Trends, Growth and Instability in Area, Production and Productivity of Maize Crop across Regions in India

By : Geeta Sharma, Swati Mehta

Page No: 368-381

Abstract
In the present study, an attempt has been made to analyze the trend, growth and variability in area, production and productivity of maize crop at all-India level and regional level by comparing with pre-reform period (from 1980–81 to 1989–90) and post-reform period (from 1990–91 to 2011– 12). The study observed that after the economic reforms maize production in India recorded remarkable growth due to adoption of single cross hybrids and continuous demand in domestic and export market. Similarly, the central and southern regions showed significant improvement in raising maize production and productivity after economic reforms due to accelerated growth in area, production and productivity. The performance of the north-western, region which had pioneered the green revolution period, and the eastern region was not satisfactory in raising maize production after the economic reforms because of declining trend of maize production and negative growth in its maize area and rising instability. The study further concluded that after the economic reforms, India’s ranking in the world improved in case of area and production, but performance of yield in India was very low and remained at last position as compared to other major maize growing countries in the world. Thus, there is a dire need to sustain the production of maize crop.

Authors :
Geeta Sharma : Senior Research Fellow, Punjab School of Economics Department, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar;
Swati Mehta : Assistant Professor, Punjab School of Economics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.