Coimbatore : TNAU has predicted that production of maize would drop during rabi season owing to drought conditions in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.
Coimbatore : TNAU has predicted that production of maize would drop during rabi season owing to drought conditions in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.
A press release from TNAU said that during kharif, Fall Army Worm (FAW), an invasive pest, has greatly damaged maize crops in the neighboring states, including Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, and has spread to Tamil Nadu as well. More than 40 per cent of maize production in kharif season has been affected in the country. This has led to an increase in maize price, believe traders.
According to market sources, maize production would further drop in rabi season owing to drought conditions in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.
As of now, produce from Ariyalur, Perambalur and Pudukkottai districts have started coming to Udumalpet market. From February 19, other state goods were expected to reach the market.
The Tamil Nadu -Irrigated Agriculture Modernization Project (TN- IAMP) funded Price Forecasting Scheme of the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, analysed the historical prices in Udumalpet Regulated Market for maize in the past 19 years.
Accordingly, the farm gate price of good quality maize harvested between March and April, 2019 would be `1700-1800 per quintal, provided the crop survived the pest attack. Soon, duty free import of maize from other countries was also on the cards. Hence, farmers are advised to plan before sowing.
Based on the monsoon, Indian cropping season has been classified as kharif and rabi. While the kharif cropping season was between July and October during the south-west monsoon, the rabi cropping season was from October-March in the winter.