Six times the grain output of Ukraine and Russia combined is either burned as biofuel or used to feed animals
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskDespite talks with Turkey over shipping Ukrainian grain, Russia is unlikely to let exports pass through the Black Sea. Ukrainian grain
Less than half of the world’s grain harvest is eaten by people. Take wheat, the most important crop grown by the two warring countries. In 2019, the latest year for which data are available, Russia and Ukraine jointly produced nearly 103m tonnes, less than the 129m tonnes fed to animals. Another 22m tonnes were turned into biofuel. The belligerents’ second-biggest crop, maize, was even less likely to end up on a plate: humans ate just 13% of global output.
Instead, the extra grain was put to other uses. Nearly one-tenth was converted into biofuel, which is used mainly to power cars. But the lion’s share went to animals. In 2019 pigs ate 431m tonnes of grain, 45% more than the people of China did, according to our calculations. Overall, from 2010 to 2019 the amount of grain used for animal feed rose from 770m tonnes per year to 987m, as the world’s pasturelands shrank and appetite for meat grew.
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