Chapter 10

An Overview of World
Peanut Markets
Stanley M. Fletcher, Zhaolin Shi
National Center for Peanut Competitiveness, University of Georgia, Griffin, GA, USA

OVERVIEW
The peanut is one of the five most important oilseeds produced in the world.
However, its ranking has decreased from third to either fourth or fifth as a result
of the increasing importance of sunflower seed and rapeseed. Peanut production
occurs on six continents.
To aid this discussion, the peanut-producing countries have been grouped
geographically into three major regions with subregions: the Americas (Northern,
Southern, and Latin); Africa (Eastern, Southern, Western); and Asia (Eastern,
South Eastern, South Western). World peanut production in 2010–2013 (4-year
mean) averaged 39,526,000 metric tons (MT), 136% more than the 1970s aver-
age production of 16,719,000 MT. Production is a function of area harvested
and yield. Although global area harvested has increased, technology-driven gains
in yield (from 0.9 metric tons/hectare (MT/Ha) in the 1970s to 1.6 MT/Ha for
2010–2013) have been the major factor for increased oilseed peanut productivity.
About two-thirds of annual peanut production comes from Eastern Asia and West
Africa. Peanut-consuming countries include the same groupings plus Europe
(Eastern, European Union-28 (EU-28), Western) and Oceania. The bulk of oil-
seed peanut consumption occurs in the regions of origin. Data for oilseed peanut
production, crush, consumption, and trade are reported for geographic regions as
well as individual countries. These statistics provide insight to interesting trends
in the market situation for peanuts and peanut products over four decades (1970s,
1980s, 1990s, and 2000s) plus recent years 2010–2013.

WORLD PEANUT PRODUCTION

Production by Regions and Major Countries
While world peanut production has increased approximately 136% since the
1970s (Table 1), there has been significant regional variation. The increase
Peanuts. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-63067-038-2.00010-1
Copyright © 2016 AOCS Press. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 267
268 Peanuts

TABLE 1  Trends in World Peanut Area Harvested, Yield, and Production

Period Area Harvested Yield Production

(1000) Ha MT/Ha (1000) MT

1970s 18,010 0.93 16,719

1980s 18,125 1.08 19,569

1990s 20,294 1.29 26,230

2000s 23,258 1.50 34,968

2010–2013 24,103 1.64 39,526

USDA, FAS (2014).

was primarily in Asia with 2010–2013 production averaging 165% over the
1970s (Table 2). Production in East Asia increased 579%. This shows that
most of the increase in world peanut production since the 1970s has occurred
in Asia. While world production increased about 22.8 MMT (million metric
tons), production in Asia increased 15.7 MMT (Carley and Fletcher, 1995;
Fletcher et al., 1992; Revoredo and Fletcher, 2002).
In the same period, peanut production in Africa also increased 130% from
4.5 MMT in the 1970s to 10.3 MMT in 2010–2013. Production in West Africa
and East Africa increased more, while South Africa remained nearly level. Total
production in the Americas increased 40%. However, subregion production var-
ied where South America production increased about 64%, while production
increased only 28% in North America.
With the regional production changes, there was a substantial shift in world
production distribution (Table 3). For 2010–2013, approximately 64% of world
peanut production was in Asia compared with 57% in the 1970s (Figure 1).
Most of the distribution change was in East Asia with a shift from 14% of the
world production in 1970s to more than 40% in 2010–2013. The Southeast Asia
subregion remained approximately unchanged while southwest Asia dramati-
cally decreased.
In contrast, in the 1970s nearly 27% of the world peanut production was
in Africa. While there was a dip in production share in the 1980s and 1990s,
their production share returned to the 1970s level by 2010–2013. The relative
position in the Americas decreased from 16% in the 1970s to about 9% for
the 2010–2013 time period. Most of the decrease in share occurred in North
America with South America holding its share at 4–5%.
For the 2010–2013 average, China, India, Nigeria, and the US produced
approximately 69% of the world peanuts, which was a significant increase over
their 1970s share of about 60% (Table 4). However, India and the US have
decreased their shares of production significantly. In contrast, the Chinese share
TABLE 2  Average World Peanut Production, by Regions

