IndianAgri
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

₹2,410

per quintal

CCEA / CACP (PIB) · KMS 2026–27

Area

11.24 M ha

area under maize

DES — Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2024 · 2023–24

Yield

3,351 kg/ha

13.6 quintals per acre

DES — Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2024 · 2023–24

Cost of production

₹1,544

per quintal (A2+FL)

CACP via CCEA (PIB) · KMS 2026–27

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

  1. 1Karnataka5.49 MT
  2. 2Bihar4.61 MT
  3. 3Madhya Pradesh4.33 MT
  4. 4Tamil Nadu3.06 MT
  5. 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 ₹2,410 per quintal for 2026–27 — a rise of just ₹10, or 0.4%, and the second-smallest increase of any kharif crop this season.

What a quintal earns over cost. CACP puts the cost of growing maize at ₹1,544 per quintal (A2+FL — paid-out expenses plus imputed family labour), leaving about ₹866 a quintal at MSP, a margin of 56%. India's average maize yield is 3,351 kg per hectare — about 13.6 quintals an acre — so an average acre grosses roughly ₹32,700 at MSP against about ₹21,000 of cost, leaving close to ₹11,700. Note the tension: maize carries one of the better margins over cost among kharif crops, yet its MSP barely moved, even as ethanol demand pulls acreage upward.

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 ₹2,410 per quintal for the Kharif Marketing Season 2026–27, approved by the CCEA on 13 May 2026. That is a rise of only ₹10 — about 0.4% — the second-smallest increase of any kharif crop this season.
What is the maize yield per acre in India?
India's average maize yield is 3,351 kg per hectare, or about 13.6 quintals an acre, on 11.24 million hectares in 2023–24. Irrigated rabi maize in the south comfortably exceeds this; rainfed kharif maize often falls below it.
How much profit is there in maize farming per acre?
About ₹11,700 an acre on an average yield of 13.6 quintals — roughly ₹32,700 gross at the ₹2,410 MSP against about ₹21,000 of cost. That is ₹866 a quintal, a margin of 56% over CACP's cost of production.
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.

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