Top 25 Agricultural Producing Countries in the World

In this article we take a look at the top 25 agricultural producing countries in the world. Click to skip ahead and jump to the top 10 agricultural producing countries in the world

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.

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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.

17. New Zealand 

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. 

13. Japan

Total Production in 2019 – 0.83 million  MT

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. 

Dasha Petrenko/Shutterstock.com

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.

Click to continue reading and see the Top 10 Agricultural Producing Countries in the World.

Disclosure: Top 25 Agricultural Producing Countries in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.