Hybrid seeds of corn or maize have been produced for the first time in Rajasthan in Dungarpur and Banswara districts and the state plans to meet the demand of hybrid seeds of the entire north India by next five years.
BR Karwa, deputy director ( information), agriculture department, said that Dungarpur and Banswara were the two districts in Rajasthan where atmosphere was suitable for growing hybrid seeds of corn during Rabi season. Karwa said Banswara district alone had the capacity to fulfill the demand of hybrid seeds of corn of not only Rajasthan but of the entire northern India and other states.
Though corn is grown in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal, Uttaranchal, Jammu and Kashmir, but hybrid corn is not produced anywhere in north India other than Rajasthan.
He said in Banswara district, wheat and corn was cultivated during the rabi season but due to less temperature wheat crops did not bloom and productivity remained low. Basically, the district was not suitable for growing wheat, but corn, Karwa said.
He said a minimum of 25 lakh quintals of hybrid corn seeds can be produced in the region, which could be sold for R 25,000 crore.
src: Hindustan Times