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010–2013 Change from 1970s

Region (1000) MT (1000) MT %

The Americas

  N. America 1735 1745 1877 1911 2221 486 28

  S. America 885 550 665 958 1453 568 64

 Subtotal 2620 2295 2541 2869 3674 1055 40

An Overview of World Peanut Markets Chapter | 10  269

Africa

  E. Africa 1021 628 565 1315 1939 918 90

  S. Africa 740 420 438 598 807 67 9

  W. Africa 2712 2623 3440 6582 7555 4843 179

 Subtotal 4473 3671 4443 8495 10,301 5829 130

Asia

  E. Asia 2419 5131 9248 14,162 16,431 14,013 579

  S.E. Asia 1361 1729 1979 2699 3159 1798 132

  S.W. Asia 5709 6570 7741 6398 5595 −144 −2

 Subtotal 9488 13,430 18,967 23,259 25,185 15,697 165

Rest of world 139 173 279 345 366 277 163

World total 16,719 19,569 26,230 34,968 39,526 22,806 136

S. America: Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua. N. America: Canada, Mexico, United States. E. Africa: Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda. S. Africa: Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa,
Zambia, Zimbabwe. W. Africa: Benin, Burkina, Cameroon, Central Africa, Chad, Congo, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo.
E. Asia: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan. S.E. Asia: Bangladesh, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam. S.W. Asia: India, Paki-
stan. Near East Asia: Egypt, Morocco, Turkey.
USDA, FAS (2014).
270 Peanuts

TABLE 3  Average World Peanut Production Share, by Regions

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010–2013

Region %

The Americas

  N. America 10.4 8.9 7.2 5.5 5.6

  S. America 5.3 2.8 2.5 2.7 3.7

 Subtotal 15.7 11.7 9.7 8.2 9.3

Africa

  E. Africa 6.1 3.2 2.2 3.8 4.9

  S. Africa 4.4 2.1 1.7 1.7 2.0

  W. Africa 16.2 13.4 13.1 18.8 19.1

 Subtotal 26.8 18.8 16.9 24.3 26.1

Asia

  E. Asia 14.5 26.2 35.3 40.5 41.6

  S.E. Asia 8.1 8.8 7.5 7.7 8.0

  S.W. Asia 34.1 33.6 29.5 18.3 14.2

 Subtotal 56.8 68.6 72.3 66.5 63.7

Rest of world 0.8 0.9 1.1 1.0 0.9

USDA, FAS (2014).

100

80
Percent

60

40

20

0
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010–2013

Americas Africa Asia Rest of world

FIGURE 1  Relative geographical region share of world peanut production.
TABLE 4  Relative Distribution of Annual Peanut Production Among 10 Major Countries

Production

Distribution
% Change
2010–2013 since 1970s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010–2013

Country (1000) MT % %

An Overview of World Peanut Markets Chapter | 10  271

China 16,339 631.6 13.4 25.4 34.8 40.2 41.3

India 5500 −2.7 33.8 33.2 29.1 18.0 13.9

Nigeria 3208 527.3 3.1 2.3 3.0 8.6 8.1

US 2127 26.6 10.1 8.5 6.7 5.2 5.4

Burma 1383 240.3 2.4 2.7 1.9 2.7 3.5

Indonesia 1180 84.7 3.8 4.0 3.7 3.3 3.0

Argentina 1014 138.0 2.5 1.6 1.8 1.8 2.6

Sudan 958 20.2 4.8 2.4 1.4 2.3 2.4

Senegal 804 −8.9 5.3 3.8 2.5 1.8 2.0

Tanzania 682 1021.8 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.9 1.7

Rest of world 6332 84.6 20.5 15.8 14.8 15.2 16.0

(1000) MT

World 39,526 136.4 16,719 19,569 26,230 34,968 39,526

USDA, FAS (2014).

272 Peanuts

of production has increased from 25% to 41% over the same time period. There
has been a substantial change in the share of peanut production in the major pro-
ducing countries in Africa. Nigeria’s world share of production has increased
from about 3% to 8% for the same time period.

