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West Bengal is the fifth largest state in terms of (GSDP) Gross State Domestic Product after Maharastra, UP, TN and AP and is the third largest contributor in agriculture sector of real GDP. West Bengal has 3% of India land mass and 8% population with population density of 1029 per km².

Agriculture accounts for about 17% (2013-14) GSDP and provides employment to over 55% of workers. About 64% of the geographical area of West Bengal is under cultivation. There is little scope for further increase the current cultivable area. Because it is difficult to maintain the growth rate in the absence of adequate infrastructure support, crop diversification and market access.

Food production remained stagnant as the green revolution by-passed the state. However, there has been a significant increase in food production since 1980’s and the state is now one of the few Indian states with a surplus in food production, producing nearly 20% of the rice and 33% of potato. Agriculture accounts the largest share of the labour force. Rice, potato, jute, sugarcane and wheat are the top five crops of the state, while other major food crops include maize, pulses, oilseeds, wheat, barley and vegetables. In recent years, significant changes have occurred in maize production and utilization due to increasing commercial orientation of maize crop and rising demand for diversified end users, specially for feed and industrial uses. A sizable number of districts in West Bengal have potential for growing winter maize. Though maize favourably responds to better crop management both in Kharif and Rabi season, the erratic rainfall pattern of the south-west monsoon comes in the way of timely field operations of Kharif season. In absence of any major environmental impediments in Rabi, the desired field operations can be planned and executed at the most desired time. Moreover, the various environmental factors including absence of any major disease and insect pests in this season, helps in realizing the better profits from every additional unit of monetary inputs. Hence, future of Rabi maize in West Bengal is bright.

Maize or corn (Zea mays L.) is second most important crop after rice in Jharkhand. Though considered as a Kharif season crop, it can be successfully grown in other two crop seasons viz., Rabi and zaid also as the climatic condition in Jharkhand is conducive for growth of the plants. Rabi maize has comparative advantage over Kharif maize due to low incidence of diseases and insect pests slow growth of weeds and crop does not have to suffer on account of heavy rainfall hence, higher yield potentiality could be realized from Rabi maize. In Jharkhand, the Kharif crops including the maize are grown as rainfed as the 80 to 85% of the annual rainfall takes place during June to September. The share of maize under irrigated condition is restricted to only 15 to 18% of the total cropped area. Maize is not only an important source of nutrient to the human beings but also constitutes a basic component of animal and poultry feed. Here, farmers grow maize mainly for green cobs as cash crop whereas the grains are to be used for human consumption as well as for animals and poultry feed. The cultivation of the specialty corns like baby corn, sweet corn and popcorn is still in its infancy in Jharkhand and hence, large scale cultivation of specialty corn in the state will take some more time. Establishment of food processing unit in the state is at the nascent stage. However, the Government of India is implementing a Mega Food Park in Getalsud Industrial Area of Ranchi district in Jharkhand. The establishment of this mega food park is expected to give a significant boost to the food processing sector in Jharkhand.

Bihar is an important maize growing state in India after Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, where it is cultivated during all season. However, the yield of maize is much higher during Rabi and summer seasons than the Kharif. Due to climate change and other factors, the yield of maize is likely to further decline during the Kharif season. However, the cultivation of maize in Bihar during the Rabi season will be much more profitable as compared to wheat due to rise in temperature. There is need to develop maize varieties which can with stand biotic and abiotic due to changing climate factors.

Decadal trends of maize area, production and stresses yield in the Bihar from 1950–2015.

Chhattisgarh, the 26^th state of the Indian Union came into existence on November 1^st, 2000. The state is geographically situated in the central part of India, between the latitudes of 17° 46' N - 24° 5' N and the longitudes of 80° 15' E - 84° 20' E. Its proximate position with the Tropic of Cancer has a major influence on its climate. The total geographical area is around 137.90 lakh ha of which cultivable land area is 46.77 lakh ha and forest land area is 63.53 lakh ha with more than 2.55 crore population. In Chhattisgarh region about 22% of net cropped area was under irrigation. About 80 percent of the population in the state is engaged in agriculture and 43 percent of the entire arable land is under cultivation. Paddy is the principal crop and the central plains of Chhattisgarh are known as rice bowl of central India. Other major crops are coarse grains, wheat, maize, groundnut, pulses and oilseeds.

