In which season is maize grown in India?

Maize is grown in both seasons — mainly kharif (sown Jun–Jul, harvested Sep–Oct) and also rabi in parts of the south and east.

What is the MSP of maize?

The MSP for maize is ₹2,400 per quintal for the 2025–26 marketing season (CACP/CCEA).

Which is the largest maize-producing state in India?

Karnataka is India's largest maize producer (about 5.5 MT in 2023–24), followed by Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

How much maize does India produce?

India produced roughly 37.7 million tonnes of maize in 2023–24 — its third-largest cereal after rice and wheat.

What is India's maize mostly used for?

Most of India's maize goes to poultry and animal feed and the starch industry, with a fast-growing share used for ethanol.

Kharif & Rabi

Maize (Corn)

Zea mays · Poaceae (grasses)

India's third major cereal after rice and wheat — and its fastest-growing — serving as a staple, a feed grain, and an industrial crop.

Production · Maize (Corn)

≈37.7 MT

2023–24 (Final Estimates)

Source: DA&FW (Final Estimates)
2023–24

Key figures

MSP

₹2,400

per quintal

CACP / CCEA · 2025–26

World producer

Top 7

≈2% of world output

FAOSTAT / FICCI · reference

World area

No. 4

by area planted

FAOSTAT / FICCI · reference

In India

3rd cereal

after rice & wheat

DA&FW · reference

Top state

Karnataka

5.49 MT

DES crop estimates · 2023–24

Growing season

Kharif & Rabi

mainly kharif

DA&FW · reference

About maize

Maize is India's third major cereal after rice and wheat — and its fastest-growing, with area and output rising steadily over the past two decades.

It is grown in both the kharif and rabi seasons, across the south, east, and centre, on rain-fed and irrigated land alike. Unlike rice and wheat, most of India's maize is not eaten directly.

The bulk of the crop feeds the poultry and livestock industry and the starch sector, and a fast-growing share now goes to ethanol for fuel blending — making maize an increasingly strategic industrial crop.

Where it’s grown

Leading producing states

1Karnataka5.49 MT
2Bihar4.61 MT
3Madhya Pradesh4.33 MT
4Tamil Nadu3.06 MT
5West Bengal2.68 MT

Karnataka leads, followed by Bihar and Madhya Pradesh; maize is grown widely across the south, east, and centre. DES crop estimates, 2023–24.

Ministry of Agriculture crop estimates (DES) · 2023–24

How it’s grown

Season: Kharif & Rabi (mainly kharif)
Sowing: June–July (kharif); Oct–Nov (rabi)
Harvest: September–October / February–March
Climate: Warm; adaptable across zones
Water: Moderate; rain-fed and irrigated

Major varieties

HQPM-1

A popular Quality Protein Maize (QPM) hybrid with improved amino-acid balance.

HQPM-5

A biofortified QPM hybrid (rich in lysine, tryptophan, provitamin A) from ICAR-IARI/IIMR.

IMH-221

A high-yielding single-cross hybrid released by ICAR-IIMR.

IMH-229

An ICAR-IIMR single-cross hybrid for wider adaptation.

HM-4

A widely grown hybrid from the ICAR maize programme.

Single-cross hybrids dominate India's maize, and Quality Protein Maize (QPM) hybrids add nutrition. Notable ICAR-IIMR/IARI releases shown here (not an area-ranked list). ICAR-IIMR — maize varieties.

Economics & trade

Maize is priced through a Minimum Support Price of ₹2,400 per quintal for the 2025–26 season (CACP/CCEA).

Demand is driven less by the dinner plate than by industry — poultry and cattle feed, starch, and, increasingly, ethanol for the national fuel-blending programme — which has pulled up both prices and acreage.

Uses

Poultry and livestock feed — the single largest use of Indian maize.
Starch and processed-food industries.
Ethanol for fuel blending, a fast-growing demand source.
Food (notably in hill and tribal regions) and green fodder.

Notable facts

Maize is India's fastest-growing cereal by area and output.
Most Indian maize is used for poultry and animal feed and for starch — not eaten directly.
A rising share of the crop now goes to ethanol for the national fuel-blending programme.
Quality Protein Maize (QPM) hybrids are biofortified with more lysine and tryptophan than ordinary maize.

Frequently asked

In which season is maize grown in India?: Maize is grown in both seasons — mainly kharif (sown Jun–Jul, harvested Sep–Oct) and also rabi in parts of the south and east.
What is the MSP of maize?: The MSP for maize is ₹2,400 per quintal for the 2025–26 marketing season (CACP/CCEA).
Which is the largest maize-producing state in India?: Karnataka is India's largest maize producer (about 5.5 MT in 2023–24), followed by Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
How much maize does India produce?: India produced roughly 37.7 million tonnes of maize in 2023–24 — its third-largest cereal after rice and wheat.
What is India's maize mostly used for?: Most of India's maize goes to poultry and animal feed and the starch industry, with a fast-growing share used for ethanol.