Pune: Maize crop hit by rain & fall armyworm infestation, but poultry farms say no scarcity, won’t need imports

Rohit Pawar, chief executive officer (CEO) of Pune-headquartered Baramati Agro, said the higher moisture content in maize is a concern for the industry. “The standing crop has been hit due to unseasonal rain and the infestation of FAW,” he said. Pawar, whose firm is into manufacturing of poultry feed, said there would be no need of imports. “Due to better moisture content of the soil, the next maize crop would be good… so we do not feel any need for imports,” he said.

Industry sources said that India’s production for the crop year of 2019-20 would be around 250 lakh tonnes (lt) as compared to the 200 lt last year.

The short-duration maize crop provides the raw material of both feed and fodder. Maize is a major kharif crop in Maharashtra with 70 per cent of the crop grown during the season. However, this year, the better soil moisture will allow farmers across the country to increase their rabi acreage. Due to the drought last year, there was a shortfall of around 20 per cent in the country’s maize production. At the behest of the poultry industry, the central government had allowed import of 40 lakh tonnes of maize. Maize prices across the country were in the range of Rs 1,900 to 2,100 per quintal due to the production shortage of the crop.

Ashok Bhalgat, a maize trader operating in the wholesale market of Baramati in Pune, said the industry did not foresee any shortage, but quality concerns would remain for kharif. Asked about the price prospects, Bhalgat said maize prices would hover around the government declared minimum selling price (MSP) of Rs 1,760 per quintal. “This will only because of the quality concerns about the crop,” he said.

Agri commodity analyst Dipak Chavan said the industry was concerned about the quality concern of the kharif crop, which would be coming to the market shortly. “The industry will be walking a tight rope in terms of supply of quality produce. However, the silver lining in the scenario will be the increase in rabi acreage given the better moisture content,” he said.