Where Maize Is Grown
Karnataka is the leading maize state, with Davangere, Haveri, Ballari and Chitradurga forming a major belt. Madhya Pradesh (Chhindwara, Seoni, Jhabua), Maharashtra (Jalgaon, Aurangabad), Telangana (Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal) and Rajasthan (Bhilwara, Udaipur) grow large kharif crops. Bihar stands out for its high-yield rabi maize, grown in winter in Purnea, Katihar, Khagaria and Samastipur, which is sold through the Gulabbagh market in Purnea to buyers across India. Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu also grow rabi maize.
How Maize Is Grown
Almost all commercial maize in India is now hybrid, bought fresh from seed companies each season. Kharif maize is mostly rain-fed; rabi maize is irrigated and gives much higher yields. After harvest, cobs are dried and shelled, and the grain must be dried to safe moisture before storage, because wet maize develops aflatoxin, a fungal toxin that feed and starch buyers test for. Speciality maize such as sweet corn, baby corn and popcorn is grown near cities and for processors.
Season Calendar
Kharif maize
Sown June–July, arrives September–November.Rabi maize
Sown October–November in Bihar and the south, arrives March–May.Spring / zaid maize
Sown February–March in Punjab and UP, arrives June.Big Maize Mandis
- Davangere APMC, KarnatakaAmong India's largest maize marketsAboutExplore
- Gulabbagh Mandi, Purnea, BiharHub for Bihar rabi maizeAboutExplore
- Chhindwara Mandi, Madhya PradeshMajor MP maize marketAboutExplore
- Nizamabad and Karimnagar, TelanganaTelangana maize marketsAboutExplore
- Haveri and Ranebennur, KarnatakaNorth Karnataka maize tradeAboutExplore
Starch and Processing Companies
Maize starch goes into textiles, paper, food, pharmaceuticals and sweeteners such as liquid glucose. The wet-milling industry is concentrated in Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
- Gujarat Ambuja Exports LtdAhmedabad · one of India's largest maize processorsAboutExplore
- Sukhjit Starch & Chemicals LtdPhagwara, Punjab · maize starch and derivativesAboutExplore
- Tirupati Starch & Chemicals LtdIndore · maize starchAboutExplore
- Roquette Riddhi Siddhi Pvt LtdGujarat · maize starch and derivativesAboutExplore
Poultry Feed and Animal Feed Buyers
Poultry feed is the single largest use of Indian maize. Big integrators and feed makers buy maize directly from mandis and traders, especially from Karnataka, Telangana and Bihar.
- Suguna Foods Pvt LtdCoimbatore · poultry and feedAboutExplore
- Venky's (India) LtdPune · poultry and feedAboutExplore
- Godrej Agrovet LtdMumbai · animal feedAboutExplore
Ethanol: The New Buyer
To meet its petrol blending targets, India now allows grain-based distilleries to make ethanol from maize and FCI rice. Many new distilleries in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and other states buy maize in bulk, which has lifted farmer prices and made India import maize at times. Sugar companies with dual-feed distilleries also use maize outside the cane season.
- Grain-based ethanol distilleriesEthanol from maize for petrol blendingAboutExplore
- National Policy on Biofuels / OMC ethanol tendersOil companies' ethanol purchase programmeAboutExplore
Traders and Exchange
Large agri traders handle maize for feed, starch and export to Southeast Asia and the Gulf when Indian prices are competitive. Maize has traded on NCDEX, and the exchange's price is followed by the feed industry.
- Olam Agri India Pvt LtdGrain tradingAboutExplore
- Cargill India Pvt LtdGrain trading and animal nutritionAboutExplore
- NCDEX maizeExchange contract and spot pricesAboutExplore
Seeds and Modern Technology
Single-cross hybrids, maize shellers and driers, aflatoxin testing kits and drone spraying against fall armyworm, a pest that arrived in India in 2018, are the main technology changes in maize.
- Corteva Agriscience (Pioneer seeds)Maize hybrid seedsAboutExplore
- Bayer CropScience LtdDEKALB maize hybridsAboutExplore
- Syngenta India Pvt LtdMaize hybrid seedsAboutExplore
- ICAR – Indian Institute of Maize Research (IIMR)LudhianaAboutExplore
Maize by State
Tap a state for its districts, markets, government buying and buyers.
Processed Products
Related: Wheat · Basmati Rice · Non-Basmati Rice · Maize · Bajra · Jowar · Ragi · Barley · Soils.in for farmer help · FoodProcessingIndustries.in
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