India Maize Summit 2015

• 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

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

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

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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: FAO World Asia

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

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:

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

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

• 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

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

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

THANK YOU