Importance of Maize in Chhattisgarh

Earlier maize was mainly cultivated in Surguja and Bastar division of Chhattisgarh but now it is emerging as main cash crop in entire Chhattisgarh state. There had been an increase of 20 per cent in maize crop acreage in Chhattisgarh during the past 10 years. Now the farmers of the area are cultivating maize in lines, applying atrazin weedicide, full dose of chemical fertilizers, etc. They are willing to buy the hybrid seed for cultivation from the market and taking maize as green cob and also utilizing as green fodder. Maize threshers have been purchased by some farmers in the region which is an indicative of large maize production.

For industrial utilization of the maize Chhattisgarh state has “Raja Ram Maize Factory” in Rajnandgaon district. They are producing and supplying Maize starches, liquid glucose, dextrose mono hydrate, dextrin, maltose liquid, malto dextrin, maize oil, maize gluten, maize grit, maize husk etc. But most of the maize production is used as poultry feeds in the state. Traders purchase it directly from the farmers’ fields in the villages. It is also exported to the neighboring states either as grain or green cob. Around 10-15% is retained by the farmers for own consumption and seed purpose.

Uttar Pradesh, a fourth largest state of India geographically, where agriculture is a prime occupation and this is the traditional maize growing state, accounts 7.7% of area and 5.4 percent of total maize production of the country with an average yield of 1791 kg/ha (IIMR Annual Progress Report, Kharif Maize 2015). Maize is mainly taken as a Kharif crop but, gradually Rabi maize is gaining popularity with the availability of high yielding varieties and advanced production technologies. The rice, wheat, potato, sugarcane based cropping is more popular, and maize is given a moderate priority. The current level of growth in productivity definitely fall short to meet the demand of rapidly growing population even it may increase the poverty, unless vigorous measures are taken to accelerate yield, growth, employment generation, increasing the income of farming family and ultimately targeting for the sustainable climate resilient maize production.

Maize is mainly used as a staple food and quality feed for animals. In addition to that it also serves as a basic raw material for several industries like, starch, oil, protein, alcoholic beverages, food sweeteners, pharmaceuticals, cosmetic, textile, gum, package, paper etc. A major portion of the maize produce is directly consumed as a food in the form of boiled or roasted green ears, chapattis, porridges of various forms, popcorn, cornflakes etc. and as livestock feed viz., cattle, poultry and piggery both in

the form of grain and fodder The central rachis of maize cob, to which the grains are attached remains as an agricultural waste after threshing, has many important agricultural and industrial uses. It is approximately 15 to 18% of the total ear weight and contains 35% cellulose, 40% pentose and 15% lignin (used as a raw material in cardboards). Its uses in agriculture includes as a litter for poultry and as a soil conditioner.

Maize is one of the most important food, feed, fodder and industrial crop in Haryana and is cultivated in all the three seasons (Kharif, Rabi and spring). It was cultivated on 6 thousand hectares in Kharif season with average productivity of 2.83t/ha during 2015-16. The maize is also increasing in spring season which was grown on ~ 7 thousands hectare with productivity of 4.5t/ ha. The specialty corn (baby corn and sweet corn) is also grown in >2 thousand hectare area of Haryana in national capital region. The demand of maize is increasing every year due to growth in poultry industry and expansion of maize based industries. There is a good scope of cultivation of specialty types of corn (baby corn, quality protein maize and sweet corn) in Haryana as it is very near to national capital, Delhi. The cultivation of specialty corn and its value addition by establishing

Maize is one of the most important cereal crops of the world. Being a C₄ plant, it is physiologically more efficient than rice, wheat and other important cereal crops which belong to C₃ category. In Punjab, traditionally, maize is grown during Kharif season but from last few years the area under spring maize is increasing because its cultivation is highly profitable and commercially viable after harvesting of potato crop. No doubt, Punjab has been the leading state in contributing to the national food security but simultaneously paddy-wheat rotation resulted in depletion of underground water, deterioration in soil health and environmental pollution. These problems need to be addressed for the sustainability of these natural resources and at the same time meeting the food grain production for the ever-increasing human population. Under such circumstances, maize crop is a viable alternative to replace some area occupied by rice and can help in breaking rice–wheat dominant cropping pattern in the state. Promising maize hybrids possessing high grain yield potential and offering comparable economic returns to the farmers are available with Punjab Agricultural University as well as with the private sector.

