What is responsible for the increase in maize production from 15.1 million tonnes in 2006-07 to 18.54 million tonnes in 2007-08? This quantum jump in a much neglected but highly potential cereal crop in our country - maize – is the result of the development of a bunch of ‘single cross hybrids', bulk of them from public sector efforts. This was stated by the renowned agriculture scientist Dr M S Swaminathan at a one day National Symposium on “Quality Protein Maize for Human Nutritional Security and Development of Poultry Sector in India”, jointly organized by Directorate of Maize Research and Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS) at NASC Complex, Pusa New Delhi on 3 rd May, 2008. The Indian scientists have brought about a mini-revolution in maize – which literally means ‘ one that sustains life' - by developing our own bunch of single cross hybrids which are not only rich in yield but are also nutritionally superior, a group called “Quality Protein Maize” or simply as QPM. He added that the high performance of QPM single cross hybrids warranted that maize be included as a part of India's National Food Security Mission, which depends mainly on wheat, rice and pulses. The growth rate of maize in the country over the last one decade is an example to emulate for other major food crops, he added.

Dr R S Paroda, a former D G of Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Chairman of Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS), in his welcome address mentioned that this symposium is a timely step for potential utilization of maize in general and QPM in particular for food and nutritional security. He recalled that this symposium is also important in the context that the first ever Indian Science Congress held at an Agricultural Institute at (Pusa, New Delhi ), had focused on Food, Nutritional and Environmental Security and in Vision 2020 document, nutritional security was kept at top agenda. The Quality protein maize, rich in essential amino acids namely tryptophan and lycine is an important source for human nutrition and as a low cost quality feed for poultry, fishery, piggery and livestock. He too stressed that there is need for greater awareness of the role of QPM in human nutrition, as well as for poultry and other allied sectors which are equally important in meeting the growing food needs of the country.

Dr Mangla Rai (Secretary DARE and DG ICAR), said that 2007-08 was especially eventful for record maize production of 18.54 million tones. He mentioned that single cross maize hybrids were first introduced in USA where they have effected a consistent yield increase of 100 kg per ha per annum during last more than two decades but in India this year maize productivity had registered a rise of about 400 kg per hectare in a single year on a country-wide basis. This quantum jump was the result of a total technology package involving most modern approach of single cross hybrids and advanced crop management. He pointed out that maize is an important for food and the countries like USA who are using it to produce bio-fuel, are responsible for rise in price of this commodity. We in India feel that the biomass and not the grain should be used for bio-fuel production and the grain should best be available for human and animal consumption. He further stated that even at the cost of repetition it should be re-emphasized that our fertilizer policy should include an aggressive promotion of balanced fertilizers, and address the deficiency of micronutrients in our soils, resulting from overexploitation of soil and water resources. There are at least eight micro and secondary nutrients, which need to be supplemented, viz., Zinc, manganese, sulphur, molybdenum, boron, Iron etc. This could best be done by developing and distributing fortified fertilizers containing a balanced mix of these deficient elements rather than the traditional Urea or DAP or potassic fertilizers alone. When soil is deficient in these minerals, the grain is also deficient and creates nutritional problems for the consumers.

Dr S K Vasal, a Distinguished Maize Scientist from CIMMYT and the World Food Prize laureate – the first during the 21 st century, for his contribution to introducing the ‘opaque 2' genes into a stable maize genomic background, who was also honoured with prestigious Dr. MS Swaminathan award of TAAS during this symposium for his significant contribution in QPM research stated that it is because of efforts like the modern day QPM hybrids – of which the best ones have been developed in India and that too by public sector institutions, that the great Dr N E Borlaug had predicted that first quarter of 21 st century will belong to maize as a food crop. In the foreseeable future, maize will not only add to our food kitty quantitatively, but also in terms of quality. It is for the administrators and policy makers to create proper environment to harness the potential of maize in the best possible manner. The most interesting and important development is that the farmers have already accepted it and are happy about it. The scientists associated with this achievement should be adequately recognized and rewarded for their outstanding efforts.

During the deliberations, about 200 Scientists from public and private organizations and progressive farmers were gathered and shared their views. The eminent scientists attended this symposium were Prof. V.L.Chopra, Member Planning Commission, Govt of India; Dr. S. Nagrajan, Charman PPV &FR, Govt of India, Dr. CD Mayee, Chairman ASRB, Dr. P. L. Gautam, DDG (Crops), ICAR, Dr. AK Singh, DDG (NRM), ICAR, Dr. SA Patil, Director, IARI, Dr. Marthunjaya, National Director, NAIP, Dr. JSP Yadav Former Chairman ASRB and several Directors of SAUs and ICAR Institutes, representatives from Ministry of Agriculture, USAID and many private organizations specially seed, poultry and maize industrial sectors participated in the deliberations.

Recognizing the inherent and demonstrated potential of Single Cross Hybrids of maize in the country, the symposium came out with recommendations as follows:

1. The overall consensus was that maize should be included in National Food Security Mission, in addition to the existing thrust on wheat, rice and pulses, more so because of the potential of this crop in meeting both the food and nutrition security, but also the influence it will have on growth of allied sectors viz., poultry and milk production.
2. There is need to target about 80 -90 % area coverage with Single Cross Hybrids, which at present was low. Since QPM hybrids are basically bred by public sector institutions, and public seed producing agencies are unable to cope with the production of seed of these hybrids, a Public-Private Partnership model should be adopted to achieve the seed production and area coverage targets.
3. Maize crop has a very wide range of adaptability and also has great potential for adaptation to climatic change, as demonstrated by its high growth rate (about 4.5 % p.a.) over the last one decade. With emerging problems of water scarcity, rising temperature, maize is a crop which has great potential both for vertical and horizontal expansion. There is need to encourage diversification of rice-rice and rice-wheat cropping systems in peninsular and eastern India, respectively with maize to cope up with the emerging challenges of water scarcity and terminal heat effect under changing climate and deteriorating soil health under these monotonous cropping systems.
4. Currently utilization of maize as food crop is only 25% where as its use for animal and poultry feed in almost 60%. Hence, increasing area under QPM could lead to improved human nutrition and availability of low cost feed for which internal demand is increasing very fast. This would demand use of variable maize products and food habit through popularization of various maize recipes. Also, QPM could be a cheaper source of protein for children and can be used effectively as mid-day meal for which Bihar has already taken lead to move forward.
5. Maize has also demonstrated its adaptation ability in areas where the rabi temperatures have a tendency to rise suddenly, rather than gradually, viz., in the eastern states like West Bengal . Single cross hybrids of maize deserve a special thrust in these areas.
6. Utilizing maize not only for human food but as more nutritious animal feed would link up growth of bio- and organic fertilizers like poultry droppings which could help minimize the depleting soil nutritional status.
7. Poultry sector has a potential for growth at about 15 % p.a. as compared to the present 11 -12 % and also as an export industry. QPM for poultry is an industry demand and should be satisfied in the overall interests of the country.
8. In view of the best available quality feed for poultry, it is necessary to provide incentive to those farmers who produce QPM and Govt should take initiative for providing premium prices (at least 10 % higher than normal maize) to the QPM growers to accelerate and strengthen the QPM in the country. In this context, State Department of Agriculture, Govt of West Bengal have taken initiatives for seed production of QPM hybrids and their dissemination through public private partnership in view of ever increasing demand of poultry feed in the state.
9. The growth of the maize wet processing industry as well as the emerging dry processing industry demand that maize be included in the ‘identified' schedule crops of the food processing industry so that maize consumers have adequate access to their vital raw material and the prices in the market are stable.

Source: Directorate of Maize Research, New Delhi