The top 25 agricultural producing countries in the world are the top performers in world agriculture- a vital element for world livelihood. Agriculture is one of the indispensable sectors of the world economy which is not only one of the highest revenue earners worldwide, but also one which caters to the food requirement of the world. Being one of the core industries which is seldom hit by fluctuating demands, a country with a strong foothold in agriculture production can allow for greater stable economic development of a country. It can be hence deduced that a country that relies on its agriculture produce for its revenue generation is building a base to a strong economy.
The agriculture industry combines agricultural production with theories of marketing – where distribution channels and exports come into play. While over the years scientific advancement has aided production, the costs pertaining to development of a value chain have increased owing to a focus on marketing.
Apart from production there are countries which focus on other areas for earnings revenue from their agriculture industries and some countries go beyond the domestic markets to explore more of exports and cater to an international consumer base. All this has been possible owing to new techniques of supply dynamics. To check the countries which produce majorly for exports and are the biggest agricultural exporters in the world, you can visit our previous article 11 Countries with the Highest Agricultural Exports in the World.
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A review by World Bank, projects a growth of almost 9.7 billion in world population by 2050, and identifies Agriculture to be the most powerful tool against extreme poverty and providing food source for the projected increase in people. A growth in agriculture is said to be 200% more effective in increasing prosperity and income than any other sector. While it has accounted for 4% of world GDP, for some countries the percentage has been as huge as 25% of their total GDP. It is therefore quite evident, how crucial the sector has been to world prosperity and even more so in the coming years as an effective fight back to regain economic strength.
Recently, however, climate change has been a major game changer in the agriculture scenario worldwide. With changes in atmospheric factors such as temperature rising and water scarcity, agriculture has been greatly affected. Being an industry largely dependent on the natural conditions – agriculture has been faced with fluctuating yields around the world with the changing weather conditions. The future of these countries lies in adapting to change and developing their own response to climate change. The Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations suggests some climate change strategies that can help nations strengthen their climate change mitigation efforts in order to stabilize agriculture. In days to come, agriculture performance of these countries may largely vary according to their focus and efforts on these strategies.
We have focused our article on the top agricultural producing countries that produce the largest quantities in all agricultural commodities. Other than crops that cater to food requirements, there are also cash crops that are major raw material providers for other industries. That would include, Oilseeds and Cotton seeds producing countries. Also, agricultural production includes diary and meat production. Therefore, to provide a more holistic and inclusive picture we have taken the World Agricultural Production data by United States Department of Agriculture and the data for production quantities of All commodities by USDA as our main sources. We have based our rankings on the dataset for 2019 production quantities all commodities which includes, fruits, crops, coarse grains, diary and oils production quantities.
For now, let’s take a look at the Top 25 Agricultural Producing Countries in the World currently!
25. Kazakhstan
Total Production in 2019 – 0.12 million metric tonnes
As small the agricultural sector may seem in the country, contributing only 10% of the GDP, it is surprising that almost 70% of the land is farmland. Wheat alone is produced and exported in large quantities and the country ranks sixth in the World wheat exports.
24 . Kyrgyzstan
Total Production in 2019 – 0.15 million metric tonnes
Agricultural products form 11% of the country’s exports. Over 60% of the population is engaged in agriculture in the country.
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23. South Korea
Total Production in 2019 – 0.26 million metric tonnes
Barley, corn and soybean are some of the important crops in South Korea. The country is also known for its production and market for Ginseng.
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22. Azerbaijan
Total Production in 2019 – 0.37 million metric tonnes
The leading crops in the country are cash crops like grapes, cotton, tobacco, citrus fruits, and vegetables. Agriculture forms a solid part of the economy.
21. Belarus
Total Production in 2019 – 0.37 million metric tonnes
More than 40% of the country’s land is dedicated farmland. Privatising the country’s farms have greatly contributed to increasing productivity and the agricultural industry not only contributes greatly to GDP but is also a valuable source of foreign exchange.
20. Moldova
Total Production in 2019 – 0.40 million metric tonnes
12% of Moldova’s GDP is derived from agriculture. Fruits and nuts form the major part of the exports in the country.
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19. Canada
Total Production in 2019 – 0.48 million metric tonnes
Canada’s main crops are fruits, corn and livestock. Cattle , beef and veal, are top agricultural products. Maple syrup is among the exports.
