Agriculture is an important sector for Uzbekistan, a double land-locked country with the highest population in Central Asia, accounting for 25% of GDP and employing 26% of the labor force. Uzbekistan has a land area of 44.8 million hectares of which 4.5 million hectares is arable. Its primary cultivated crops include cotton, wheat, barley, rice, corn, potatoes and fruits and vegetables. The state-owned milling holding company Uzdonmahsulot includes 43 mills. Read more → Country Focus: Uzbekistan

With the second largest population, India is also one of the world’s largest consumers and producers of a range of crop and livestock commodities. It has produced a record wheat crop the last six years and is expecting another large crop. It is a leading importer of edible oils, meeting 61% of its consumption needs through imports, and is second to only China in rice production. Read more → Country Focus: India

With less than a quarter of its land used for agriculture, South Korea relies heavily on imports, particularly wheat and corn, while producing a significant amount of rice. Two-thirds of the nation is mountains and hills, so production agriculture is characterized by small family farms cultivating rice, with barley as the second most important crop. Read more → Country Focus: South Korea

France, the European Union’s largest wheat producer and exporter, in recent years has faced a series of difficult harvests and a drop in exports. France has a dominant position in agricultural production in the EU. With a temperate climate in the north and a Mediterranean one in the south, the nation has a wide variety of crops and livestock. However, cereal and wine production continue to dominate the agricultural economy. Read more → Country Focus: France

With a loss of farmland, an aging labor force, changes in consumer diets and the opening of markets, Japan is highly reliant on imports to feed its people. Its food self-sufficiency ratio on a caloric basis was 38% in 2021, according to the nation’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, making it one of the lowest self-sufficiency rates among the world’s top economies. Read more → Country Focus: Japan

A 13-year civil war, drought, the global COVID-19 pandemic, impacts from the war in Ukraine and most recently a massive earthquake has decimated Syria’s people, economy and infrastructure. Agriculture is an important part of the economy, accounting for 20% of GDP and providing employment for one-fourth of the population. Wheat is the most important food crop, while sugar beet production is also significant. Other important grains include barley, corn and millet. Read more → Country Focus: Syria

Already the world’s largest agricultural producer and second largest trader, the United States is anticipating record-high corn and soybean crops in the coming market year. Agriculture, food and related industries are a significant part of the US economy, contributing roughly $1.264 trillion in gross domestic product in 2021. The United States has 148 flour mills with a total daily capacity of 1,531,714 cwts (69,737 tonnes). Read more → Country Focus: United States

While the Philippines’ economy experienced one of the highest growth rates in emerging economies in 2022, the nation’s agriculture sector is struggling, impacting food security and poverty rates. Rice is the staple crop in most diets, and the Philippines is the world’s eighth largest producer with an estimated crop of 19.9 million tonnes of rough rice production in 2023-24. The country imports wheat for bread, pasta and pastry. Read more → Country Focus: Philippines

Turkey is among the world’s top 10 agricultural producers and is a perennial leader in flour exports. Half of the country is arable land and almost 20% of its population is employed in agriculture. Agriculture also makes a solid contribution to the nation’s economy, which is expected to see 3.6% growth in 2023. Turkey produces more than 24 million tonnes of a wide range of wheat products, including flour, pasta, biscuits and more. Read more → Country Focus: Turkey

While Iranian agriculture officials claim the nation is self-sufficient in wheat production, the nation is grappling with soaring prices for bread — a critical part of the Iranian diet. Total domestic demand for wheat is estimated at 13.5 million tonnes, with 10 million tonnes used for bread, 2 million tonnes for pasta, biscuits and pastry and 1.2 million tonnes used for seeds. Agriculture is a major economic sector in Iran, providing 11% of gross domestic product and 18% of total employment. Read more → Country Focus: Iran

With only 6.5% of its land cultivated and a Nordic climate, Sweden’s agricultural sector features a limited number of crops and a large dairy sector. Sweden is one of the largest countries in Europe in terms of area but only 2.7 million hectares is cultivated. The key grains grown in Sweden include wheat, oats, rye and corn. Rapeseed is the dominant oilseed. Read more → Country Focus: Sweden

With 60% of its land arable, Poland is an important European and global producer of several agricultural, horticultural and animal products. Cereal production is a key component of Poland’s agriculture industry given its climatic and soil conditions. Key grain crops include rye, wheat, barley and oats. Poland has about 400 flour mills with an annual total milling capacity of about 7.4 million tonnes. Read more → Country Focus: Poland