Corn is the most high-yield crop, all the parts of which are widely used in different industries for many purposes, in particular:
- for food production;
- as feedstock in pharmaceutical, chemical and other branches of industry;
- as high-energy fodder that is suitable for all kinds of animals and birds;
- as raw material for the production of first and second-generation biofuels;
- as raw material for the production of biogas.
Corn is a crop of high agro-technological value as it cleans soil of weeds and is a good precursor in the crop rotation. Judging by the absorption of carbon dioxide and release of oxygen, corn is one of the best crops and is even more effective than a forest of the same area.
The USA is the world leader in corn production and yields. According to some preliminary data, the production of corn in the USA in 2017/2018 MY was 371.1 Mt (34.5% of the global production), the average yield was 11.1 t/ha. In other countries, the production of corn in 2017/2018 MY was the following: China – about 259 Mt, Brazil – 82 Mt, the EU – 62 Mt, Argentina – 32 Mt, India – 29 Mt, Mexico – 27.5 Mt and Ukraine – 24 Mt (the 7th place in the world). At that, the USDA forecast for Ukraine for 2018/2019 MY is 35.5 Mt, which can bring the country to the 5th place.
Prepared by: Semen Drahniev, Member of the Expert Council of the Bioenergy Association of Ukraine, for the platform of sustainable agribusiness SAF Ukraine.State of the art of corn production in the world and in Ukraine. Semen Drahniev, The platform of sustainable agribusiness SAF Ukraine. August 21, 2019.
The Bioenergy Association of Ukraine since 2019 is a partner of the platform of sustainable agribusiness SAF Ukraine.