Blog - Agriculture

Except for lemons and limes, the production of major types of citrus fruits grew in 2020 thanks to good weather conditions in most producing regions. Citrus fruit exports and demand indicated gains in all the categories considered.

Driven by rising demand from the food industry and favourable weather, global corn production increased significantly in 2020. The rise in prices made the raw corn-based production of bioethanol unprofitable amid the low cost of traditional fuels due to the pandemic, resulting in the closure of some distilleries. In the future, the growing demand for alternative fuels is expected to offset this shift and promote the corn market.

Increased grape production in China buoyed the global market against a fall in the grape crop in India, the EU and Russia, which enables the global production in 2020 to remain consistent with 2019 data. The export potential of Chinese and Australian grapes has improved due to the progress achieved in cultivation methods and the use of particularly fertile varieties of grape. 

Coffee yield figures remained robust in 2020 and coffee bean exports increased, despite the disruption to supply chains caused by the Coronavirus restrictions. Home coffee consumption surged, thereby helping to offset the slump in sales following the closure of the HoReCa segment. Average coffee prices remained growing gradually through to Q1 2021. 

The closure of the HoReCa segment caused the demand for cocoa beans to collapse in 2020, while the production remained stable. This led to a surge in unsold cocoa bean stocks in exporter-countries. EU chocolate producers are now trying to enlist a range of measures to ensure stable demand and secure supply chains on the cocoa bean market. 

Over 2020-2021 period, the global rice market displayed robust production indicators. Despite a pronounced shortage of shipping containers threatening to disrupt supplies to Africa, the global rice export market continues to expand. India maintains its status as the largest exporter, boasting the most competitive rice export prices. 

The European meat and poultry market remains relatively resilient against the pandemic but suffers from a pathogenic avian influenza outbreak. Brexit hampers severely British meat exports to the EU. The new green agenda forces livestock breeders and meat producers to reduce emissions. Should this trend strengthen, the alternative protein market may emerge against the slower growth of the meat market.

The global walnut estimated at approx. 2.5M tonnes on a shelled walnut basis, equating to near $17.1B. Against the pandemic background, and given the tangible rise in walnut outputs, the processing of walnuts into snack products emerges as the new driver of global walnut market growth. The market potential could be also found in the expansion of the range of nut products positioned as “healthy” food.

The North American pineapple market expanded to $697M in 2019, surging by 2.2% against the previous year. Hampered by the lockdown, limitations in the HoReCa sector, and the lack of income growth due to the pandemic, the market is expected to stagnate in 2020. Afterward, should the pandemic wane, the market is expected to continue an upward consumption trend over the next decade.