India is witnessing a sharp rise in maize cultivation, largely driven by the push towards ethanol blending with petrol under the government’s E20 programme. The move is changing crop patterns, impacting other agricultural sectors, and setting up both opportunities and challenges.
In the 2025–26 Kharif season, maize has been sown on 91.89 lakh hectares, up from 83.15 lakh hectares same period last year — a year‑on‑year rise of ~10.5%.
Compared to the 5‑year average sowing for this period, the increase is even larger — ~16.3%.
Maize has now become one of the top feedstocks for ethanol production, surpassing sugarcane and rice in share.
The E20 blending programme (target: 20% ethanol in petrol by 2025‑26) is the main incentive pushing demand for maize.
Government is funding research to develop high‑starch, climate‑resilient maize hybrids and is earmarking funds to improve silage/feed value chains.
There’s also a plan to increase maize procurement and support farmer incomes so they have assurance which encourages maize over other crops.
To sustain maize supply for ethanol while maintaining food security, India will need to scale up maize yields, improve seed varieties, better management practices, and possibly expand area without hurting other crop zones.
Policy will likely keep nudging maize production — through procurement assurances, incentives for ethanol producers to use maize, and investment in research.
Monitoring of crop‑diversion effects (on oilseeds, pulses, nutrition) will become more important. Also import of maize may increase to bridge shortfalls.
