India corn exports reach three-year high due to competitive pricing
India's corn imports will reach a three-year high in this year as a record production has lowered prices and cheaper freight to major Asian importers have made the country more competitive.
In the first five month of this year, Vietnam, Nepal and Bangladesh, as well as Sri Lanka and Bhutan, bought more from India, due to the increase in global freight costs following the U.S./Israeli attack on Iran. The price of Indian corn was also supported by higher exports.
Nitin Gupta is the deputy country head at Olam Agri India.
"Indian prices are under pressure?at a period when landed corn from the U.S.A. and South America is more expensive for Asian buyers?due to rising freight costs."
India's corn imports increased to 1.08 million metric tons during the first five months in 2026 from 228,844 metric tons in the same time period last year, according to?provisional data provided by the trade ministry.
Gupta stated that the total exports in 2026 may reach 1.8 million tonnes, which is higher than 2023's 805 935 tons and double what they were last year.
India's corn output in the 2025/26 crop years jumped by 27% compared to last year to a new record of 55 million tons. This was due to farmers receiving higher prices in 2024?due robust demand from producers of ethanol.
Hemant Jain is an exporter from?Indore, a central?state in Madhya Pradesh. He said that corn prices have been dropping due to excess supplies, but they are now recovering because?exports helped reduce the surplus.
The price increase has already begun to reduce exports. India's neighbors, Bangladesh and Nepal, have placed new orders. Other Asian buyers are turning to the U.S. corn."
A Mumbai-based dealer at a global commodities trading house said that Indian exports will regain momentum in October, if production is strong. This is because 'concerns remain over the rainfall due to El Nino. He said that lower prices and rainfall below average could cause farmers to switch from corn to another crop. (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair)
(source: Reuters)