Area Harvested and Yield

Peanut area harvested and yield per hectare varied substantially among
regions and countries. The peanut area harvested in the world was 34% larger
in 2010–2013 than in the 1970s (Table 5). Most of the increase was in Africa
where the harvested area was up 78% with the east Africa subregion up more
than 109%. Even though the harvested area in Asia was only up 15%, the East
Asia subregion had increased its harvested area more than 138%. This was
the largest increase among all the world subregions. In the Americas, South
America had a decrease of 31% in the area harvested while North America
decreased 13%.
More than 22% of peanut area harvested in the world was in India, fol-
lowed by China with a 19% share (Table 6). China and Nigeria increased their
share of the hectares of peanuts harvested in the world in 2010–2013 relative to
the 1970s. In contrast, India’s share decreased from approximately 41% in the
1970s to 22% in 2010–2013. Other major producing countries with an increase
in share of hectares of peanuts harvested in 2010–2013 relative to the 1970s
were Sudan, Burma, Tanzania, and Indonesia. The other major producing coun-
tries such as India, Senegal, the US, and Argentina had a substantial decrease in
share of peanut area harvested.
Peanut yields increased worldwide 77% from the 1970s (Table 7; Figure 2).
Yields were up 131% in Asia, with the East Asia subregion increasing 185%,
from 1.24 to 3.54 MT/Ha. Yields in America increased 81% while South Amer-
ica increased more than 138%. Yields in Africa were mixed. While Africa had
a 29% increase in their average yield from 1970s to 2010–2013, there were
significant differences between the subregions. For example, West Africa had an
approximately 50% increase in yields over that time period, yet East and South
Africa had a negative decline in yields.
The yield per hectare of peanuts in the US was the highest of any major pro-
ducing country in the world (Table 8). Yet, the increase in yield since the 1970s
was only approximately 53% which was significantly below the China yield
increase of about 192%. The largest increases in yield since the 1970s occurred
in China, Argentina, Burma, and Nigeria. The African countries (except for
Nigeria) had the lowest yields as well as the lowest percentage increases in
yields since the 1970s.
When comparing the contribution of area harvested and yield to production
changes, the pattern was quite variable among and within regions. The substan-
tial production increase in Asia was the result of both the area harvested and
yield increases. There were increases in both area harvested and yield in East
TABLE 5  Average Peanut Area Harvested by Regions

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010–2013 Change from 1970s

Region (1000) MT (1000) MT %

The Americas

  N. America 647 659 731 600 562 −85 −13

An Overview of World Peanut Markets Chapter | 10  273

  S. America 691 332 323 340 477 −215 −31

 Subtotal 1338 991 1054 940 1039 −300 −22

Africa

  E. Africa 1137 904 824 1623 2376 1239 109

  S. Africa 1067 767 697 984 1245 178 17

  W. Africa 3904 3563 4301 6239 7264 3360 86

 Subtotal 6108 5234 5822 8846 10,885 4777 78

Asia

  E. Asia 1953 2825 3595 4613 4647 2695 138

  S.E. Asia 1362 1479 1561 1750 1879 517 38

  S.W. Asia 7163 7498 8147 6988 5531 −1632 −23

 Subtotal 10,477 11,802 13,302 13,351 12,057 1580 15

Rest of world 87 98 117 121 123 36 41

World total 18,010 18,125 20,294 23,258 24,103 6093 34

USDA, FAS (2014).

 274 Peanuts
TABLE 6  Relative Distribution of Annual Peanut Harvested Area in 10 Major Countries

Area

Distribution
% Change
2010–2013 since 1970s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010–2013

Country (1000) Ha % %

China 4614 150.9 10.2 15.1 17.4 19.7 19.1

India 5425 −23.8 39.5 41.0 39.7 29.6 22.5

Nigeria 2513 177.3 5.0 3.5 4.4 9.1 10.4

US 504 −17.2 3.4 3.3 3.2 2.3 2.1

Burma 880 43.3 3.4 3.1 2.4 2.9 3.6

Indonesia 696 50.7 2.6 2.9 3.2 3.1 2.9

Argentina 345 −3.1 2.0 0.9 1.1 0.9 1.4

Sudan 1368 63.8 4.6 3.8 2.7 4.5 5.7

Senegal 885 −22.4 6.3 5.0 4.0 3.4 3.7

Tanzania 709 653.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.5 2.9

Other 6164 52.8 22.4 20.8 21.3 23.0 25.6

(1000) Ha

World 24,103 33.8 18,010 18,125 20,294 23,258 24,103

USDA, FAS (2014).

