Corn , Maize, Zea mays

Corn is a number 1 grain crop in the world by volume, it is number 1 crop by calories and protein content also.  Oldest milling tools with maize residue  that were found in Central America are 8700 years old,  corn started to spread all over Americas  around  1500 BC and by 500 AD it was grown even in Canada.  In 2009, over 817.1 million tons  of  maize were produced.
USA is the biggest producer  in the world both by volume and per capita. A "share" of an average American  would be  1072 kg , or  2383 pounds of corn. Its enough  corn to live  for over 5 years and 10 weeks or so at 2000 calories a day  or you could make about 95 gallons of ethanol with it. It takes about 25 pounds of corn to make 1 gallon of ethanol, and about 78 grams to sweeten 1 can of soda. Overall, there are over 3500 uses for  corn products.
Worldwide , 118.6  kg or 263.5 pounds  of corn were available  per potential consumer. That's enough for  about 210.5 days at 2000 calories a day. There is enough corn in the world to feed

over  3 973.5 million people or entire populations of China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan,Nigeria, Bangladesh,Russia, Japan, Mexico , Philippines, Burma and El Salvador combined. There is enough protein  in crop of corn to provide 50 grams a day to over 6 250 000 000 people.  Yes, it is incomplete and  hard to digest, still, quite a few  people can be  fed with it.
Over 159 531 000 hectares were used for maize production in 2009,  a territory bigger than Mongolia and Belgium combined.  That is over 10.1% of all arable land in the world. More land was used  only in 2008.  These numbers  do not include corn that was planted for livestock needs and was harvested  before maturity.
Best harvest ever was in 2008, 826 224 247 tonnes. Worst, since 1961-- 204.87 mln tonnes of corn in 1962

Best worldwide yield  was 5128.4 kg/ha in 2008. Worst, since 1961-- 1942.2 kg/ha in 1961.
Individual record yield belongs to Jordan, 2002  --28675 kg/ha. They must be smoking crack there in FAO.org, I will need to take a closer look at this. On the other hand there were only 480 hectares planted with corn in Jordan of 2002 so who knows may be its true.


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Usage of Maize by USA, 2008
           5.25 billion bu. - Livestock feed
           3.65 billion bu. - Ethanol production

• 1.85 billion bu. - Exports
• 943 million bu. - Production of Starch, Corn Oil, Sweeteners (HFCS,etc.)
• 327 million bu. - Human consumption - grits, corn flour, corn meal, beverage alcohol

Cost of the world crop as of today, is around $ 202-205 billion. (623.5 cents for a bushel (56lbs)as of today)

