By Azeem Ahmed Khan

Pakistan’s maize production is provisionally estimated to have increased by 12.1% to 9.98 million tonnes in 2026-27, exceeding the official production target by 3.2%, as an expansion in cultivated area and higher output in Punjab helped raise national production.

According to an official document of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research available with Wealth Pakistan, the country’s maize production rose from 8.90 million tonnes in 2025-26 to 9.98 million tonnes, an increase of approximately 1.08 million tonnes.

Maize is Pakistan’s third-largest cereal crop after wheat and rice and is cultivated for food, feed and fodder. Citing the Economic Survey 2023-24, the document says maize accounted for 2.9% of agricultural value added and 0.7% of GDP. It also notes that direct human consumption is declining, while utilisation in feed and wet-milling industries is increasing.

The area under maize cultivation increased by 11.5%, reaching approximately 1.83 million hectares from 1.64 million hectares in the preceding year. The additional area amounted to 189,510 hectares, indicating a sizeable expansion in maize cultivation.

Against the production target of 9.665 million tonnes, provisional output reached 9.977 million tonnes, exceeding the target by approximately 311,470 tonnes. Cultivated area also surpassed the target of 1.514 million hectares by approximately 318,210 hectares, or 21%.

Punjab made the largest contribution to the national increase. The province’s maize production rose by 13.5% to 9.00 million tonnes from 7.93 million tonnes a year earlier, while its cultivated area expanded by 16% to 1.348 million hectares from 1.162 million hectares.

Punjab also exceeded its production target of 8.673 million tonnes by 3.7% and its acreage target of 1.015 million hectares by 32.8%. However, average yield in the province declined by 2.2%, from 6,821 to 6,674 kilogrammes per hectare.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded a 0.7% increase in maize production to 966,700 tonnes, compared with 959,800 tonnes a year earlier. Its cultivated area also grew by 0.7% to 471,700 hectares, although production remained 1.4% below the province’s target of 980,000 tonnes.

Sindh’s maize output rose by 1.5% to 7,430 tonnes from 7,320 tonnes. The province exceeded its production target of 6,300 tonnes by 17.9%, while the cultivated area increased by 1.4% to 7,210 hectares.

Balochistan also recorded an increase in output, with estimated production rising by 2.2% to 5,940 tonnes from 5,810 tonnes. Cultivated area increased by 2.1% to 5,300 hectares, although production remained 5.7% below its target.

At the national level, average maize yield increased by 0.5%, from 5,417 kilogrammes per hectare to 5,445 kilogrammes per hectare. Nevertheless, the yield remained 14.7% below the official target of 6,384 kilogrammes per hectare.

Credit: INP-WealthPk