What is Corn (Yellow and White)? Why Buy It?
Corn (Zea mays), commonly known as maize, is a globally significant cereal crop cultivated for its versatile applications in food, feed, and industrial sectors. It is classified into two major types: yellow corn and white corn. Yellow corn is rich in carotenoids such as beta-carotene, which contributes to its vibrant color and nutritional benefits, while white corn is preferred for its mild flavor and lower pigmentation, making it ideal for various food products.
Corn (Yellow & White) is a staple food in many countries and serves as a critical ingredient in numerous food and industrial applications. It is a primary source of carbohydrates, providing energy for millions worldwide. Additionally, corn is a rich source of fiber, vitamins (such as B-complex vitamins), and essential minerals like magnesium and phosphorus. The high starch content of corn makes it valuable in various industries, from food production to biofuel manufacturing.
From an economic standpoint, corn is a cost-effective and high-yielding crop, making it a preferred choice for farmers and agribusinesses. It is also widely used in livestock feed, contributing to global meat and dairy production. The increasing demand for biofuels has further propelled the market for corn, with ethanol production driving significant global trade.
Applications/Uses of Corn (Yellow and White)
Corn (Yellow & White) has extensive applications across multiple industries due to its high nutritional value and diverse functional properties. The primary uses include:
Food Industry
Staple Food:
Corn is a dietary staple in many countries, consumed as whole kernels, cornmeal, grits, and flour.
Snacks & Confectionery:
Corn is used in producing popcorn, corn chips, tortillas, and extruded snack foods.
Baking & Cooking:
Corn flour and corn starch are key ingredients in baking, thickening sauces, and preparing traditional dishes.
Corn Syrup & Sweeteners:
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a widely used sweetener in soft drinks, baked goods, and processed foods.
Beverage Production:
Corn is used in brewing beer, making traditional alcoholic beverages like chicha, and producing corn-based liquors.
Animal Feed Industry
Livestock Feed:
Corn is a major ingredient in poultry, cattle, and swine feed due to its high-energy content.
Silage Production:
Whole corn plants are fermented and used as silage for dairy and beef cattle.
Industrial Applications
Biofuel Production:
Corn is a primary feedstock for ethanol production, a renewable fuel alternative.
Bioplastics & Packaging:
Corn starch is used in manufacturing biodegradable plastics and eco-friendly packaging materials.
Textile & Paper Industry:
Corn derivatives are used in textile processing and paper manufacturing.
Adhesives & Binders:
Corn starch is a key ingredient in glues and adhesives for industrial use.
Top Producing/Exporting Countries of Corn (Yellow and White)
Corn production is concentrated in countries with favorable climates, advanced agricultural technology, and strong market demand. The leading corn-producing and exporting nations include:
United States:
The U.S. is the world’s largest producer and exporter of corn, accounting for nearly 30% of global production. The Midwest region, particularly Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska, is the primary corn belt. The U.S. exports large volumes of corn to China, Mexico, and Japan.
China:
China is the second-largest producer of corn, primarily growing it for domestic consumption. However, it occasionally exports surplus corn to neighboring countries.
Brazil:
Brazil has become a major corn exporter, supplying large quantities to global markets, including China and the European Union. The country’s second harvest, known as “safrinha,” significantly contributes to its export capacity.
Argentina:
Argentina is a key player in the global corn market, exporting large amounts to Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Its favorable climate and agricultural policies support high production levels.
Ukraine:
Ukraine is a major European corn exporter, supplying grain to the EU, China, and North Africa. Despite geopolitical challenges, it remains a significant contributor to global corn trade.
India:
India produces a substantial amount of corn, primarily for domestic consumption and export to Asian markets.
Mexico:
Mexico produces white corn for domestic tortilla production but also imports large quantities of yellow corn for livestock feed.
Top Importing Countries of Corn (Yellow and White)
Several countries import corn to meet their food and industrial demands. The top corn-importing nations include:
China:
China imports significant quantities of corn, mainly from the U.S., Brazil, and Ukraine, to support its growing livestock and ethanol industries.
European Union (EU):
The EU, particularly Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany, imports corn for animal feed and food processing industries.
Mexico:
Mexico relies heavily on U.S. corn imports, especially for livestock feed and food production.
Japan:
Japan imports high-quality corn for animal feed and food manufacturing, mainly from the U.S. and South America.
South Korea:
South Korea is a leading corn importer, sourcing from the U.S., Argentina, and Ukraine for its feed industry.
Egypt:
Egypt imports corn primarily for poultry feed and food production.
