The Kisan Panchayat is demanding a ‘Maize Control Order’ to ensure that the maize farmers get the correct price.
Speaking with ChiniMandi, the National President, Kisan Mahapanchayat, Rampal Jat said that for maize producers, the government has made no arrangements to ensure MSP, “just as sugarcane is notified as an essential commodity under the Essential Commodities Act and its price is fixed through the Sugarcane Control Order, maize too can be notified similarly, and a Maize Control Order can be issued to ensure price security for its producers”.
Continuing their protest from Jaipur, the farmer leader said that if the government were to stop making false announcements, farmers would be spared the pain of salt being rubbed into their wounds.
“In India, from 2003 to 2014, the amount of ethanol blended remained at 1.50%. After the change of government, this amount was increased to 5–10%. In 2018, as per the new policy prepared regarding ethanol blending, a target was set to increase ethanol blending to 20% by 2030. Five years ahead of this target, in March 2025, the blending ratio was changed to 80:20. At that time, the Government of India announced that farmers would be turned into energy providers and made prosperous. The same announcement also included supplying petrol to consumers at ₹55 per litre. These announcements proved true to the saying “Empty vessels make the most noise,” he said.
The farmer leader said that the double standards are applied to primary producers and industries involved in processing and value addition. On the one hand, the implementation of the ethanol-blending policy began five years before the declared date; on the other hand, even after ten years, the announcements made for farmers and consumers have remained unfulfilled.
“The producers of maize, 72% of which is used to make ethanol, are not even receiving the minimum support price (MSP) declared by the government. Since October 2025, the maximum market price of maize has been ₹1,821 per quintal”, he said.
Giving instances of mandi rates, he said that in Nasrullaganj mandi of Madhya Pradesh, which ranks second in maize production, the price was ₹1,121 per quintal; in Nahargarh mandi of Rajasthan, which accounts for 6% of production, the price was ₹1,510 per quintal.
“Most farmers sell their produce within the village, outside mandis, where prices have fallen below ₹1,100 per quintal. Thus, farmers are being forced to sell their maize at half the declared MSP”, he said.
The farmer leader said that for ethanol produced from rice, a price assurance mechanism can be established for rice farmers.
He said that according to the Government estimates for 2025–26, the cost of producing one quintal of maize is ₹1,952. As per the government’s own announcement that MSP should be fixed at one-and-a-half times the full cost, farmers should be receiving ₹2,828 per quintal. According to this, farmers are suffering a loss of more than ₹1,700 per quintal.
In 2014–15, the area under maize cultivation was 9.19 million hectares, with production of 24.17 million tonnes. By 2024–25, the area increased to 12.017 million hectares and production to 42.281 million tonnes.
According to the 2023–24 estimates, in maize production: Karnataka accounts for 15.3%, Madhya Pradesh 12.4%, Bihar 11.7%, Maharashtra 9.1%, Tamil Nadu 7.9%, Telangana 7.2%, West Bengal 6.8%, Andhra Pradesh 5.9%, Rajasthan 5.8%, Uttar Pradesh 5.7%, Gujarat 2.4%, Himachal Pradesh 1.9%, Jammu & Kashmir 1.6%, Jharkhand 1.05%, Punjab 1.01%, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh 1.0%—a total of 15 states including Chandigarh.
India’s share in global maize production is 3%, while the United States accounts for 35%. If, under pressure from the U.S., maize imports begin in India, then—like pulses and oilseeds—India will become dependent on imports of maize as well. Even the anticipation of this led to a fall of ₹600 per quintal in market prices relative to the MSP.
“The Government of India has repeatedly stated in Parliament that no farmer will be forced to sell their produce below the declared MSP. However, due to discriminatory treatment of primary producers, the announcements and the ground reality resemble the proverb: “the elephant has different teeth for eating and for showing,” Jat said.
“In the name of farmer welfare, the government is benefiting its favoured industrialists, has fixed the price of ethanol at ₹71.86 per litre. This calculation is based on an MSP of ₹2,400 per quintal for maize. At the actual maximum market price of ₹1,821 per quintal, the ethanol price should be ₹54.52 per litre,” he stated.
