively
Reasons:
• Low purchasing powrer of farmers
• Limited reach and lower accessibility of the product
• Lack of awareness among farmers
Current Pesticide scenario

11. Role of IT
Use of Decision support systems (DSS) helps in :
• Forecasting of crop yield
• Managing proper sowing time
• Predicting the possibilities of insect/pest incidence based on weather forecasting
• Scheduling fertilizer application
• Predicting the economic returns
Available major technologies:
• GIS based soil fertility mapping and precise nutrient recommendation
• Remote sensing for crop productivity/pest incidence assessment
• Nutrient expert, QUEFTS (Quatitative Evaluation of fertility of tropical soils), DSSAT
(Decesion Support System for Agro Technology Transfer) etc. for fertiliser ,irrigation
water and pest management

12. Future Challenges
• Providing training and support for plant protection and soil testing for improved
crop quality and yields
• Advancing efforts to introduce climate-resilient crops and innovations to help
smallholders sustainably address climate change.
• Strengthening access to proven and safe seed technologies, credit, markets, and
better storage facilities to limit post-harvest loss

13. THANK YOU