ccording to the Third Advance Estimates of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, maize is cultivated on about 10.74 million hectares, with production estimated at 55.10 million tonnes in India
Farmgate prices of good-quality maize (corn) are likely to hover around ₹2,200-2,400 per quintal during the harvest season in October-November, according to the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU).
Based on an analysis of farmgate prices at the Udumalpet Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) yard over the past 15 years, TNAU’s Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies (CARDS), under its Price Forecasting Scheme, has advised farmers in Tamil Nadu to make informed sowing decisions.
The projected price is broadly in line with the minimum support price of ₹2,410 per quintal announced by the Centre for the 2026-27 kharif marketing season.
According to the Third Advance Estimates of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, maize is cultivated on about 10.74 million hectares, with production estimated at 55.10 million tonnes in India.
Major producer
TNAU, in a press release, said the India Meteorological Department has forecast below-normal rainfall during the current South-West monsoon due to the El Nino climate phenomenon, which could affect production in key maize-growing States such as Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. However, the university noted that these climate-induced supply risks, coupled with last year’s bumper harvest, are being offset by the West Asian crisis and rising fuel costs, which are disrupting maize exports and domestic trade.
Tamil Nadu is among the country’s major maize-producing States, with production of about 3.3 million tonnes from 0.54 million hectares. Salem, Namakkal, Dindigul, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Villupuram and Tiruppur are the major producing districts. The State meets only about 50 per cent of its domestic maize requirement, with the remainder sourced from other States. A deficient monsoon could, therefore, make maize prices highly volatile, TNAU said.
The university noted that maize has been gaining both nutritional and commercial importance, driven by rising demand from the animal feed industry, industrial applications, ethanol blending under the National Policy on Biofuels and increasing use in bioplastics.
Published on July 8, 2026
