Browse Data and Analysis

A number of factors have converged over the last 18 months to send global agricultural commodity prices to near-record levels. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – and the potential loss of Ukrainian exports – was the latest development to push commodity prices higher.

As the 14th largest export destination, the United Kingdom (UK) has been an important and growing market for U.S. agricultural products. Shared heritage and cultural ties have continued to bolster U.S.-UK trade. The United States is the second largest UK agricultural supplier, behind the European Union (EU). The market presents many opportunities for intermediate and consumer-oriented products.

Kenya is a growing middle-income nation that acts as the economic, financial, and transport hub of East Africa. Kenya’s population demographic consists of a median age of 20 years, with 33.8 percent of the population between the ages of 25 and 54 years.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is home to 9.8 million people. It ranks among the world’s richest in terms of per capita wealth. According to the International Monetary Fund in 2020, the UAE had a gross domestic product (GDP) of $421 billion, and a per capita spending level in line with that of developed economies, $35,000.

The Netherlands and Scandinavian countries (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark) are key markets for U.S. craft beer and distilled spirits. In 2020, the United States shipped $26 million of beer products and $66 million of distilled spirits to the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries.

USDA estimates and forecasts for cotton supply and demand are on an August-July marketing year (MY) for all countries, while estimates published by many governmental or private groups in other countries are based on local MYs. The local MY for India is October-September.

Mexico is the third-largest pork importer in the world and traditionally the largest U.S. market for pork exports by volume. Over the past few years, shipments to this important market have faced headwinds. First, retaliatory tariffs related to Section 232 actions disadvantaged U.S. product. Then the coronavirus pandemic and a weak Mexican economy weighed on demand.

In 2021, despite advantages offered through the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA), U.S. rice exports to Colombia have declined to just $5 million through July. The significantly lower exports to this market are a result of a larger Colombian crop and lower domestic prices, plus increased competition from South American exporters.

Trade and production of blueberries is expanding globally as product development boosts their profile in form and function.

Vietnam is an emerging economy in Southeast Asia that has experienced rapid growth and development during the last few decades. As has historically been the case in many countries, growth in animal-based protein consumption has gone hand-in-hand with this economic development.

Global lentil exports in 2020 jumped from $1 billion to $2.6 billion compared to the year before. Canada and Australia led the surge, accounting for more than three-fourths of the exports. Lentil exports peaked at $2.7 billion in 2015 but drifted lower through 2019, primarily due to reduced shipments from Canada to India and Turkey and from the United States to Canada and India.

The Republic of Korea (Korea) is a developed Asian country with a global presence in high-tech, automobile, and electronics industries. Korea is an industrial powerhouse with a skilled labor force.