Stats Can: Corn for grain: the world’s top cereal crop

Stats Can: Corn: Canada's third most valuable crop

By Marie-Andrée Hamel and Erik Dorff 2014-03-18

Corn for grain: the world’s top cereal crop

When it comes to cereal crop production around the world, corn is king. This may come as a surprise to many. Anyone who has ever seen the endless seas of golden wheat on the Canadian Prairies might think that this lynchpin of Canadian agriculture is the number one cereal crop.

The same might be thought of rice and the landscape of paddies stretching as far as the eye can see across Asia. But instead, the most produced cereal crop worldwide is actually corn (also known as maize), a cereal native to the Americas. It outstrips both rice and wheat in terms of global production (Table 1).

Table 1
World and Canadian production of major grains and oilseeds, 2011
Table summary
This table displays the results of World and Canadian production of major grains and oilseeds. The information is grouped by Commodity (appearing as row headers), World, Canada, Share of total and World position, calculated using Metric tonnes, Percent and Rank units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Commodity	World	Canada	Share of total	World position
Commodity	metric tonnes		percent	rank
Maize	885,289,935	10,688,700	1.2	11
Rice, paddy	722,559,584	...	...	...
Wheat	701,395,334	25,261,400	3.6	7
Soybeans	262,037,569	4,246,300	1.6	7
Barley	133,049,075	7,755,700	5.8	7
Canola	62,546,641	14,164,500	22.6	1
Sorghum	58,583,460	...	...	...
Millet	27,226,548	...	...	...
Oats	22,676,189	2,997,100	13.2	2
Rye	13,162,017	194,700	1.5	10
... not applicable Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Maize or corn for grain^Note1 is the number one cereal crop worldwide with 885.3 million tonnes produced in 2011 according to the FAO^Note2. The top producer was the United States with 313.9 million tonnes or 35.5% of global production. The U.S. was followed by China which produced 192.8 million tonnes (21.8% of world production). Canada placed 11th in world production of corn with 10.7 million tonnes of grain corn produced in 2011 (Table 2).

Table 2
Top grain corn producing nations, 2011
Table summary
This table displays the results of Top grain corn producing nations. The information is grouped by Rank (appearing as row headers), Country, Production and Share of world production, calculated using Metric tonnes and Percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Rank	Country	Production	Share of world production
Rank	Country	metric tonnes	percent
	World	885,289,935	100.0
1	United States of America	313,948,610	35.5
2	China, mainland	192,781,000	21.8
3	Brazil	55,660,415	6.3
4	Argentina	23,799,830	2.7
5	Ukraine	22,837,900	2.6
6	India	21,760,000	2.5
7	Mexico	17,635,417	2.0
8	Indonesia	17,629,033	2.0
9	France	15,913,300	1.8
10	Romania	11,717,591	1.3
11	Canada	10,688,700	1.2
12	South Africa	10,360,000	1.2
13	Italy	9,752,592	1.1
14	Nigeria	9,180,270	1.0
15	Hungary	7,992,000	0.9
16	Philippines	6,971,221	0.8
17	Russian Federation	6,962,440	0.8
18	Egypt	6,876,473	0.8
19	Serbia	6,479,564	0.7
20	Ethiopia	6,069,413	0.7
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, data accessed February 13, 2014.

In Canada, over 32,300 farms reported planting 1.63 million hectares of corn (corn for grain, corn for silage and sweet corn) according to the 2011 Census of Agriculture. The value of farm cash receipts for grain corn alone reached $2.08 billion in 2011, ranking it as the third most valuable crop in Canada, after canola and wheat.^Note3

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

BC farmers gearing up for collection of pesticides and livestock medications this Fall

