Maize exports increased by over 28.5 per cent to $816.31 million during April-January this fiscal, against $634.85 million in the same period last financial year, the commerce ministry said on Sunday.
It added that neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal are the major importers of maize from India.
Bangladesh has imported maize worth $345.5 million in the first ten months of the current fiscal year, while Nepal's import stood at $132.16 million.
Other prominent importing countries are Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Taiwan, and Oman.
Maize is India's third most important cereal crop after rice and wheat. The cereal crop is primarily cultivated in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
In India, maize is grown throughout the year, and it is predominantly a Kharif crop with 85 per cent of the area under cultivation in the season.
In addition to staple food for human beings and quality feed for animals, maize serves as an essential raw material/ingredient to many industrial products, including starch, oil, protein, alcoholic beverages, food sweeteners, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, film, textile, gum, package and paper industries.
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