Farmers should cultivate more maize crop: Minister

Farmers should diversify into crops like maize which consume less water and can fetch more realisation, Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal today said.
"Amid declining ground water levels, diversification into corn in place of paddy is the need of the hour and at the same times it has high nutritional value and not very costly for consumers," she said while addressing the India Maize Summit organised by the FICCI and NCDEX.
The Minister said there is scope for processing industry in corn as it is rich source of starch. Among the 17 food parks allocated by her ministry, one of is facilities is for corn processing, she added.

"Wheat and rice may be our staple diet but corn has huge potential to be used as snacks, as it is used in the western world and generate good income for farmers," she said.
The Minister added that her ministry has been encouraging state governments to amend the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act.
Speaking at the same event, NCDEX Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Sameer Shah emphasised the need for integrating the supply chain.
"While there is considerable scope for product related improvements, there is also an urgent need to address integration challenges faced by the industry," Shah said.

Elaborating about the increasing demand of maize globally, Monsanto India CEO Shilpa Divekar Nirula said,"Area under maize crop has been consistently growing in recent years and at the same time maize exported from India has also increased.