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18. Serbia
Total Production in 2019 – 7.61 million metric tonnes
Producing rice, sugarcane and coconut, Philippines is a country that is mainly agriculture oriented. Other than crop production, livestock, forestry and aquaculture are also main focus areas for the Filipino economy.
Total Production in 2019 – 0.62 million metric tonnes
Agriculture and forestry are the two main industries in New Zealand. The country is the largest world exporter when it comes to sheep meat and diary.
16. Argentina
Total Production in 2019 – 0.63 million metric tonnes
Argentina caters to most of the world demands for soybean, wheat and meat. It also is one of the main exporters of wool. Wine produced in Argentina is consumed mostly domestically, but is vastly produced. The Malbec grapes being a hot favorite.
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15. Peru
Total Production in 2019 – 0.65 million MT
Peru is one of the world’s leading producers of quinoa and there are almost 3000 varieties of potatoes that are produced in the country. Grapes are another main agricultural product.
14. Australia
Total Production in 2019 – 0.70 million MT
Queensland and Northern Territory is great for fruit production. Dairy is another one of the main agricultural products.
Along with rice, soybean and varieties of fruits form the major agricultural products of Japan. Cultivable land is limited in the country but the country’s relentless efforts in this area has led to improved crop acreage.
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12. Mexico
Total Production in 2019 – 1.14 million MT
Agriculture forms one of the important sectors of the country. Mexico produces large quantities of fruits like apples and grapes, and also significant quantities of meat products.
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11. South Africa
Total Production in 2019 – 1.28 million MT
The country is 5th largest producer of cereals which makes it 15th on our list of Top 25 Agricultural Producing Countries in the World. South Africa is also well-known for its quality exports of grapes, fruit wine and sugarcane.
10. Ukraine
Total Production in 2019 – 1.45 million MT
The forever evolving Ukrainian agriculture has managed to remain one of the top players in grain production thanks to its market-based decision making in crop selection. This has enabled Ukraine farmers to achieve desired efficiency in production. Barley has remained the top food grain in the country for over a decade and an increased production has also led to a boost in exports.
With crop rotation Uzbekistan’s organic agriculture, cereal production has increased over 20 times in 10 years. The leading product is grapes and other fruits.
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8.Iran
Total Production in 2019 – 2.10 million MT
With almost one-third of the population of the country engaged in agriculture , Iran quite well deserves its place among the top agricultural producing countries. Fruits and barley are the leading products.
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7. Russia
Total Production in 2019 – 2.16 million MT
The country has a large area of cultivable land and produces grains in large quantities. Wheat is the most widely grown crop there followed by Barley.
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6. Chile
Total Production in 2019 – 2.25 million MT
Chile mostly produces fruits like apples, grapes and cherries. There are almost 550 organic farms operating in the country. The country also produces significant quantities of meat.
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5. Brazil
Total Production in 2019 – 2.68 million MT
Be it sugar, coffee or orange juice – Brazil beats all world players in producing the top quantities. Even after producing the world’s major produce the country still has huge areas of undeveloped arable lands, and plans are in progress for further development.
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4. India
Total Production in 2019 – 5.74 million MT
With a stellar history in agriculture, the industry forms an important part of the economy. Produces include rice, pulses, wheat and also Jute, a special kind of burlap that the country produces in large quantities.
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3. Turkey
Total Production in 2019 – 5.83 million MT
Fruits, barley and corn are the top crops produced in Turkey. The country is also a top exporter in the world market, especially in categories of nuts like hazelnut and chestnuts.
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2. United States
Total Production in 2019 – 7.89 million MT
The United States is one of the top contenders in our list. US strongly focuses on agriculture, and produces the most quantities of corn and fruits. Farm activities contribute a mind blowing $100 billion to the country’s economy!
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1. China
Total Production in 2019 – 53.24 million MT
China has a history of being a world leader in agriculture and bags the No.1 spot for the Top 25 Agricultural Producing Countries in the World. It caters to almost 50% of the vegetable supplies worldwide producing a whopping 500 million tonnes. A huge population is involved in farming in the country. 2020/21 cotton production is expected to be at 26.5 million 480-pound bales, as predicted by USDA.