In Punjab, maize is commonly used in the form of chapatis, boiled or roasted green cob, breakfast food like cornflakes, popped grains etc. Maize chapatis are used as a delicacy with saag. The high carotene content of yellow grained maize is considered very useful in imparting yellow colour to egg yolk. Therefore, a substantial quantity of maize grain is utilized as an important ingredient of animal/ poultry feed industry. The use of maize grains for such purposes is going to increase as poultry and dairy industries are expanding. Maize plant is extensively used as green as well as dry fodder. The digestibility of maize fodder is better than sorghum, bajra and other non- legume forage crops. Maize plant does not have any anti quality factor hence can be fed to cattle at any stage. Maize can be utilized as an industrial raw material for number of industries viz., starch, ethanol, rubber, paper, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals etc. Quality Protein Maize (QPM) can be promoted for nutritional security of poor masses whereas pop corn, baby corn and sweet corn can help in increasing the farm income due to high market value. In Punjab, major industries which are utilizing maize are The Sukhjit Starch & Chemical Limited, Kapurthala, and M/s Field Fresh Food Pvt. Ltd, Ladhowal, Ludhiana.

Agriculture is the predominant sector in the economy of Jammu and Kashmir. Directly and indirectly, it supports about 80 per cent of the population besides contributing nearly 60 per cent of the state revenue. The total geographical area of the state is nearly 22.2 million hectare and population of 12.5 million, which is approximately 1.04% of the national total. The J&K is divided into three agro-climatic zones: Cold arid desert areas of Ladakh, temperate Kashmir Valley and the humid sub-tropical region of Jammu. Each has its own specific geo-climatic condition which determines the cropping pattern and productivity profile.

In Jammu province, a small portion of the land lies in the plains along the borders of Punjab while the rest of the area is hilly, dominates both in maize and wheat production. About 67 per cent of the area is under maize and wheat production with the production of 21.25q/ha maize and 15.36 q/ha wheat. This region contributes 79.56 per cent and 95.69 per cent of total production of these two cereals respectively. Even though the yield is not high, the region makes appreciable contribution to the cereals production.

The second agro-climatic zone Kashmir is also known as ‘cultivator’s paradise’. The region practically depends on irrigation, which is easily available. A large area of level land has alluvial soil. Extensive elevated plateaus of the alluvial or lacustrine material (locally called Karewas) also exist in the Kashmir valley. These Karewas are productive only in the face of sufficient rainfall or adequate irrigation facilities. Rice is the chief crop of this zone, followed by maize, oat, barley and wheat.

Ladakh zone is endowed with bare rocky mountains and bare gravel slopes. Villages are located near pockets of land with level ground and irrigation facilities, where cultivation is viable. In this region, barley is the major cereal crop followed by summer wheat. Millets and wheat rank second in importance and are grown in the warmer belt of the region.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most versatile crops having the highest genetic yield potential among cereals and wider adaptability under varied agro-climatic conditions rightly earning it the name of ‘the queen of cereals’. Maize is cultivated in all agricultural areas around the world and is an economically significant crop for all human population. It is grown from 58⁰ L north to 40⁰ L south and extends from the sea level up to an altitude of above 3,800 m; covering regions with rainfall varying from 250 to 10,000 mm (Hallauer and Miranda, 1988). Globally, maize occupies an area of about 184.0 million ha with production of 1065 million tons and productivity of 55.2 q/ha (FAOSTAT, 2014). It is the third most important cereal crop and a major source of energy, protein and other nutrients for human and livestock in the world (Jompuk et al., 2011). India is the second most important maize growing country in Asia, and now ranks as the world’s fifth largest consumer of maize. It is an important cereal crop in India covering an area of 9.42 million ha with a production of 24.35 million tonnes and productivity 25.83 q/ha (Anonymous, 2015). Maize is cultivated in the country throughout the year mostly during rainy or Kharif season (June to September, 80%) followed by winter or Rabi (November to April,18%) and spring (February to May, 2%) for various purposes including grain, fodder, green cobs, sweet corn, baby corn and popcorn.