This October, Vancouver Island and Fraser Valley farmers in BC are readying to participate in Cleanfarms’ longest running environmental stewardship initiative: the Unwanted Pesticides and Old Livestock/Equine Medications (UPLM) program. Operating on a rotating schedule year-over-year, this well-loved Canada-wide program helps farmers in BC (and in other regions) protect their land and communities by accepting unwanted commercial-class pesticides and obsolete livestock/equine medications for safe disposal, free of charge. This year in BC, there are eight single-day collection events from October 6 to October 16, operating 9AM to 4PM daily: four in the Fraser Valley and four on Vancouver Island, including a first-time event in Port Alberni. “The reach of this year’s events means even greater convenience to BC farmers,” says UPLM’s Program Coordinator Heather Bradley. “Greater program participation, combined with the promotional work of our agricultural retail and regional district par

U.S. Winter Wheat Planting, Emergence Lagging

U.S. winter wheat planting made decent progress this past week but continues to lag last year and the five-year average. Emergence is also running behind. According to Monday’s USDA crop progress, 27% of the American winter wheat crop was planted as Sunday, up 10 percentage points from a week earlier. That was below both the 32% planted at the same point last year and the 2021-25 average of 34%. Meanwhile, winter wheat emergence also increased nationally, with 8% of the crop emerged, up from 2% the previous week. That remained below 12% last year and the five-year average of 11%. Kansas planting advanced to 18% from 10% the previous week, compared with 16% last year and the five-year average of 24%. Oklahoma reached 7% planted, up from 4% a week earlier, but well behind 30% last year and the 25% average. Michigan moved to 18% planted from 14%, ahead of 15% last year and equal to the five-year average. No planting progress was reported for Ohio as of Sunday; the state was 10% p

FCC Economists Examine Trade, Interest Rates and Economic Risks Facing Agriculture

Farm Credit Canada is highlighting trade uncertainty, interest rates and broader financial conditions as key economic issues for Canadian farmers and agribusinesses through the remainder of 2026. In an economic update webinar released Tuesday, FCC’s economics team reviews the major economic and financial variables affecting farms, food and beverage manufacturers and agribusinesses, while providing its outlook for the months ahead. The 39-minute presentation features FCC chief economist Craig Johnston, principal economist Krishen Rangasamy and deputy chief economist Desmond Sobool. The update comes amid a challenging backdrop for the Canadian economy, including renewed U.S. trade barriers, geopolitical uncertainty and elevated borrowing costs. FCC has previously estimated Canadian economic growth at around 1% for 2026, with trade restrictions weighing on non-energy exports and contributing to weaker business conditions. Interest rates are another important consideration. Alth

Manitoba Harvest Passes Halfway Mark

The Manitoba harvest passed the halfway mark this past week, although rainfall, fog and heavy dews continued to limit fieldwork in several parts of the province. Tuesday’s weekly crop report showed the Manitoba harvest at 51% complete as of Monday, up from 43% a week earlier. The largest regional advance came in the Northwest, where overall harvest progress jumped to 40% from 24%. The Central region moved to 71% from 64%, the Eastern region to 66% from 62%, the Interlake to 59% from 56%, and the Southwest to 32% from 27%. Provincially, spring wheat harvest reached 77%, up from 71% a week earlier. Barley advanced to 81% from 76%, oats to 72% from 66%, and canola to 57% from 43%. Peas remained at 96% complete, while soybean harvest increased to 5% from 1%. Dry bean harvest doubled to 32% done. Quality concerns are becoming more prominent in later-harvested cereals, with sprouting, weathering, and bleaching causing downgrades in some areas, the report said. Canola yields are gener

Secretary Naig Welcomes Applications for Urban Water Quality Project Grants

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) is accepting pre-applications for cost-share grants to support urban conservation and water quality projects. The locally led projects, available to Iowa communities of all sizes, support implementation of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and are part of the state’s continued efforts to improve water quality. “Communities – big and small – have been putting proven conservation practices to work to improve water quality across Iowa since 2015,” said Secretary Naig. “From managing stormwater to reducing nutrient loss and protecting local waterways, these locally led projects help improve water quality and mitigate urban flooding. Many of these projects also become attractive community features that enhance quality of life. IDALS will continue working alongside communities to deliver cleaner water for Iowans because there is no finish line when it comes to cons

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service