Vietnam:
Vietnam’s expanding livestock industry drives significant corn imports from South America and the U.S.
Iran:
Iran imports large volumes of corn to support its domestic livestock and food industries.
Indonesia:
Indonesia imports corn to meet demand in the poultry and aquaculture industries.
Saudi Arabia:
The country imports corn for its growing poultry and dairy industries.
International Price of Corn (Yellow and White) Per MT
The unit price ($ per MT) of Corn (Yellow and White) in the international market depends on a host of different factors including:
- The grade of the produce (usually the more the processing, the higher the price)
- The price of the raw material
- Age of the seeds (this can affect the price)
- Production levels in producing countries
- Economic conditions and the exchange rates between the currencies of the producing and importing countries.
- The quantity ordered (the greater the quantity, the cheaper you can get it per ton)
- Harvest season (it is more costly when it is out of harvest season).
- Weather conditions (some commodities are sensitive to weather conditions).
- Freight & haulage cost
- Percentage of markup
- Import duties, trade tariffs and trade agreements between countries
- Distance from the country of origin
- Technology/Infrastructure available in country of origin
- Relationship between the buyer and seller
That said, as at March 2025, Corn (Yellow and White) costs between $200 and $350 Per MT (i.e 0.25/kg and 0.35/kg) in the international market.
How To Safely Source for Your Corn (Yellow and White) Produce
If you find the right export company, buying directly from them can make the purchase process easy and stress-free, when compared with doing the sourcing on your own. That said, there are few things to note when dealing with an export company in Nigeria or Africa. The specific requirements for Nigeria are listed below, but they mostly apply to other African countries:
- The exporting company must be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to make sure the company is registered and permitted to carry out business
- The export company must also be registered with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
- The company must possess a domiciliary account to accept international
The company should get all necessary export-related documentation done before the shipment leaves the port of origin. Some of the documents are:
- Certificate of origin
- Bill of lading
- Inspection Certificate (SGS, Cotecna, Bureau Veritas, Intertek, etc)
- Phytosanitary certificate
- Fumigation certificate
Where To Find Reliable Exporters
An important question that still needs to be answered is how to find Corn (Yellow and White) exporters in Nigeria. You can use any of the methods listed below:
- Attend trade fairs
- Use search engines like Google, Yahoo,
- Search for agents on Linkedln
- Sign up on trade platforms (e.g. Alibaba, Tradeford, Go4WorldBusiness)
- Neogric – Neogric is one of the reliable Corn (Yellow and White) exporters in Neogric is rated among the best in the exporting business in Nigeria. The company is not limited to the exportation of Corn (Yellow and White) alone but can export other agricultural produce ranging from perishables to dry seeds.
How To Pay For Your Corn (Yellow and White) Produce
You can pay for Corn (Yellow and White) using different methods, but three of the popular ways of paying for your agric produce are:
- Bank (T/T) Payment
- Advance Payment
- Letter of Credit (LC)
Bank Payment (T/T)
Bank payment is also known as T/T, “Telegraphic Transfer” or “Telex Transfer” In other words, it is an international wire of funds from the buyer’s bank to the seller’s bank.
A T/T is technically not the same as a wire transfer, which is often done through the SWIFT network. However, when a seller or supplier asks for a T/T payment, a wire transfer is what they are really asking for.
The wire transfer based on the SWIFT system is the most common payment method in international trade. Typically, it takes 1-5 working days to clear, and generally costs between 25 and 50 USD, depending on your agreement with the commercial department in your bank.
Advance Payment
There are sellers that will demand anywhere from 30% to 50% advance payment, and for good reason. If both parties have done deals in the past, sellers can ask for a percentage of the sales (about 30%) before they ship the produce and they can request for the remaining amount after a scanned copy of the Bill of Lading has been sent to the buyer.
It is the safest option for exporters and it also guarantees that they will have some funds to help with sourcing. It is popular among manufacturers on B2B marketplaces like Alibaba and also with commodity traders.
However, advance payment carries considerable risk for the importer (buyer) because the exporter (seller) might not be under as much pressure to ensure quality checks compared with a stricter form of payment. Some might even disappear entirely.
Having said that, advance payment is very useful and is widely used. For instance, the seller might need to secure the commodity in the face of increased competition. It can also be used when the exporter needs some money for sourcing the produce or for processing raw materials.
The most important thing is for both importer and exporter to build mutual trust by having a track record of successful deals with each other or other known companies.
Letter of Credit
Letter of Credit is an agreement generated by the bank of the buyer, guaranteeing payment once certain conditions are met. It is one of the safest types of payment available to both buyer and seller.