Maize is an important crop of Uttarakhand and is cultivated in about 22 thousand ha in both hills and plains. The crop is grown for food, feed and fodder and forms an integral constituent of all major cropping systems prevalent in the state. Kharif (June-September) is the main grown season in the hills, whereas in the foothills and tarai plains, the crop is grown during zaid (Feb-May) as well. The crop is grown broadly for two different end products – grain and green ears. In areas where maize forms staple diet, the crop is grown for grain, whereas in areas adjoining/en route popular tourist destinations and towns, the crop is grown mainly for green ears. The crop is also gaining importance as an industrial crops following establishment of maize processing industry in the state.

The major maize growing districts of the state are Dehradun, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Pauri, Tehri and Almora (Fig. 1), which together comprise about 90% of total

This practical assignment is conceptualized and designed for preparation of enterprise business plan and provides students the preliminary information on developing a business plan

PURPOSE

 To equip students with the preliminary knowledge on how to develop a business plan for an enterprise.

 To acquaint the students with the important aspects of a business plan which are essential for developing and running an enterprise successfully.

This practical assignment is associated with visiting any two public/ private sector agricultural enterprises. This assignment provides a platform for the students to study structure, function and activities of the enterprise and gives an opportunity to analyses the same.

PURPOSE

 To help the students visit and observe directly the structure and activities of both public and private sector enterprises.

 To enable the students to find out the differences between the public and private sector enterprises with respect to certain aspects.

This practical assignment deals with cost benefit analysis, and gives a clear picture of concepts of cost benefit analysis in determining the worth of an enterprise.

PURPOSE

 To make the students familiar with the concept of cost benefit analysis in determining the worth of an enterprise.

 To impart the knowledge and skill required to compute the cost benefit analysis process effectively for assessing the economic viability of an enterprise.

This assignment is associated with the identification and recognition of different characteristics and features related to entrepreneurship development within the individual.

PURPOSE

 To make students acquainted with the characteristics favorable for entrepreneurial activity of people.

 To help the students develop their skill in identifying the entrepreneurial traits one can have within him/her.

This practical assignment deals with identification of emerging enterprises in agricultural sector and helps students in identifying the emerging enterprises suitable for the study area on the basis of the situational analysis.

PURPOSE

 To provide a comprehensive idea about different enterprises.

 To acquaint the students with different factors which are essential for identifying emerging enterprises in agricultural sector.

This practical assignment is conceptualized and designed to guide students in identifying and preparation of project proposals. This assignment provides an opportunity for the students to explore, thing and putting their ideas on paper.

PURPOSE

 To provide an idea about project in entrepreneurship development.

 To identify the project and its importance.

 To know about the preparation of project.

This practical assignment is dealt with collection, collation and maintenance of field and lab related information in a single compendium or diary.

PURPOSE

To make the students acquainted with the field diary and lab record

THEORETICAL ORIENTATION

Field Diary

There are two kinds of field notes

This practical assignment is related with indexing, footnote and bibliographic procedures for writing research articles, this assignment provides hands on experiences for the students on working with indexing, footnote and bibliographic procedures which eventually helps them during writing research articles.

PURPOSE

To make the students acquainted how to write indexing, footnote and bibliographic procedures.

1. Footnotes

Footnotes have a pronounced effect on style, general tone and clarity. Every footnote is a disgression from the main stream of thought. It interrupts the reader. If he reads it, his eyes must make an excursion to the bottom of the page; and when he is through, he must find the place where he departed from it. Lengthy footnotes can cause the reader to lose the thread of your message, to miss what you are trying to tell him.

It is of two types.

This practical assignment is related to write the technical matters in simplest form to be digested by the common readers. It also helps in summarizing the entire matter related to new technology or innovation in a nutshell.

PURPOSE

 To acquaint the students how to write summary of a topic

 To improve technical writing skills

This practical assignment is related with listening, note taking, writing and oral presentation skill, after completion of these assignment students will improve their listening, notes taking, writing skills and will also acquires good presentation skills.

PURPOSE

 To get acquainted the students about the listening, note taking, writing skills and oral presentation skills. After completion of this assignment student will improve their listening skill.