A dispute is emerging within the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) regarding the oversight of research for baby corn and sweet corn. The contention, ignited by a request from a farmer in Haryana and backed by the state’s horticulture university, revolves around whether these varieties should be classified as field crops or as vegetable or horticulture crops.
The issue was initially raised in June when Haryana farmer Kanwal Singh Chauhan wrote to Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, proposing that baby corn and sweet corn be included under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH). This centrally sponsored scheme offers financial benefits to farmers, and Chauhan’s letter was forwarded to ICAR’s Director-General, prompting further discussion.
ICAR’s horticulture division contends that both baby corn and sweet corn qualify as horticultural crops because consumers typically use them as vegetables in salads, soups, and various culinary applications. They cited ongoing projects at the Indian Institute of Vegetable Research in Varanasi and emphasized the increasing global market for baby corn, projected to grow from $1.46 billion in 2024 to $2.3 billion by 2030.
Conversely, the crops division asserts that research should remain under the purview of the Ludhiana-based Indian Institute of Maize Research (IIMR), arguing that both types of corn share fundamental similarities with maize.
The situation escalated when Suresh Kumar Malhotra, Vice-Chancellor of Maharana Pratap Horticultural University (MHU) in Haryana, sent a letter on August 20 to ICAR, requesting that MHU be recognized as a voluntary center for conducting specialty corn trials under the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP). IIMR Director H.S. Jaat has shown support for this request, noting the necessity to develop research facilities in the National Capital Region, where demand for baby corn and sweet corn is rising, yet few research centers currently exist.
Experts have suggested that this bureaucratic rivalry is counterproductive. A former ICAR official emphasized that the focus should remain on delivering practical benefits to farmers: “The crop may be included under MIDH… so that the benefits of the scheme should reach farmers, who are not bothered who is doing the research.”
Published on October 7, 2025.