TABLE 7  Peanut Yield per Hectare, by Regions

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010–2013 Change from 1970s

Region MT/Ha MT/Ha %

The Americas

  N. America 2.68 2.65 2.57 3.19 3.95 1.27 47

An Overview of World Peanut Markets Chapter | 10  275

  S. America 1.28 1.66 2.06 2.82 3.05 1.77 138

 Subtotal 1.96 2.32 2.41 3.05 3.54 1.58 81

Africa

  E. Africa 0.90 0.69 0.69 0.81 0.82 −0.08 −9

  S. Africa 0.69 0.55 0.63 0.61 0.65 −0.04 −6

  W. Africa 0.69 0.74 0.80 1.05 1.04 0.35 50

 Subtotal 0.73 0.70 0.76 0.96 0.95 0.21 29

Asia

  E. Asia 1.24 1.82 2.57 3.07 3.54 2.30 185

  S.E. Asia 1.00 1.17 1.27 1.54 1.68 0.68 68

  S.W. Asia 0.80 0.88 0.95 0.92 1.01 0.21 27

 Subtotal 0.91 1.14 1.43 1.74 2.09 1.18 131

Rest of world 1.60 1.77 2.39 2.84 2.98 1.38 86

World total 0.93 1.08 1.29 1.50 1.64 0.71 77

USDA. FAS (2014).

276 Peanuts

4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
MT/Ha

2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010–2013

Americas Africa Asia Rest of world

FIGURE 2  Peanut yield by world regions.

TABLE 8  Yield per Hectare of Peanuts in Major Production Countries

Change from
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010–2013 1970s

Region MT/Ha MT/Ha %

China 1.21 1.82 2.58 3.07 3.54 2.33 191.6

India 0.79 0.87 0.95 0.92 1.01 0.22 27.7

Nigeria 0.56 0.70 0.86 1.41 1.28 0.71 126.2

United 2.76 2.77 2.72 3.37 4.22 1.46 52.8

States

Burma 0.66 0.93 0.99 1.40 1.57 0.91 137.4

Indonesia 1.38 1.49 1.48 1.61 1.69 0.31 22.6

Argentina 1.20 1.87 2.17 2.96 2.94 1.74 145.5

Sudan 0.95 0.69 0.68 0.77 0.70 −0.25 −26.6

Senegal 0.77 0.83 0.82 0.82 0.91 0.13 17.4

Tanzania 0.65 0.60 0.62 0.87 0.96 0.32 48.9

Rest of 0.85 0.82 0.90 0.99 1.03 0.18 20.8

world

World 0.93 1.08 1.29 1.50 1.64 0.71 77

total

USDA, FAS (2014).

 An Overview of World Peanut Markets Chapter | 10  277

Asia and Southeast Asia, but in Southwest Asia the area harvested decreased
while yield increased little.
In North America area harvested was down while yield increased. With the
yield increase more than offsetting the area harvested decrease, overall produc-
tion increased. While area harvest declined some in South America, yield was
up substantially resulting in an overall production increase. Even though yields
decreased in East Africa and South Africa their area harvested increased, con-
tributing to production increase for these two Africa subregions.
In China, a 151% increase in hectares harvested and 192% increase in yield
accounted for the substantial increase in peanut production. In India, the yield
increase was not enough to make up for the decrease of area harvested which
lead to production decrease for 2010–2013 relative to the 1970s. Yields in the
US were lower in the 1990s than the 1970s. However, the US peanut yield
improved in the 2000s and 2010–2013. Production in Nigeria was up due to
an increase in area harvest and yield. On the other hand, production in Senegal
decreased due to a smaller area harvested.
In summary, the Asiatic countries of China, Burma, and Indonesia have
shown substantial increases in the area harvested and yield since 1970s result-
ing in major production increases. Argentina and the US had area harvested
reduced and yield increased resulting in total production increases. Tanzania had
the highest percentage production increase due mainly to the acreage harvested
expansion.

WORLD PEANUT UTILIZATION

Nearly 42 MMT of peanuts were utilized annually in the world in 2010–2013, an
increase of approximately 134% from 18 MMT in the 1970s (Table 9). Crushing
peanuts for oil and meal plus other uses remains the most important use of the
world peanut production. About 41% of the world peanut production was crushed
for domestic use in 2010–2013 compared with 55% in 1970s. Domestic food use
increased from 5.3 MMT in the 1970s, or 29% of the total use, to 18.8 MMT in
2010–2013 for 45% of the total use. Food use increased about 265% and crush-
ing use increased about 75% since the 1970s. The remaining 14% of annual
oilseed peanut production was exported, used for feed, or lost for any reason.