Some of the types of Letter of credit are:
- Commercial Letter of Credit,
- Sight Letter of Credit
- Transferrable or Non-Transferable Letter of Credit
- Standby Letter of Credit (SBLC)
- Usance or Deferred Payment Letter of Credit
- Revocable or Irrevocable Letter of Credit
- Confirmed or Unconfirmed Letter of Credit
- Revolving Letter of Credit
- Green Clause Letter of Credit
- Red Clause Letter of Credit
L/Cs are not totally safe (for either buyer or seller) too. For instance, sellers can ship substandard products or those that are different from the ones agreed upon. In this case, the seller gets paid and the buyer receives goods he cannot use.
And speaking of the dangers of L/Cs for the exporter, the conditions in the Letter of credit might be practically impossible to fulfil; if an exporter agrees to such, he might be unable to receive payment. A report stated that of the letters of credit received in the UK, 50% are unworkable while 70% are rejected by the banks for payment.
Shipping & Delivery Terms
When shipping your products, it is important to take note of a few factors:
Order Quantity
For smaller shipments, airfreight is often the preferred option but as the order volume increases, sea freight could become significantly cheaper. Usually when the order is close to a full container load (20 ft), sea freight is used. Although the Covid-19 pandemic caused an increase in cost of delivery of products, prices have stabilised.
Cost of Delivery
When the order is of a large volume, sea freight often turns out cheaper than air freight. In fact, air freight could be up to 6 times more costly than sea freight if the volume is large enough.
Time of Delivery
Sometimes, time will be more important to the buyer than the cost of delivering the product. In this case, air freight will be the logical option (as stated above, the cost will be more). But if you have more time as a buyer, you should strongly consider using sea freight.
Incoterms
Incoterms refer to generally accepted shipping and payments terms. For example, buyers that have representatives in the source country or that can negotiate with the freight company can use the Free of Board (FOB) terms, since it gives them more control and can save them some money.
However, if the shipment is small or the buyer doesn’t have an extensive network to effectively handle payment for freight, insurance and port charges, he will be better off choosing the Cost-Insurance-Freight (CIF) payment option.
Neogric: Top Exporters and Suppliers of Corn (Yellow and White)
We invite you to place your order for high-quality Corn (Yellow and White) with us at Neogric. We are a trusted global commodity sourcing and trade solution provider with deep expertise in the Corn (Yellow and White) industry. Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, our wide range of products and technology powered, end-to-end supply chain make the export of quality Corn (Yellow and White) easy, quick and safe. Whichever region of the world you are, be it Europe, Asia, USA, Canada, Other North/Central American countries, Africa, South America or Oceania, you can reliably order your agricultural produce and we will ensure it is successfully delivered to you, on time.
Why Buy Corn (Yellow and White) From Neogric?
Choosing Neogric as your Corn (Yellow and White) supplier offers several advantages:
- Quality Assurance: We maintain strict quality control standards, ensuring our Corn (Yellow and White) and other products are of the highest quality.
- Wide Product Range: We offer a diverse selection of products, catering to various
- Reliable Supply Chain: Our efficient technology-powered end-to-end supply chain ensures timely delivery of your orders.
- Expertise and Support: Our team of experts provides valuable insights and support, making your purchasing process smooth and hassle-free.
Our Corn (Yellow and White) Trade Specifications
- Origin: Nigeria
- Product Name: Corn (Yellow and White)
- Physical Specification: Based On Buyer’s Specification
- Quantity: Based On Buyer’s Specification
- MOQ: 10 Metric Tonnes
- Trade Process: Ex Works/FOB/CIF
- Admixture/Impurities: Based On Buyer’s Specification
- Inspection: SGS/Cotecna/Intertek/Bureau Veritas
- Packaging: Based On Buyer’s Specification
- Payment Method: TT (Bank Transfer) or L/C
- Shipping Time: 15 to 25 Days After Confirmation of TT or L/C
- Loading Port: Lagos (Nigeria), Abidjan (Cote D’ivoire) or Tema (Ghana)
Expected Shipping Documents
- Bill of Lading
- Certificate of Origin
- SGS Inspection Certificate
- Phytosanitary Certificate
- Fumigation Certificate
- Commercial Invoice
- Packing List
Place Your Corn (Yellow and White) Order With Neogric
Contact us today to place your order for high-quality Corn (Yellow and White). Our team is ready to assist you with all your procurement needs.
- Tel: +2348147860157
- Email: neo@neogric.com
- WhatsApp: Chat With Us