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Informist, Tuesday, Jul. 8, 2025

 

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--Maize institute head:Govt working to up maize shr in ethanol output to 80%
--CONTEXT: Maize currently contributes 50% of ethanol output
--CONTEXT: Maize institute Director HS Jat's comments in an interview
--Maize institute head Jat: Maize output growing 6-7?GR since 2014
--Maize institute head Jat: Maize output growth jumped to 12% in FY25
--Maize institute head Jat: See maize output 65-70 mln tn by 2030 crop year
--CONTEXT: India maize output 42.3 mln tn in 2024-25 (Jul-Jun)
--Maize institute head: Working to up starch, protein content in maize seeds

 

By Pallavi Singhal

 

NEW DELHI – The government is working towards increasing the share of maize in ethanol production to 80% as part of its efforts to promote sustainable and efficient use of agricultural resources, said Hanuman Sahay Jat, director, Indian Institute of Maize Research. Currently, maize contributes slightly more than 50% of the ethanol production, Jat told Informist in an interaction on Monday. The Indian Institute of Maize Research is a part of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and is responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing research programmes to improve maize production and productivity.

 

This move is expected to reduce the country's reliance on other crops for ethanol production and provide a boost to maize farmers. According to Jat, the maize output has been growing at a compound annual growth rate of 6-7% since 2014, driven by increasing demand from various sectors. However, the growth rate jumped to 12% in 2024-25 on rising demand from the ethanol sector.

 

"Going forward, I expect the industry to maintain a similar growth trajectory," he said. The country's maize output for 2023-24 (Jul-Jun) was pegged at 37.7 million tonnes. For the current crop year, the government has estimated maize production 12% higher on year at 42.3 million tonnes in its third advance estimates.

 

He also expressed optimism that India can achieve a maize production target of 65-70 million tonnes by 2030, meeting the country's requirements for food, feed, and industrial purposes. "If you look at the trends with respect to area, with respect to production, with respect to productivity, I think we should be able to achieve almost 65 to 70 million tonnes by 2030," he said

 

MAIZE vs RICE

With government's rice stocks at a two-decade high of almost 38 million tonnes, it had allowed ethanol distilleries to participate in Food Corp. of India's weekly auctions of the grain. The market has been abuzz about how lower prices of rice have led to a shift from maize to rice for ethanol production, causing oversupply of the former in the market. However, Jat termed this shift "temporary". "The government is working towards raising maize productivity to an extent that maize would contribute to almost 80% of the ethanol production. Other grains, including rice and sugarcane will only contribute for the remaining 20%," he said.

 

On the question of farmers moving away from crops such as soybean and cotton, Jat noted that farmers are shifting away from such crops due to better profitability in maize, but emphasized the need to define optimal crop areas to ensure sustainable agricultural practices. "It is not an all-India problem. There are some areas which are seeing this happen. Farmers in areas which were not profitable so far are now choosing alternative crops. But it may happen with any crop, not just maize. If the net profit is higher for the maize, they will go for maize. However, I see a need to define the area, which says which crop should grow where, and in how much acreage," Jat said.

 

YIELDS, VARIETIES

Jat explained that maize yields vary depending on factors like crop duration, weather conditions, and irrigation facilities. "Maize productivity in India varies significantly depending on the duration of the crop, which ranges from 90 to 160 days. Longer duration crops like Rabi maize in Bihar tend to have higher productivity due to favorable weather conditions. In contrast, kharif maize productivity is generally lower due to its dependence on rainfall," he said. 

 

According to Jat, productivity rates differ across regions, with Telangana achieving yields of around 7.5 tonnes per hectare for kharif production, against the national average of 3.5 tonnes per hectare. "Other states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh have lower productivity rates. A big determining factor is the weather conditions," he said. Providing irrigation facilities to farmers can help mitigate the impact of dry spells and increase productivity.

 

Indian Council of Agricultural Research has so far generated 265 variants of maize, out of which 77 are hybrid. The Maize Institute, he said, is working on developing high-yielding maize hybrids with higher starch content, aiming to increase the starch content from the current 60% to around 65%. "The institute is focusing on breeding maize varieties with higher starch content and productivity. We are working on developing good hybrids that can meet the requirements of the ethanol industry and animal feed sector," he said. 

 

Jat said the sector requires improved starch content in hybrids to enhance ethanol recovery from the current 38% to 42%. The institute is developing high-yielding varieties capable of 10-11 tonnes per hectare in rabi-spring seasons and 7-8 tonnes in kharif, with enhanced fermentable content of 64-65%. He emphasised that the site specification mechanisation is required to achieve the desired goals from one seed to another.

 

On its protein content, he said that the Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles produced from maize has only about 25% protein in it, while rice has about 40%. "We are looking at the potential of fortifying Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles with other protein-rich ingredients such as soymeal to improve its nutritional value," Jat said.  End

 

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

 

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