Assessment of the Maize Situation, Outlook and Opportunities in Asia

Maize is the second most important crop in Asia. China is the biggest maize producer and consumer of maize in Asia. Maize is the second most important crop in China and the demand for its domestic consumption is very high; therefore China is the biggest importer of maize in Asia. There is a very huge investment opportunity in China for maize R&D and its expansion to reduce the import dependency of such an important crop. In India, maize is the third most important crop after wheat and rice. However, India followed China in terms of maize production and consumption. It is a net exporter of maize. Increased domestic consumption, coupled with export prospects, place India in a unique place to catalyse investment in maize R&D. Indonesia followed India in production and consumption, with the third-highest area and production levels in Asia. Demand for maize in Indonesia is again, very high; it cannot produce the required quantity, therefore, it imports maize as was the case of China. Bangladesh is the first, in terms of growth rate in area and production of maize, but the total size of the production is comparatively, very low. However, the increasing demand for poultry and livestock products keeps maize demand, in Bangladesh, very high which is met though imports. Therefore, investing in R&D and extension of maize area and production would be a better option for Bangladesh. In Pakistan, maize area and production has also shown an increasing trend. Present demand of maize is being met though domestic production and surplus is exported. Under the increasing demand for maize in feed and processing industry in Pakistan and relatively higher cost of production, higher investment in maize R&D is required along the whole maize value chain for export of value added maize products to increase competitiveness. There is a lot of scope of investment in maize sector in these Asian countries. Governments of these countries need to focus on this aspect along with having a regional cooperation both in R&D, expansion and trade