India possesses a crop that has silently boosted its farms, livestock and it is known as the Queen of Cereals. The crop is Maize and the scientific name of this crop is Zea mays. Maize was used long before it was refined into cornflakes. It was the food of the families and farm animals of the different farming belts in India.
Maize is not equally a popular part of everyday conversation like rice or wheat. However, it is the third most important cereal crop in India, and its uses are quite vast, comprising food and fodder, starch, popcorn, corn oil, baby food, cosmetics and biofuel. Its use has made this crop quite indispensable.
Which State is the Largest Producer of Maize in India?
The answer to this question is Madhya Pradesh is the largest Maize producer in India, overtaking the decades long rival Karnataka.
The state provides approximately 15.30% of the total maize production in the country. The maize is grown on 19 lakh hectares of land with a production of about 6.64 million tonnes.
The Jansampark Vibhag mentions: “Madhya Pradesh also remained a leading producer of maize, with production reaching 6.64 million tonnes and contributing about 15.30 per cent to the national output, making it one of the country’s major maize-producing states.”
In the year 2024-25, the production of maize was 43.41 million tonnes in India. It was a drastic change in comparison to the past years, which have been driven by the growing needs of the poultry, starch and ethanol sectors.
Top 3 Maize-Producing States in India (2024-25)
Here is the list of top maize-producing states as per the Economic Survey 2025-26:
| Rank | State | Production (2024-25) | Share (%) |
| 1 | Madhya Pradesh | 6.64 million tonnes | 15.30% |
| 2 | Karnataka | 6.19 million tonnes | 14.26% |
| 3 | Bihar | 5.47 million tonnes | 12.60% |
India's Standing in Global Maize Production
The USA leads maize production with China as the next greatest producer with 31.38 and 23.28 percent production respectively in the world. Since 1961, India has continued to be one of the top 10 maize producers in the world.
The APEDA report mentions: “India ranks 4th in terms of area with 10.74 million ha land under maize. The USA is the top maize producer followed by China, contributing 31.38% and 23.28% of world maize production. However, India remained among the top 10 producers of maize in the World since 1961 and India is also the fifth largest producer of Maize in 2020 as per FAO data. The productivity of maize in India is about 3.54 t/ha, which is slightly more than the half of world average (4.9 t/ha).”
With the development of maize production to sustain the growing needs of the poultry industry, the ethanol blending programmes and the processed food industries, the importance of maize in the agricultural as well as industrial future of India will only continue to increase. And in the very core of that story, today, is Madhya Pradesh -the major producer of maize in India.
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