Bulgaria is among the largest European exporters of sunflower

Agriculture is one of the most basic economic sectors for growth and international trade, and is most vulnerable to climate changes or disruption caused by the pandemic crisis, and of course, in recent months, it has faced the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

According to a study by University of the Potomac in Washington, DC, the most widely distributed agricultural products in the world are cow's milk (the leading product in 37 countries), sugar cane, maize, wheat (the leading product in 14 countries) and rice. The world's biggest food producers are China, the US, Russia, Brazil and India, which are also among the top 10 countries in terms of exports, moneyreview.gr reported.

Bulgaria is among the biggest European exporters of sunflower, according to data provided by the university.

Thanks to globalisation and the export network, around two-thirds of the products considered main components in national cuisines internationally, originate from a far-away region. Tomatoes originated in the Andes, but the largest producers of tomatoes today are China, India and Turkey, and the largest exporter is the Netherlands, and they are a main component of national cuisines in countries around the world.

Agriculture accounts for 4.3% of global GDP, with a value of USD 3.6 trillion in 2020, an increase of USD 2.54 trillion in twenty years. The three regions that have developed their production the most during this period are South America, Africa and Asia. Asia's production capacity almost doubles from 3.3 billion tonnes to 5.1 billion tonnes in 2020, while South America's rises from 748 million tonnes to 1.4 billion tonnes.

According to University of the Potomac, the world's top agricultural exports are wheat, rice, soybeans, corn, barley, rapeseed oil, palm oil, sunflower seeds and bananas.

Also among the 20 most exported products is cotton, with Greece being the world's second largest export power after the United States with 274,000 tonnes a year, according to Katoomerini.

It is worth noting that European countries are among the leading export powers in pork (Spain, Germany), sunflower seeds (Romania, Russia, Bulgaria), cow's milk (Germany, Czech Republic, UK), tomatoes (Spain), the Netherlands, apples (Italy), barley (France, Ukraine, Russia).