Utilization by Regions
Trends in the total peanuts utilized and type of utilization were quite variable
among regions of the world (Table 9). Utilization as food remains high in North
America. In contrast, South America’s utilization as a food remains relatively
low at around 8%, but it had increased during 1980s and even reached 17% in
1990s. However, its food use remained the almost same level in 2010–2013
as it was for the 1970s. Overall, total utilization in North America and South
America increased over 40% from the 1970s to 2010–2013.
278 Peanuts

TABLE 9  Relative Distribution of Domestic Peanut Utilization,

by World Subregion

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010–2013

Region %

The Americas

  N. America

   Food 50.4 56.2 58.9 66.5 64.0

   Crushed 19.8 14.0 17.3 11.5 11.2

   Othera 29.6 29.6 23.6 21.9 24.7

  Total use (MT) 1805 1852 2036 2178 2565

  S. America

   Food 7.43 13.7 17.2 10.1 7.6

   Crushed 73.4 52.0 41.6 30.4 29.3

   Other 19.1 34.1 41.0 59.3 62.9

  Total use (MT) 877 541 660 982 1276

Africa

  E. Africa

   Food 31.7 39.9 46.3 46.2 36.6

   Crushed 41.1 45.1 44.9 45.9 48.1

   Other 27.0 14.8 8.8 7.8 15.1

  Total use (MT) 1020 628 565 1310 1942

  S. Africa

   Food 43.2 50.4 59.4 59.6 60.0

   Crushed 32.0 28.8 21.0 26.3 23.9

   Other 24.6 20.7 19.5 13.9 15.9

  Total use (MT) 750 435 448 621 848

  W. Africa

   Food 30.0 42.9 51.9 60.3 58.8

   Crushed 54.6 42.8 34.9 28.8 29.5

   Other 15.2 14.2 13.0 10.7 11.6

  Total use (MT) 2716 2642 3468 6590 7566

 An Overview of World Peanut Markets Chapter | 10  279

TABLE 9  Relative Distribution of Domestic Peanut Utilization,

by World Subregion—cont’d

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010–2013

Region %

Asia

  E. Asia

   Food 41.8 37.7 36.7 40.3 40.5

   Crushed 44.4 47.8 51.2 48.0 49.6

   Other 13.7 14.3 12.0 11.5 9.8

  Total use (MT) 2517 5315 9,453 14,359 16,637

  S.E. Asia

   Food 53.1 55.2 65.1 66.6 68.7

   Crushed 34.3 30.5 20.8 23.5 24.9

   Other 12.4 14.1 14.0 9.7 6.2

  Total use (MT) 1397 1869 2299 3085 3910

  S.W. Asia

   Food 7.92 7.39 7.76 11.0 12.8

   Crushed 78.3 79.0 78.3 73.5 65.5

   Other 13.6 13.5 13.8 15.4 21.6

  Total use (MT) 5714 6590 7735 6396 5594

Europe

  EU-28/W. Europe

   Food 40.5 72.5 85.5 90.8 90.5

   Crushed 55.7 18.4 4.4 5.4 5.7

   Other 3.7 8.9 9.9 3.6 3.7

  Total use (MT) 817 597 574 763 787

  E. Europe

   Food 100.0 100.0 99.7 99.6 100.0

   Crushed 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

   Other 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.4 0.0

  Total use (MT) 42 64 38 126 128

Continued
280 Peanuts

TABLE 9  Relative Distribution of Domestic Peanut Utilization,

by World Subregion—cont’d

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010–2013

Region %

Rest of World

   Food 61.9 74.3 88.8 87.8 86.7

   Crushed 16.8 13.0 6.7 2.9 2.9

   Other 21.2 12.6 4.4 9.2 10.2

  Total use (MT) 129 172 286 389 408

World Total

   Food 28.9 33.2 36.2 44.0 45.0

   Crushed 54.5 50.8 49.3 42.3 40.7

   Other 16.5 15.9 14.3 13.5 14.1

  Total use (MT) 17,790 20,710 27,566 36,802 41,663

E. Europe: Russia. EU-28: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
W. Europe: Norway, Switzerland. Oceania: Australia.
aOther includes exports, seed, losses, and nonreported uses.

USDA, FAS (2014).

