Maize also known as corn is a cereal grain. Maize has become a staple food in many parts of the world, with total production surpassing that of wheat or rice. However, not all of this maize is consumed directly by humans. Some of the maize production is used for corn ethanol, animal feed and other maize products, such as corn starch and corn syrup. Maize is the starch derived from the corn (maize) grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the kernel. D-Soribitol, CH2OH(CHOH)4CH2OH (D-glucitol, L-gulitol), is a hexahydric alcohol with a 6-carbon atom straight-chain that contains six hydroxyl groups, and has a molecular weight of 182.17. The germ, which constitutes 8-14% of the total weight of the corn grain, includes 84-86% of the total oil content of the corn.
In India, maize is a kharif crop with harvests and arrivals due only from October onwards. Kharif contributes over 80 per cent of the entire maize output. Bulk of the maize produced in the country goes for production of poultry feed. It is estimated that the demand for maize from the poultry industry would rise by about 6 percent. About twelve states which include Maharashtra, Bihar, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi account for over 50 percent of the total maize acreage in the country. Increasing demand from Poultry sector is likely to substantially hike maize consumption to go over 30 million tons by 2020. As a whole there is a good scope for new entrepreneur to invest in this business.
Few Indian major players are as under
· Amaravati Agro Ltd.
· Avinash Impex Pvt. Ltd.
· Charoen Pokphand Seeds (India) Pvt. Ltd.
· Continental Milkose (India) Ltd.
· Devi Corn Products Ltd.
· Fieldfresh Foods Pvt. Ltd.
· Gayatri Bioorganics Ltd.