Parliament Question: Increased consumption and import of corn and soyabean

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. - 3223 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20/03/2026 INCREASED CONSUMPTION AND IMPORT OF CORN AND SOYABEAN 3223. SHRI GOLLA BABURAO: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE be pleased to state: (a) whether domestic corn consumption will go up from 34.7 Million Tons (MT) in 2022 to 98MT in 2040 and 200MT in 2050 due to rapid increase of 7 percent in income growth; (b) whether consumption of soyabean will go up from 6.2MT in 2022-23 to 31MT in 2040 and 69MT in 2050 due to increase in income growth; (c) whether there will be a need to import 46MT corn by 2040 and 134MT by 2050 to meet higher demand; (d) whether there will be a need to import 19MT soyabean by 2040 and 53MT by 2050 to meet higher demand; and (e) plans to meet the deficit? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR) (a) & (b): The Working Group constituted by the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, Government of India, in its report on ‘Crop Husbandry, Agriculture Inputs, Demand & Supply 2024’ has assessed the demand and supply of different food commodities towards 2047 based on Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario, that is the continuance of the economic growth at 6.34% and High Income Growth (HIG) scenario that is the economic growth at 7% & 8%. As per the findings of the report, maize demand is expected to increase to 45 million tonnes in 2030-31 and 86 million tonnes in 2047-48 in the Business as Usual (BAU) scenario. In the High Income Growth (HIG) scenarios, it may blow up, from 47 to 50 million tonnes in 2030-31 to 94 to 109 million tonnes in 2047-48. Soyabean in India is primarily used for oil (75-80%). About 10% of soyabean is used as seed and merely 10-15% is used as direct food. As per NITI Aayog Working Group Report 2024, in the BAU scenario, total demand for edible oils is expected to increase to 27 million tonnes in 2030-31 and may slightly increase to 31 million tonnes in 2047-48. In case of high economic growth scenario, it may slightly increase from 28 million tonnes in 2030-31 to 32 to 33 million tonnes in 2047-48. (c): & (d) India has been the net exporter of maize, except in 2024-25, when it recorded imports of 0.97 million tonnes. The import of soyabean has declined from 0.97 million tonnes in 2023-24 to 0.15 million tonnes in 2024-25. However, the import of soyabean oil, crude and refined, has increased from 3.13 million tonnes in 2023-24 to 4.78 million tonnes in 2024-25. The percentage share of soyabean oil, crude and refined, in total edible oil imports is estimated at 29.15 percent in 2024-25. (e) Maize and soybean production reached record levels of 43.41 million tonnes and 15.27 million tonnes, respectively, in 2024–25, marking increases of 5.74 million tonnes and 2.01 million tonnes over their 2023–24 production levels of 37.67 million tonnes and 13.26 million tonnes, respectively.Additionally, the Government is implementing the National Food Security & Nutrition Mission (NFSNM)- Coarse Cereals (Maize & Barley), in the 28 States and 2 Union Territories (UTs) with the objective to increase production through area expansion and productivity enhancement. The assistance is being provided to the farmers, through the States/UTs, for demonstration on crop production & protection technologies, for distribution of certified seeds, for Integrated Nutrient and Pest Management measures for the capacity building of farmers through cropping system-based trainings etc. Further, to improve production & productivity of maize, three projects of ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research (IIMR), Ludhiana and one project of International Maize & Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) have been approved under NFSM. Besides, research efforts of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has led to the development and release of high yielding and stress tolerant varieties/hybrids of maize. Besides, the various centres of the ICAR-All India Co-ordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Maize are also engaged in the R&D of Maize in different states and are contributing significantly in development of location specific high-yielding climate resilient varieties/hybrids for improving production of Maize. As far as steps taken to promote Maize cultivation, improve productivity and extension or capacity-building programmes are concerned; during 2014-25, a total of 315 maize varieties/hybrids have been released by the Central Variety Release Committee for cultivation on farmers field in different agro- ecologies of country. The Union Cabinet approved the National Mission on Edible Oils-Oilseeds (NMEO-OS) on 3rd October, 2024 with an outlay of Rs. 10,103.38 crore (with a central share of ₹7,481.67 crore) to boost domestic oilseed production and to strive toward self-sufficiency in edible oils. The mission aims to increase production of primary oilseed crops, including soyabean, to 69.7 million tonnes, expand area coverage to 33 million hectares, and improve productivity to 2,112 kg/ha by 2030-31. The Mission is being implemented in a cluster-based approach with market linkages. Value Chain Clusters are managed by Value Chain Partners such as Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), cooperatives and other agencies. Under these clusters, farmers are provided free high-quality seeds upto area of 1 hectare each and training on good agricultural practices. In addition, the Mission also supports the establishment and upgradation of post-harvest infrastructure (oil mills) to improve the capacity & efficiency of edible oil production. So far, 13.06 lakh hectares have been covered under free seed distribution in the Value Chain Clusters during 2025-26, exceeding the annual target of 10.00 lakh hectares. In addition, 60 Seed Hubs, 50 temperature-controlled seed storage units and 348 Oil Mills sanctioned under NMEO- Oilseeds during 2025-26. *****