East and South Africa had a decrease in total utilization in the 1980s and 1990s
compared with the 1970s before increasing their utilization in the 2000s and
2010–2013. In contrast, utilization in West Africa had a continuous increase over
each time period. The percentage of peanuts utilized as food has been increasing
in all three subregions. Peanut use as food in South and West Africa was approxi-
mately 60% in 2010–2013 while East Africa’s food use was over 30%.
The total utilization of peanuts increased substantially in the three Asiatic
regions from the 1970s to the 2000s. In Southeast Asia the percentage used for
food increased, but in the other two regions food use remained about the same
percentage-wise. Utilization of peanut as a food in Southwest Asia remains
below 13%, the lowest of all the subregions in the world. Peanut oil is a very
important food component in this subregion.
The European Union (EU-28) policy change favored domestic production of
rapeseed and sunflower seed as compared with the import of peanut oil. Total
utilization of peanuts in the EU-28 and Western Europe in the 1990s was down
nearly 25% from the 1970s. However, food use as a percentage of total utiliza-
tion grew from the 1970s to the 1990s to more than 90%. In Eastern Europe,
total utilization of peanut tripled as food use was almost 100% of the total.
 An Overview of World Peanut Markets Chapter | 10  281

Utilization by Major Countries

Approximately 80% of the peanuts produced in the world are utilized by 10
countries that include China, India, and the US (Table 10). Crushed peanuts
are very important in India making up almost 70% of the domestic utilization
in 2010–2013. In China, the use was almost 40% for food and about 50% for
crushing, while in the US nearly 50–60% was used for food.
Utilization among the countries was quite variable between food use and
crushing. Most countries were either heavy users of peanut for food or heavy
users of crushed peanuts for oil and meal. Since the 1970s there has been some
change to a higher percentage use for food. However, in India and China, the
two largest users of peanuts, the way peanuts are utilized has not significantly
changed since the 1970s.

WORLD TRADE IN PEANUTS

Approximately 7% of the 2010–2013 world peanut production entered into
the export market (Table 11). The percentage traded in the world has varied
from about 6.5% in the 1970s to a low of 5.4% in the 1990s before rebounding
in 2010–2013. However, the countries involved in the peanut export market
have changed. In the 1970s, 10 countries led by the US (with one-third of the
total) exported 85% of peanuts traded. India and several African countries were
important exporting countries in the 1970s. Since the 1970s, the top 10 export-
ing countries have increased their share of the export market share to about 95%
in 2010–2013.
In the 1990s, China, the US, and Argentina led the world trade, exporting
70% of the world traded peanuts. The African countries role in the peanut export
business declined. The peanut trade shifted from a crush for oil to an edible
peanut market. The African countries could not compete in the edible market
because of aflatoxin problems. The shift in exports from oil to edible peanuts was
primarily because of Europe’s policy change, which reduced its peanut imports
for crushing due to changing the source of vegetable oils from peanut oil to other
oilseeds.
In the 2010–2013 period, India was the most important peanut exporting
country with 29% of the world exports, followed by Argentina and China with
20%, respectively, while the US exports accounted for 14% of the market. The
US lost share of its export market since the 1970s due to the lower production
during several years, which favored other countries such as China.
The major peanut importing countries have remained about the same in the
1970s, 1990s, and 2010–2013, although there have been changes in the posi-
tion of importance. The EU-28, Japan, Indonesia, and Canada are the primary
peanut importers (Table 12). Very few peanuts are produced in these countries,
except for Indonesia. France, the largest importer of the peanuts in the 1970s,
decreased its imports substantially. This was due to a policy shift encourag-
ing the production and use of rapeseed and sunflower seed oil instead of using
peanut oil. Italy also decreased its imports. Along with the United Kingdom
 282 Peanuts
TABLE 10  Utilization of Peanuts Annually for Food and Crushed for Oil and Meal in Major Consuming Countries

1970s 1990s 2010–2013

Food Crushed Total use Food Crushed Total use Food Crushed Total use

Country % (1000) MT % (1000) MT % (1000) MT

China 36.7 48.6 2233 35.1 52.7 9126 39.6 50.3 16,377

India 7.08 79.1 5658 6.7 79.3 7638 11.3 66.7 5493

Nigeria 17.2 70.5 516 49.6 27.4 776 64 24 3216

US 46.8 21.2 1667 53.4 19.7 1780 58.5 13 2183

Indonesia 79 8.5 642 88.6 4.5 1130 91.2 4.4 1481

Burma 26.1 68.8 407 22.9 63.1 487 32.4 58.1 1398

Sudan 24.1 42.6 797 37.7 51.2 375 34.7 49.5 961

Argentina 4.8 76.9 416 4.3 45.2 471 2.5 23.6 800

Senegal 8.2 71.6 883 39.4 44 690 29.9 50.9 785

Vietnam 27.2 49.2 87 31.8 26.1 293 93.7 5 701

Rest of 47.5 39 4484 68.8 21.4 4801 63.4 24.7 8270

world

World 28.9 54.5 17,790 36.2 49.3 27,567 45 40.7 41,664

USDA, FAS (2014).

