Due to rising arrivals in the domestic market and weak stockist activity, maize prices continued to show a mild downward trend yesterday. Major trading centers recorded a decline of ₹10–30 per quintal. In Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas mandi, maize traded between ₹1300 and ₹1800 per quintal, while in Jabalpur and Pipariya prices ranged from ₹1100 to ₹1760. In Maharashtra, prices for dry maize were ₹1975 in Sangli, ₹1880 in Gokak, and ₹1650 in Amalner (with 15% moisture), all remaining steady. In Bagalkot, a local plant reduced its buying rate by ₹30 to ₹1870, and wagon (rank) prices were also cut by ₹30 to ₹1850. Despite this, their 47,000-bag wagon was booked within just 1.5 hours, indicating heavy selling pressure. On the production front, India’s maize output is expected to reach 430–440 lakh tonnes this year, significantly higher than last year’s 380 lakh tonnes. In 2025–26, an estimated 4.8 billion liters of ethanol is expected to be produced from 140–150 lakh tonnes of maize, which will help maintain steady supply for the starch and poultry feed industries as well. Government allocation of 52 lakh tonnes of FCI rice for ethanol production has also weakened demand for maize. Currently, maize-based ethanol is priced at ₹71.86 per liter, while ethanol produced from FCI rice costs ₹60.32 per liter. However, rice-based ethanol is less profitable due to a longer capital cycle of 60–65 days, compared to only 25 days for maize. India currently has 225 grain-based distilleries with a total capacity of over 10 billion liters, but OMCs purchase only 10.5 billion liters. As a result, many units are operating at just 60–70% of their capacity, whereas operating at a minimum of 80% is considered essential. Experts say that if FCI rice is removed from ethanol feedstock, prices of maize and other grains could improve. However, considering the current situation—high arrivals and ample production—a sharp price rise in maize in the medium to long term appears unlikely.