Data for Why Ethanol Production Will Drive World Food Prices Even Higher in 2008

Wheat Prices, late 1998 through December 2007 (figure)

Corn Prices, late 1998 through December 2007 (figure)

Soybean Prices, late 1998 through December 2007 (figure)

World Grain Production, Consumption, and Balance, 1960-2007 (figure and table)

World Grain Consumption and Stocks, 1960-2007 (figure and table)

World Grain Stocks as Days of Consumption, 1960-2007 (figure)

World Grain Production, 1950-2007 (figure and table)

World Grain Production Per Person, 1950-2007 (figure and table)

U.S. Grain Production, Fuel Ethanol Use and Export, 1980-2007, with Projection to 2008 (figure and table)

Top Ten Exporters of Corn, Wheat, Rice, and Total Grains, 2007 (table)

 

World Grain Production, Consumption, and Balance, 1960-2007
Year	Production	Consumption	Surplus or Deficit
	Million Metric Tons	Million Metric Tons	Million Metric Tons
1960	824	815	8
1961	800	817	-17
1962	850	838	13
1963	858	852	6
1964	906	896	10
1965	905	932	-27
1966	988	957	32
1967	1,014	988	27
1968	1,052	1,020	32
1969	1,063	1,069	-6
1970	1,079	1,108	-29
1971	1,177	1,150	27
1972	1,141	1,174	-33
1973	1,253	1,230	23
1974	1,203	1,190	13
1975	1,237	1,212	25
1976	1,342	1,273	69
1977	1,319	1,320	0
1978	1,445	1,380	65
1979	1,410	1,416	-6
1980	1,429	1,440	-11
1981	1,482	1,458	24
1982	1,533	1,475	58
1983	1,469	1,501	-32
1984	1,632	1,549	83
1985	1,646	1,553	94
1986	1,664	1,601	63
1987	1,600	1,640	-40
1988	1,550	1,621	-71
1989	1,673	1,677	-4
1990	1,768	1,707	61
1991	1,709	1,713	-5
1992	1,785	1,737	48
1993	1,711	1,739	-28
1994	1,756	1,762	-6
1995	1,708	1,739	-31
1996	1,873	1,808	64
1997	1,879	1,821	58
1998	1,876	1,835	41
1999	1,872	1,855	17
2000	1,843	1,857	-15
2001	1,875	1,902	-28
2002	1,822	1,909	-88
2003	1,862	1,934	-72
2004	2,043	1,990	53
2005	2,017	2,019	-2
2006	1,992	2,043	-51
2007	2,075	2,098	-22
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Production, Supply & Distribution, electronic database, www.fas.usda.gov, updated 11 January 2008.

 

World Grain Consumption and Stocks, 1960-2007
Year	Consumption	Stocks	Stocks
	Million Metric Tons	Million Metric Tons	Days of Consumption
1960	815	203	91
1961	817	182	81
1962	838	190	83
1963	852	193	83
1964	896	194	79
1965	932	159	62
1966	957	189	72
1967	988	213	79
1968	1,020	244	87
1969	1,069	228	78
1970	1,108	193	64
1971	1,150	218	69
1972	1,174	180	56
1973	1,230	192	57
1974	1,190	199	61
1975	1,212	219	66
1976	1,273	280	80
1977	1,320	278	77
1978	1,380	333	88
1979	1,416	328	84
1980	1,440	308	78
1981	1,458	331	83
1982	1,475	389	96
1983	1,501	348	85
1984	1,549	428	101
1985	1,553	518	122
1986	1,601	572	130
1987	1,640	527	117
1988	1,621	449	101
1989	1,677	439	96
1990	1,707	492	105
1991	1,713	483	103
1992	1,737	518	109
1993	1,739	482	101
1994	1,762	476	99
1995	1,739	436	91
1996	1,808	487	98
1997	1,821	541	108
1998	1,835	580	115
1999	1,855	585	115
2000	1,857	564	111
2001	1,902	534	102
2002	1,909	441	84
2003	1,934	356	67
2004	1,990	404	74
2005	2,019	389	70
2006	2,043	336	60
2007	2,098	309	54
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Production, Supply & Distribution, electronic database, www.fas.usda.gov, updated 11 January 2008.

