Agriculture and Environment: Commodities

Table of Facts: Wheat (Triticum species)

Production
Area Under Cultivation - 213.7 Million ha
Global Production - 585.0 Million MT
Average Productivity - 2,737 kg/ha
Producer Price - $140 per MT
Producer Production Value - $81,900 million

International Trade
Share of World Production - 22%
Exports - 129.0 million MT
Average Price - $123 per MT
Value - $15,897 Million

Principal Producing Countries/Blocs
(by weight)
China, India, United States, Russia, Canada, Australia, Argentina

Principal Exporting Countries/Blocs
United States, France, Canada, Australia, Argentina

Principal Importing Countries/Blocs
Brazil, Italy, Iran, Japan, Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Belgium, Morocco

Major Environmental Impacts

• Habitat Conversion
• Soil erosion and degradation
• Water and agrochemical use and pollution
• Burning of crop residue

Potential to Improve

• Fair
• Breeding programs may take pressure off land when the wheat genome is better understood
• Inputs are higher per metric ton of production than many other crops
• Scale of production makes the adoption of many BMPs difficult
• Subsidies drive production and impacts in the U.S. and EU and globally as well
  

Source: FAO 2002. All data for 2000.