Maize: Overview
Why most maize ends up in animals and fuel tanks
What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.Key uses
| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal feed (poultry, pigs, cattle, aquaculture) | 62.5% | about 824 Mt a yearbasis | Maize is the cheapest high-energy grain per tonne and per hectare. It yields far more than wheat or barley, stores well and is traded in huge volumes, so feed formulators build rations around it and add soybean meal for protein. In India, poultry feed is the largest single use. USDA WASDE, 9 Oct 2026 | Feed wheat and barley Sorghum Cassava (Thailand, China) Distillers grains |
| US fuel ethanol (with distillers grains returned to feed) | 10.7% | about 141 Mt a yearbasis | US blending mandates (the Renewable Fuel Standard) and E10 gasoline create steady demand. Corn is the cheapest starch in the Corn Belt and dry-grind plants are near the fields. About a third of the grain weight comes back as distillers grains for feed (indicative). USDA WASDE, 9 Oct 2026 | Sugarcane ethanol (Brazil) Electric vehicles reduce petrol demand Cellulosic ethanol (small) |
| China: starch, alcohol and food processing | 6.2% | about 82 Mt a yearbasis | China's corn processors in the north-east turn maize into starch, sweeteners, alcohol and amino acids for food, pharmaceuticals and paper. They sit near the main growing area of Heilongjiang and Jilin and are supported by local subsidies. USDA WASDE, 9 Oct 2026 | Cassava starch (imported from Thailand and Vietnam) Wheat starch Potato starch |
| US sweeteners, starch, cereals and beverage alcohol (HFCS, glucose, dextrose) | 2.6% | about 34 Mt a yearbasis | Wet mills split maize into starch, gluten and oil. High-fructose corn syrup replaced much sugar in US soft drinks because US sugar is protected by quotas, which makes corn syrup cheaper. USDA WASDE, 9 Oct 2026 | Cane and beet sugar Wheat, potato and tapioca starch |
| Food maize and industrial use elsewhere (tortillas, ugali, polenta, arepas, snacks; Brazil and India ethanol; starch) | 18% | about 238 Mt a yearbasis | White maize is the staple in Mexico and in southern and eastern Africa. Brazil and India now distil maize for fuel ethanol. In India's 2024-25 ethanol year, maize supplied about 48-51% of ethanol and grains 69% (AIDA), after cane juice was limited in December 2023. USDA WASDE, 9 Oct 2026; All India Distillers' Association via BioEnergy Times (Feb 2026) | Wheat and rice (food) Cassava (Africa) Sugarcane and molasses (ethanol) |
From field to user
- Hybrid seed and planting Farmers buy hybrid (often genetically modified) seed each year; the US plants in April-May, Brazil's second crop in January-March after soybeans, India's kharif crop with the monsoon.
- Growth and pollination Heat or drought at pollination in July (US) can cut yields sharply. US yield was a record 186.5 bu/acre (11.7 t/ha) in 2025/26 (USDA).
- Harvest, drying and country elevators Grain is dried to about 15% moisture and stored on farm or at elevators. World output was 1,331 Mt in 2025/26 (USDA).
- Barge, rail and export terminals US corn goes down the Mississippi to Gulf ports, Brazil's from Santos, Paranaguá and northern ports, Ukraine's through the Black Sea. World trade was about 216 Mt in 2025/26 (USDA).
- Feed mills, ethanol plants and wet mills Most grain goes to compound feed; US ethanol plants took 141 Mt in 2025/26.
- Meat, eggs, milk, fuel, sweeteners and food Most maize reaches people indirectly, as chicken, pork, eggs and dairy.
Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
CBOT corn futures 456 US cents/bushel Close 2026-10-23 · Yahoo Finance 1 week -3.8% 6 months -1.0% World production 1.22 bn tonnes, 2024 Largest producer United States 31% of worldThree things to know
- World maize output rose about 2.5-fold between 1990 and 2024, from 483 to 1,218 million tonnes (FAOSTAT).
- By 2011 the US ethanol industry was consuming one in every six bushels of corn grown worldwide (Blas & Farchy).
- China holds about 58% of the world's projected 2025/26 maize ending stocks (USDA WASDE, October 2026).
Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days
- India bars sugar-based ethanol in 2026-27 tender, cuts maize incentiveThe Hindu · 2026-10-18
- Oil firms drop sugar-based ethanol from 2026-27 tender, cut maize priceThe Times of India · 2026-10-18
- Hidden under maize crop, man grew ganja for years. A glitch gave him awayThe Indian Express · 2026-10-17
- India’s drought-hit maize crunch pits poultry, ethanol makers in ‘me first’ fightThe Economic Times · 2026-10-20
- IGC revises global maize production higherWorld Grain · 2026-10-15