World Grain Production, Total and Per Person, 1950-2007
Year	Production	Production per Person
	Million Tons	Kilograms
1950	631	249
1951	655	254
1952	680	259
1953	705	264
1954	730	268
1955	759	274
1956	773	274
1957	788	275
1958	802	274
1959	815	274
1960	824	272
1961	800	259
1962	850	270
1963	858	267
1964	906	277
1965	905	271
1966	988	290
1967	1,014	291
1968	1,052	296
1969	1,063	293
1970	1,079	292
1971	1,177	312
1972	1,141	296
1973	1,253	319
1974	1,203	301
1975	1,237	303
1976	1,342	323
1977	1,319	312
1978	1,445	336
1979	1,410	322
1980	1,429	321
1981	1,482	327
1982	1,533	333
1983	1,469	313
1984	1,632	342
1985	1,646	339
1986	1,664	337
1987	1,600	318
1988	1,550	303
1989	1,673	321
1990	1,768	334
1991	1,709	317
1992	1,785	326
1993	1,711	308
1994	1,756	312
1995	1,708	299
1996	1,873	323
1997	1,879	319
1998	1,876	314
1999	1,872	310
2000	1,843	301
2001	1,875	302
2002	1,822	290
2003	1,862	293
2004	2,043	317
2005	2,017	310
2006	1,992	302
2007	2,075	311
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute using 1960-2007 grain data from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Production, Supply & Distribution, electronic database, www.fas.usda.gov, updated 11 January 2008; 1950-1959 grain data from USDA, cited in Worldwatch Institute, Signposts 2001, CD-Rom (Washington, DC: 2001); population from United Nations, World Population Prospects: The 2006 Revision (New York: 2006).

 

U.S. Grain Production, Fuel Ethanol Use and Export, 1980-2007, with Projection to 2008
Year	U.S. Grain Production	U.S. Grain for Fuel Ethanol	U.S. Grain Exports
	Million Tons	Million Tons	Million Tons
1980	268	1	114
1981	328	2	110
1982	331	4	96
1983	206	4	97
1984	313	6	97
1985	345	7	63
1986	313	7	76
1987	278	7	98
1988	204	7	103
1989	282	8	106
1990	310	9	83
1991	278	10	87
1992	350	11	90
1993	257	12	76
1994	353	14	98
1995	275	10	99
1996	333	11	81
1997	334	12	76
1998	347	13	87
1999	332	14	89
2000	340	16	88
2001	321	18	84
2002	294	25	73
2003	345	30	89
2004	386	34	84
2005	363	41	91
2006	336	54	86
2007	414	81	106
2008 *	400	114	NA
* 2008 values are projections by Earth Policy Institute. Grain for fuel ethanol assumes 80 percent of ethanol distilleries currently under construction will be completed to draw from the 2008 harvest.
Note: Values are for crop years which begin in September of the calendar year.
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Production, Supply and Distribution, electronic database at www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline, updated 11 January 2008; corn for ethanol from USDA, Feedgrains Database, electronic database at www.ers.usda.gov/Data/feedgrains, updated 31 December 2007; distilleries under construction from Renewable Fuels Association, "Ethanol Biorefinery Locations" at www.ethanolrfa.org/industry/locations, updated 23 January 2008.

 

Top Ten Exporters of Corn, Wheat, Rice, and Total Grains, 2007
Corn			Wheat			Rice			Total Grain
Rank	Country	Million Tons	Rank	Country	Million Tons	Rank	Country	Million Tons	Rank	Country	Million Tons
1	United States	62.0	1	United States	32.5	1	Thailand	9.0	1	United States	106.1
2	Argentina	15.0	2	Canada	14.5	2	Vietnam	5.0	2	Argentina	28.1
3	Brazil	9.0	3	Russia	12.0	3	United States	3.5	3	Canada	18.6
4	Paraguay	1.6	4	Argentina	11.0	4	India	3.4	4	EU	14.3
5	Ukraine	1.2	5	EU	9.0	5	Pakistan	2.9	5	Russia	13.1
6	China	1.0	6	Australia	8.0	6	China	1.3	6	Australia	10.6
7	South Africa	0.8	7	Kazakhstan	8.0	7	Egypt	1.1	7	Thailand	9.3
8	India	0.5	8	Ukraine	5.2	8	Uruguay	0.8	8	Kazakhstan	9.0
9	Canada	0.4	9	China	2.5	9	Argentina	0.5	9	Brazil	8.7
10	EU	0.3	10	Turkey	1.5	10	Cambodia	0.5	10	Vietnam	5.0
Note: Total grain includes barley, corn, millet, mixed grain, oats, rice, rye, sorghum, and wheat.
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, Grain: World Markets and Trade (Washington, DC: January 2008).