What is the Difference Between Maize and Corn?

• Admin: SKB Seeds
• 24 Dec, 2025

What is the Difference Between Maize and Corn?

In India, many farmers think maize and corn are the same. In markets, shops, and food products, these words are often used interchangeably. But there is a small, important difference.

What is the Difference Between Maize and Corn? Maize is the crop that is grown in the field, while corn is the food made from maize, like sweet corn, popcorn, or corn flour. Maize is grown widely in Karnataka, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

Understanding this difference helps farmers, traders, and food businesses choose the right variety, use the correct term, and understand what the market wants.

What is Maize?

Maize is the actual crop that grows in the field. Farmers know it as makka or bhutta. It is grown on a large scale in states like Karnataka, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

Maize is mainly used for animal feed, poultry feed, silage, corn flour, starch, oil, and many industrial products.

What is Corn?

Corn refers to the edible forms of maize that people eat. In India, when someone says “corn,” they mostly mean sweet corn, baby corn, or popcorn.

Corn is used in homes, restaurants, food stalls, packaged snacks, and hotels. These varieties are different from field maize because they are grown mainly for taste, softness, and eating quality, not for high grain yield.

What is the Difference Between Maize and Corn?

We will explain in simple words how maize, the crop, is different from corn, the food made from it.

Feature	Maize (Makka / Bhutta Crop)	Corn (Sweet Corn / Baby Corn)
Botanical Name	Scientifically called Zea mays.	Same plant as maize; Zea mays. “Corn” is not a separate plant; it is just the eating type of maize.
Main Use	Mostly used for animal feed, poultry feed, silage, starch, oil, and industrial work.	Mostly used for eating — like sweet corn, baby corn, popcorn, corn flour.
Type of Kernels	Kernels are hard, dry, and starchy, good for grinding and feed.	Kernels are soft, sweet, and juicy, good for boiling and eating.
Taste	Not sweet and a bit hard, so normally not eaten boiled.	Sweeter and tastier, used in snacks, hotels, and home cooking.
Market Name	In mandis, farmers sell it as maize, makka, or feed maize.	In markets, it is sold as sweet corn, baby corn, popcorn kernels, and corn flour.
Colour	Mostly yellow or white, depending on the farming variety.	Mostly bright yellow, especially sweet corn.
Nutrition	More starch and energy, good for feed and flour.	More natural sugar, Vitamin C, and antioxidants are good for eating.
Fibre	Maize has higher fibre.	Corn has medium fibre.
Antioxidants	Good, depends on variety.	Higher, especially in sweet corn.
Varieties / Forms	Field maize, dent maize, flint maize, feed maize, and silage maize are used by dairy farmers.	Sweet corn, baby corn, popcorn, and tender corn are used in kitchens and hotels.

Indian Cultivation Needs

Indian Cultivation Needs explains the best weather, soil, water, and care farmers need to grow good maize in India.

• Maize grows well in warm weather, like most parts of India.
• It does not grow properly in very cold places.
• Needs full sunlight every day to grow strong and healthy.
• Requires medium and regular rainfall, especially when young and during flowering.
• Grows best in good, fertile soil that drains water well.
• Soil should not stay too wet, or roots can get damaged.
• Maize is sensitive to frost, so in North India, maize must be protected from cold.

Maize Varieties and Speciality Types

Maize seeds today are improved to give higher yield, better nutrition, and stronger resistance to diseases. 

• Hybrid seeds give more even growth.
• Examples: Omkara Hybrid and DEVA Hybrid.
• They resist many common diseases, making them easier to grow.
• Quality Protein Maize (QPM) seeds have more protein and nutrients.
• Good for people to eat and animals to feed.
• Open-Pollinated Varieties (OPVs) are traditional seeds that can be saved and planted again.
• They grow well in local areas and do not need new seeds every season.
• Some maize seeds are red, blue, or purple.
• These colored seeds are grown for special foods or special markets.
• Usually grown in small amounts, but they can give better profits.

Conclusion

For Indian farmers, it is important to know what is the difference between maize and corn. Maize is the crop grown in fields and is mainly used for animal feed, flour, silage, and industrial purposes. Corn, on the other hand, refers to the edible varieties like sweet corn and popcorn. Both come from the same plant, but the use, market, and variety decide whether it is called maize or corn.

Looking for maize seeds that give better yield and healthy crops? SKB Seeds offers strong, disease-resistant maize varieties specially developed for Indian farming needs. Our seeds ensure faster growth, good grain quality, and reliable performance in different soils and climates. Farmers trust SKB Seeds for better harvests, stable production, and higher income season after season.