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IMF economists have compiled a new database of countries that are the largest producers of commodities, from oil to cocoa. RBC's infographic shows the top 3 producers of major commodities.
Economists at the IMF Research Department have constructed a model in which the world is divided into two blocs (led by China-Russia and the United States-Europe) that do not trade raw materials with each other. The purpose of this exercise was to show that the increasing geopolitical fragmentation of the world could lead to a breakdown of customary trade links and a sharp rise in the prices of essential minerals and crops.
As part of the study, the authors compiled a new database on global commodity production based on statistics from the British Geological Survey, the US Geological Survey, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and the International Energy Agency. In particular, the database shows that the highest concentration of leading producing countries is observed in the world markets of tungsten (China - 85% of total production, Vietnam - 5%, Russia - 3%), rare earth elements (China - 70%, Myanmar - 11%, Australia - 8%), palm oil (Indonesia - 60%, Malaysia - 25%, Thailand - 4%).
According to the IMF Research Department, Russia is among the top three producers of 10 commodities: tungsten (3% of global production), antimony (16%), silicon (7%), magnesium (9%), nickel (9%), potash (17%), sunflower seeds (27%), natural gas (18%), crude oil (12%), and wheat (10%). This data may have changed slightly, as the base is built on pre-2019 information.