An ear of corn isolated on a white background
| Photo Credit:
atoss
Madhya Pradesh has reported a 23 per cent jump in maize acreage this kharif season, partly offsetting declines in key producing States such as Karnataka and Maharashtra, where delayed monsoon and rainfall deficit have hurt sowing. Overall maize acreage is down about 5 per cent at 67.89 lakh hectares (lh) as of July 17, compared with 71.5 lh a year ago.Per Agriculture Ministry data, maize has been sown on 23.37 lh in Madhya Pradesh till July 17, up from 19 lh in the corresponding period last year. In contrast, Karnataka has seen acreage decline by nearly 30 per cent to 9.43 lh due to deficient rainfall, while Maharashtra's maize area is down 5.1 per cent at 9.59 lh.Maize acreage has also declined in Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, while Andhra Pradesh and Bihar have registered marginal increases.El Nino impactRahul Chauhan of iGrain India said acreage has declined due to the rainfall deficit caused by the El Niño effect, though maize continues to be a preferred crop because of attractive prices. Going by the current sowing trend, and with the sowing window narrowing in Karnataka and Maharashtra, matching last year's kharif maize production appears unlikely, he added.“The production of maize will be less as sowing has not taken place in some states due to the impact of El Nino. Also, as maize prices were lower than MSP last year, we expect section of farmers to shift to soybean, prices of which are ruling high,” said Divya Kumar Gulati, Chairman, CLFMA of India."It is going to be a challenging year for the livestock feed sector as maize sowing has been delayed and acreage is likely to be lower. Moreover, arrivals are expected to be delayed by about a month to around December this year due to the delayed sowing," said Naveen Pasuparthy, Deputy Chairman, CLFMA of India, and President, Karnataka Poultry Farmers and Breeders Association.However, sources in the ethanol sector said the kharif maize crop is unlikely to be significantly affected as the crop requires relatively less water. They said the crop remains largely unaffected in States such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.Pasuparthy added that 14 poultry associations across the country have jointly funded a digital survey of key crops such as maize and soybean to assess crop conditions and estimate production.Published on July 23, 2026