TABLE 11  Average Annual World Exports of Peanuts in Ranked Country Order

1970s 1990s 2010–2013

Exports Exports Exports

Country (1000) MT % Country (1000) MT % Country (1000) MT %

US 364 33.3 China 439 30.8 India 799 28.8

An Overview of World Peanut Markets Chapter | 10  283

Sudan 161 14.8 US 340 23.8 Argentina 580 20.9

India 76 7.0 Argentina 225 15.8 China 565 20.4

South Africa 61 5.6 Vietnam 93 6.5 US 390 14.1

Gambia 54 5.0 India 75 5.3 Nicaragua 108 3.9

Brazil 47 4.3 South Africa 33 2.3 Brazil 96 3.5

Senegal 43 4.0 Gambia 33 2.3 Egypt 30 1.1

Nigeria 41 3.8 Hong Kong 25 1.7 Malawi 27 1.0

China 41 3.8 Singapore 22 1.5 Senegal 25 0.9

Argentina 41 3.8 Sudan 18 1.2 Gambia 18 0.6

Rest of world 162 14.9 Rest of world 124 8.7 Rest of world 134 4.8

World 1092 100.0 World 1426 100.0 World 2771 100.0

USDA, FAS (2014).

 284 Peanuts
TABLE 12  Average Annual Imports of Peanuts in Ranked Country Order

1970s 1990s 2010–2013

Imports Imports Imports

Country (1000) MT % Country (1000) MT % Country (1000) MT %

France 269 25.1 Netherlandsa 216 15.5 Netherlands 417 18.0

UK 109 10.2 UKa 142 10.2 Indonesia 293 12.7

Italy 99 9.3 Japan 124 8.9 Vietnam 226 9.8

Japan 92 8.6 Germanya 117 8.4 Germany 165 7.1

Canada 85 7.9 Canada 101 7.2 Mexico 161 7.0

Netherlands 84 7.8 Francea 77 5.5 UK 147 6.4

Germany 79 7.4 Singapore 76 5.4 Russia 128 5.5

Portugal 72 6.8 Mexico 51 3.7 Canada 127 5.5

Switzerland 58 5.5 Philippines 48 3.4 Japan 114 4.9

Russia 41 3.8 Hong Kong 45 3.2 Thailand 88 3.8

Other 81 7.6 Other 399 28.6 Other 444 19.2

World 1069 100.0 World 1396 100.0 World 2309 100.0

aEuropecountries′ annual average calculated from 1997 to 1999.
USDA, FAS (2014).
 An Overview of World Peanut Markets Chapter | 10  285

and Japan, the Netherlands and Germany became the major peanut importers
in 2010–2013. In contrast to the market share of the top 10 exporting countries,
the market share for the top 10 importing countries has declined from the 1970s
to 2010–2013 (i.e., 92–81%). This implies that more countries in the world are
importing peanuts and that diversification is occurring.

The United States Trade in Market Share

The market share of peanut exports by the US to the major importing coun-
tries has shown substantial variation since 1972 (Fletcher, 2000). The US had
been the major exporter of peanuts to the EU-28. At one point the US market
share reached over 50% in the early 1990s but has declined to about 10% in
2010–2013 (Figure 3).
The US export share to Japan increased during the 1970s about 30%. How-
ever, the export share generally declined to as low as 2–5% in 2006–2007, but
has increased to about 10% during 2010–2013 (Figure 4).
The US is by far the largest exporter of shelled peanuts to Canada, main-
taining approximately 60% of the market since 1970s (Figure 5). The US
enhanced its competitive position in Canada beginning with the 1992 peanut
crop. The peanut regulation was changed so that the lower-cost additional
peanuts could be used in products exported to Canada instead of the higher-
cost quota peanuts. One of the more significant aspects of the competitive-
ness of peanut exports has been the response from other countries to fill
any gaps created by the US. Because of the short crops in the US due to
drought conditions, and to its former supply management peanut program,
there have been several shortages of export peanuts up to 2002. In 2002, the
US changed the peanut program to a more free market approach. The change
in the US peanut program allowed equal competition between domestic use
and export needs. Thus, one can see in the figures an uptick in export market
share since 2002.