Major producers, 2008-2009

	item	2008		2009
Afghanistan	Maize	137000			M
Albania	Maize	49000		47600
Algeria	Maize	227		168
Angola	Maize	883943		1554096
Antigua and Barbuda	Maize	42	F		M
Argentina	Maize	3412155		2337175
Armenia	Maize	3963		2637
Australia	Maize	68000		64580
Austria	Maize	194087		178500
Azerbaijan	Maize	33195		31501
Bahamas	Maize	180	F	180	F
Bangladesh	Maize	223868		122000	F
Barbados	Maize	105	F	105	F
Belarus	Maize	112702		95832
Belgium	Maize	72015		66700
Belize	Maize	15732		15308
Benin	Maize	746318			M
Bhutan	Maize	28727	F		M
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	Maize	433300		289011
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Maize	204266		188688
Botswana	Maize	56000	F		M
Brazil	Maize	14444582		13791219
Bulgaria	Maize	329345		274229
Burkina Faso	Maize	608368			M
Burundi	Maize	115000	F		M
Cambodia	Maize	163106		213000	*
Cameroon	Maize	620000	F	620000	F
Canada	Maize	1168800		1142000
Cape Verde	Maize	34385			M
Central African Republic	Maize	172665		177845
Chad	Maize	235082			M
Chile	Maize	134641		128211
China	Maize	29882998		30478998
Colombia	Maize	623025		591890
Comoros	Maize	2000	F		M
Congo	Maize	10250	F		M
Costa Rica	Maize	6837		11227
Côte d'Ivoire	Maize	310000	F		M
Croatia	Maize	314062		296910
Cuba	Maize	129222		203981
Czech Republic	Maize	113777		105268
Democratic People's Republic of Korea	Maize	503150			M
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Maize	1483890			M
Denmark	Maize		M		M
Djibouti	Maize	6	F		M
Dominica	Maize	145	F		M
Dominican Republic	Maize	18412			M
Ecuador	Maize	358480		368769
Egypt	Maize	819945		835000	F
El Salvador	Maize	256164		261628
Eritrea	Maize	16448	F		M
Ethiopia	Maize	1767389		1768122	*
Fiji	Maize	1000	F	900	F
France	Maize	1702030		1679800
French Guiana	Maize	40	F		M
Gabon	Maize	20000	F	20000	F
Gambia	Maize	43460		47000
Georgia	Maize	141400		124000
Germany	Maize	520478		464333
Ghana	Maize	846260		954400
Greece	Maize	240000		240000
Grenada	Maize	320	F		M
Guadeloupe	Maize		M		M
Guam	Maize	15	F		M
Guatemala	Maize	795000	F		M
Guinea	Maize	484296			M
Guinea-Bissau	Maize	17000	F		M
Guyana	Maize	4600	F		M
Haiti	Maize	269000	F		M
Honduras	Maize	317602		335514
Hungary	Maize	1191804		1177321
India	Maize	8300000	*	8400000	*
Indonesia	Maize	4003313		4160659
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	Maize	242740		225639
Iraq	Maize	122575		114050
Israel	Maize	5360		5000	F
Italy	Maize	991500		915500
Jamaica	Maize	1514			M
Japan	Maize	60	F	65	F
Jordan	Maize	1041		1043
Kazakhstan	Maize	75700		99800
Kenya	Maize	1700000		1884368
Kuwait	Maize	50	F		M
Kyrgyzstan	Maize	78900		78800
Lao People's Democratic Republic	Maize	193220		175965
Lebanon	Maize	900		1000	F
Lesotho	Maize	137156		137366
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya	Maize	1380	F		M
Lithuania	Maize	7600		5500
Luxembourg	Maize	379		409
Madagascar	Maize	250000	F		M
Malawi	Maize	1596955			M
Malaysia	Maize	6315		6340
Maldives	Maize	25	F		M
Mali	Maize	352263		463640
Mauritania	Maize	21902		16684	*
Mauritius	Maize	95			M
Mexico	Maize	7353940		7200000	*
Micronesia (Federated States of)	Maize	45			M
Montenegro	Maize	2756			M
Montserrat	Maize	15			M
Morocco	Maize	219300			M
Mozambique	Maize	1400000	F		M
Myanmar	Maize	345000	F		M
Namibia	Maize	28000	F		M
Nepal	Maize	870166		875428
Netherlands	Maize	22100		18800
New Caledonia	Maize	1100	F		M
New Zealand	Maize	18300		21558
Nicaragua	Maize	318435			M
Niger	Maize	6400			M
Nigeria	Maize	3845000			M
Pakistan	Maize	1052000		950000
Panama	Maize	46290			M
Papua New Guinea	Maize	1700	F		M
Paraguay	Maize	858101		774100
Peru	Maize	499073		514030
Philippines	Maize	2661020		2683900
Poland	Maize	317193		274100
Portugal	Maize	109600		87600
Puerto Rico	Maize	290	F		M
Qatar	Maize	70		75	F
Republic of Korea	Maize	18366			M
Republic of Moldova	Maize	427950		368000	*
Réunion	Maize	1550	F		M
Romania	Maize	2432210		2333501
Russian Federation	Maize	1731700		1122200
Rwanda	Maize	210000	F	187000	F
Saint Lucia	Maize		M		M
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Maize	210	F		M
Sao Tome and Principe	Maize	1300	F		M
Saudi Arabia	Maize	29000			M
Senegal	Maize	216517		211585
Serbia	Maize	1273910		1208640
Sierra Leone	Maize	60000	F		M
Slovakia	Maize	154238		144235
Slovenia	Maize	43698		38611
Somalia	Maize	235000	F		M
South Africa	Maize	2799000		2427500
Spain	Maize	366300		345000
Sri Lanka	Maize	51600		50860
Sudan	Maize	30672		37083
Suriname	Maize	12			M
Swaziland	Maize	47409	F		M
Switzerland	Maize	17593		16713
Syrian Arab Republic	Maize	70900		41848
Tajikistan	Maize	14516		14000	F
Thailand	Maize	1042826		1104870
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia	Maize	31013		32466
Timor-Leste	Maize	63400	F		M
Togo	Maize	487175			M
Trinidad and Tobago	Maize	1200			M
Turkey	Maize	593710		591279
Turkmenistan	Maize	15300			M
Uganda	Maize	862000		887000
Ukraine	Maize	2440100		2089100
United Kingdom	Maize				M
United Republic of Tanzania	Maize	3100000			M
United States of America	Maize	31796493		32209277
Uruguay	Maize	80600		87500
Uzbekistan	Maize	32000	*	35000	F
Vanuatu	Maize	1450	F		M
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	Maize	783314			M
Viet Nam	Maize	1125900		1086800
Yemen	Maize	43467		37402
Zambia	Maize	663990		911942	*

Zimbabwe                                                                 1730 000             M