As the world's population has grown, people's eating habits have changed enormously. Processed food is now valued several times more than basic farm raw materials. Fruit and food grains are processed with modern technology to make them usable for long periods, and a huge commercial market has grown up around this.

The latest global database of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) gives a striking picture of the agro-processing industry. According to its data, several countries dominate the sector through modern infrastructure and technology, and Asian countries in particular lead in processing farm produce. More than half of the world's top 10 agro-processing countries are in this region, the report says.

Here is the top 10 for processing fruit and other crops.

China has become the world's number one country for processing fruit and crops, with total annual processing of about 99,526,676 tonnes. Behind this achievement are its skilled workforce and low-cost production system. Its factories process mostly beer, soybean oil and sugar, and China also plays a unique role in tea processing.

Second is Brazil, land of football and samba, with total processing of 99,346,329 tonnes. Brazil is one of the world's leading sugar producers and dominates the production of cane sugar and its by-product, molasses. It is also far ahead in beer production.

Third is India, with total crop processing of 82,868,513 tonnes. A huge domestic market and plentiful raw materials are driving India forward quickly. Its main processed products are sugar, molasses and large quantities of cottonseed.

Fourth is Indonesia, the world's largest island nation, with total processing of 68,353,451 tonnes. Like Malaysia's, Indonesia's economy depends heavily on palm oil production, and most of the global supply of palm oil comes from this country. Its main products include palm oil and palm kernel oil.

The United States, the world's largest economy, is fifth, with total annual processing of 59,057,577 tonnes. Raw materials from its huge farm sector are processed in factories using advanced domestic technology. Its main products include soybean oil, beer and sugar.

Russia, the world's largest country by area, holds a strong position too, ranking sixth with annual output of 27,053,517 tonnes. Its processing plants produce mostly beer, sunflower oil and cane sugar. Russia supplies large quantities of these products to European and Asian markets and easily meets its own domestic demand.

Malaysia, another economic power in South-East Asia, is seventh, with total processing of 25,687,485 tonnes. Its entire processing industry depends mainly on palm products, chiefly palm oil and palm kernel oil, and it is a major player in the global edible oil market.

Mexico, one of Latin America's leading economies, is eighth, with total annual processing of about 23,254,441 tonnes. Its products are in considerable demand globally. It processes mostly beer, sugar and various vegetable oils, and its location next to the United States makes exporting much easier.

Thailand, one of Asia's leading agricultural countries, is ninth, with total processing of 21,510,725 tonnes. Most of its processing industry is sugar and the molasses produced as a by-product. It also processes large quantities of palm oil for supply to Asian countries.

Tenth is Germany in Europe. According to the latest UN data, Germany's total processing of fruit and crops in 2023 was about 19,540,842 tonnes. The country is highly advanced in modern technology, and its main processed products are beer, sugar and rapeseed or canola oil. German processed products dominate the European market.

The processing industry not only extends the life of food but also plays a big role in strengthening a country's economy. The output of the leading countries shows that agro-processing will become many times more important in the world economy in the coming days. Least developed and developing countries are now also turning to processing instead of exporting raw materials.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.