CONCLUSIONS
The purpose of this chapter has been to offer an overview of the main trends in
the world peanut market in terms of production, consumption, and trade based
on data since the 1970s. In terms of production, the most significant change
in the world peanut market is the remarkable increase in peanut production in
Asia, particularly in China after it reformed its agricultural sector. This devel-
opment has had an effect on the exported volume of peanuts, enabling China
to surpass the other traditional exporters such as Argentina, India, and the US.
However, with the economic advancement in China, Chinese demand for pea-
nuts has increased significantly, meaning China must import to meet internal
demand. This was evident in 2013 when China imported significant quantities
of the US 2012 peanut crop.
286 Peanuts

60
50
40
Percent

30
20
10
0
1972 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012
Share
FIGURE 3  US market share of peanut imports by the EU-28.

35
30
25
20
Percent

15
10
5
0
1972 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012

Share
FIGURE 4  US market share of peanut imports by Japan.

100

80

60
Percent

40

20

0
1972 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012

Share
FIGURE 5  US market share of peanut imports by Canada.
 An Overview of World Peanut Markets Chapter | 10  287

On the utilization side, the data shows an increase in the proportion of peanuts
devoted to food purposes (excluding oil) in comparison with peanuts used to pro-
duce vegetable oil and meal (i.e., for crushing purposes). This shift implies that
the quality of peanuts in the trade market has increased due to the fact that the
quality used for food purposes is higher than that used for crushing (peanut oil and
meal). This change mainly has affected African exports because Africa produces
peanuts that traditionally have aflatoxin levels above the standard for food use.
Several other factors have contributed to the increase in food peanut use.
Based on research in Africa, a peanut-based food product has a significant
impact on the level of malnourishment among African children. This has led to
international efforts to increase the availability of such peanut-based products
into the African diet. Another factor has been the long-term research on peanut
nutrition by the US-based Peanut Institute. Significant findings about the nutri-
tional properties of the peanut have impacted the food use of peanuts. Finally,
the work by the American Peanut Council along with the National Peanut Board
through the use of United States Department of Agriculture’s Market Access
Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development Program (FMD) funds for
export promotion and education has had a major impact on improving current
peanut markets and developing new peanut markets.
In terms of the international trade, Argentina, China, and the US have been
the leading exporters of edible peanuts. Since 2010, India has emerged as a key
peanut exporter. Whether this is for the long-term or not will depend on India’s
internal agricultural policy changes and further improvement in the peanut qual-
ity factors required for food use. Regardless of which country or countries are in
the top three exporting positions, the top 10 exporting countries have increased
their share of the export market significantly. In contrast, while the major pea-
nut importing countries have remained basically the same over time, their share
of the total imports has declined over time. This implies that diversification is
occurring. This diversification provides a positive future for peanut trade and
growth in the world peanut sector.

REFERENCES
Carley, D.H., Fletcher, S.M., 1995. An overview of world peanut markets. In: Pattee, H.E., Stalker,
H.T. (Eds.), Advances in Peanut Science. American Peanut Research and Education Society,
Inc., Stillwater, OK, pp. 554–577.
Fletcher, S.M., Zhang, P., Carley, D.H., 1992. Groundnuts: production, utilization and trade in the
1980s. In: Nigam, S.N. (Ed.), Groundnut – a Global Perspective. ICRISAT, Patancheru, India,
pp. 57–76. Proc. Int. Workshop.
Fletcher, S.M., 2000. Peanuts. In: Colyer, D., Kennedy, P.L., Amponsah, W., Fletcher, S.M., Jolly,
C. (Eds.), Competition in Agriculture: The United States in the World Market. The Haworth
Press, Philadelphia, PA, pp. 139–154.
Revoredo, C., Fletcher, S.M., 2002. World Peanut Market: An Overview of the Past 30 Years.
UGA/CAES Research Bulletin No. 437.
USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service, 2014. Production, Supply and Distribution. Online (PSD
Online). http://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/.